We have successfully installed several SuSE linux ADSL and TELENET access servers in Belgium. They are used as firewall, proxy, mailgateway, fileserver, and so on... The provider isn't that important, if you want assistance or more info, contact me off-list. regards, mvg. Jan. -- mailto:jan@spier.be http://www.spier.be SPIER bvba, Knaptandstraat 96 - 9100 Sint-Niklaas - Belgium Tel: + 32 3765 9061 Fax: + 32 3765 9062 ----- Original Message ----- From: Julien Biezemans To: Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 2:09 PM Subject: Re: [SLE] OT: "Linux friendly" provider in Belgium

Hello!

I'm from Belgium too and impatiently waiting for the ADSL to become available here (they say "ready to run on 21 of June..." we will see). I currently have an ISDN connection for my LAN. The "server" is running win98 with a quite-not-too-bad socks/proxy server. I'm *slowly* removing windows from all the stations on the network (as some users still need windows for some stuffs) and mainly using SuSE 7.1 (previously Mandrake but I'm much more happy with SuSE :)).

I plan to definitly install SuSE 7.1 on the server (if I still have to use it as a proxy server [connecting a LAN to ADSL with a router is quite expensive with Belgacom {and that's a pity}]).

When you go to any provider and ask them about using their service with Linux or something else than mac OS or windows, they just look at you with salmon eyes.. Linux is a very-*marginal* stuff in here apparently. The few people using Linux I know are computer students or passionates. The providers do use Unix-based systems for their own servers but only know win or macOS when it's about their customers.

This is silly and represents quite nicely our global belgian mind (always complaining, never acting [for example, check the actions against the Internet connections prices: they just died (IBEC-KBI..)]).

So why don't we put some pressure on the providers to supply more "alternative OSes" support? It would not need billions of francs to the providers to do some Linux support (as they do know at least a little about it), nah? :)

Ju.

On Thursday 17 May 2001 13:03, Guy Van Sanden wrote:

...

Hello Arjen

I'm afraid you will have a lot of trouble with that... I live in Belgium, and to my shame, I think it's one of the most Linux-unfriendly countries in the World.

I have Cable access at home (telenet), I got it working on my own, my provider 'allows' Linux, but there is NO support, not anything, they even refuse to put in a network-card if you're not running Windows... or plug in the modem if you've gotten the card working yourself. If you call with a problem, even if it's on their side (like a server being down), and you mention that you're running Linux, they simply refuse your call!

And the situation is the same for all providers I know over here. They use Linux on some of their servers, but there's no support for their clients... It even goes as far as that I'm not able to access the web-sites (even the internal helpdesk-site) of my provider...

I hate to admit it, but Belgium still is M$-owned.... and very few people out here are fighting that. I was lucky to find 1 job were I could work with UNIX (and after a while even Linux) outside of the country's capital...

The best you can do is to choose a provider that has ADSL or cable connected to a network card. Buy the card yourself, and set up DHCP (let them do the windows install, and grab the settings from there if you have to).

This should work. I've heard some people here in belium are using 'planet internet-adsl' or 'skynet-adsl' with Linux, but again, it's not supported in any way...

I'm sorry I can't help you any further.

Kind regards

Guy

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

On 11/05/2001, 13:11:33, Arjen Runsink wrote

regarding [SLE] OT: "Linux friendly" provider in Belgium:

...

L.S.

We recently acquired a company in Belgium and I am looking for a good provider that does BSTMP for ISDN suscribers and is offering ADSL

already.

...

Opinions about them welcome.

To not burden the list to heavvy please reply directly to me.

TIA

BB, Arjen

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Guy Van Sanden wrote:

Hello Arjen

I'm afraid you will have a lot of trouble with that... I live in Belgium, and to my shame, I think it's one of the most Linux-unfriendly countries in the World.

Ha! We want to change that. The "Linux beer hike 2001" *is* taking place in Belgium, August 25th to Sept. 1st. The location is bouillon. see http://www.ynfonatic.de for more information. Hopefully, more than 100 nerds will invade the city.

I have Cable access at home (telenet), I got it working on my own, my provider 'allows' Linux, but there is NO support, not anything, they even refuse to put in a network-card if you're not running Windows... or plug in the modem if you've gotten the card working yourself. If you call with a problem, even if it's on their side (like a server being down), and you mention that you're running Linux, they simply refuse your call!

Oh, that looks bad. We still need a cheap (better, free sponsoring) provider.

And the situation is the same for all providers I know over here. They use Linux on some of their servers, but there's no support for their clients... It even goes as far as that I'm not able to access the web-sites (even the internal helpdesk-site) of my provider...

I hate to admit it, but Belgium still is M$-owned.... and very few people out here are fighting that.

I thought that Britain was the same -by talk and behaviour of some friends there-. But LBW2000 in Coniston told me different. ;-)

I was lucky to find 1 job were I could work with UNIX (and after a while even Linux) outside of the country's capital...

The best you can do is to choose a provider that has ADSL or cable connected to a network card. Buy the card yourself, and set up DHCP (let them do the windows install, and grab the settings from there if you have to).

This should work. I've heard some people here in belium are using 'planet internet-adsl' or 'skynet-adsl' with Linux, but again, it's not supported in any way...

I'm sorry I can't help you any further.

Kind regards

Guy

Juergen -- =========================================== __ _ Juergen Braukmann juergen.braukmann@gmx.de| -o)/ / (_)__ __ ____ __ Tel: 0201-743648 dk4jb@db0qs.#nrw.deu.eu | /\\ /__/ / _ \/ // /\ \/ / ===========================================_\_v __/_/_//_/\_,_/ /_/\_\