We’ve completed the first leg of Tour 2011, arriving in the City of Angels mid-day.  Our GPS took us to the Nice Person’s sister’s house, no problem.  The problem started when we needed to get connected to the Internet.

Sis and her hubby travel a lot, so they have cellular Internet access.  OK, we say, we’ll just plug the dongle into our computer and surf away.  But, no joy.  The USB device mounts as a disk drive, no problem.  But, the System Requirements (and provided drivers) are for Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000.  Period.  Guess what?  We’re the Unix Curmudgeon.  We run Linux!

Now, why does Verizon think that Linux users don’t need to use the Internet? Or, more precisely, why does Verizon think they can survive without the business of Linux users everywhere? 

OK, there are Linux packages that interface with the cellular modems, but they are not provided by the service vendors, nor do they support use of the device on Linux systems.  And, they are relatively hard to find.  Essentially, the cellular modem is just that — a modem, so setting it up as a PPP device and adding the configuration and chat scripts is all that is necessary to use them.  But, it has been a long time since most long-time Linux users (like the Unix Curmudgeon) had to configure modem scripts by hand, and most new Linux users are blissfully unaware of such arcania.

The aggravation here is not being able to use a device out of the box.  Using the cellular modem requires getting files from somewhere else (on the Internet) before you can get on the Internet.  Humph.  There is always the coffee shop down the street, but not being able to get Internet access almost anywhere is a major impediment to keep up with work on the road.