Appendix E: What's in "Is AT&T The Right Choice?"

Part III of "The Joy of Telecomputing" provides detailed discussions on the various ways you can reach a remote system (i.e., a system which is not local to you). What is the most cost-effective way to reach those systems?

There are generally two options you have to reach a remote system:

You can place a distance call using AT&T, MCI, etc.
You can reach the system via some packet-switching networks by dialing a local number (the system you are calling may already have a deal with a packet-switching network and charge you accordingly, or you may subscribe to one of the packet-switching networks yourself).

(If you are trying to reach a remote Internet host, you have one more option. You can log in to a local host on the Internet and then use telnet to access the remote host.)

However, packet-switching networks differ widely in what they offer, how much they charge, and how well they perform. We'll look at some of the services available (PC Pursuit, Connect-USA, Accu*Link, Tymnet, REDI-Access, etc.).

How many ways can you reach a remote system? What are the pros and cons?
What are packet-switching networks?
How do they work?
What services are available?
What do they offer?
What kinds of modems do they support?
What are the differences in performance among different packet-switching network?
How much do they cost?
Are packet-switching networks cost-effective?