Verizon DSL can't tell what OS you're running

[giza]

A few days ago, I decided to be clever. I realized that while my Comcast Internet connection is nice, it's a single point of failure. If it goes down, I'm without Internet. I did some research and saw that Verizon was selling 1 Megabit DSL for $19.99 a month. It seemed like a good deal, and I'd have a backup here if my Comcast connection ever had issues. So, I placed the order.

The modem arrived today. Pretty fast shipping!

So, I installed it, and upon trying to load CNN, I get redirected to this page:

https://activate.verizon.net/launch/welcome (click this will resize your browser window)

Other than the fact that it rudely resizes your browser window, they merely want me to activate my DSL connection. Okay, that makes sense. So I enter my phone number and ZIP code, and then it makes me download some software. Wait a minute, this is starting to get silly... but I play along and install the software. Then this happens:



Yep, in whatever reality that Verizon's programmers live in, OS/X 10.6.2 is less than OS/X 10.3. I don't understand it either.

I'm debating if I even want to continue troubleshooting. I might just cancel the service. This is your brain on Verizon DSL.

Comments

[simbab.livejournal.com]

Depending on what browser you're using, Firefox did not report the OS X version until recently, on 10.5, and on 3.x (I think) and later.

If you're using Safari, all bets are off.

However, this (http://pics.livejournal.com/simbab/pic/001276k9) is pretty fail. (lol, I just realized it captured part of my IM convo XD)

[giza.livejournal.com]

Browser? I'm actually running a standalone app. In fact, FireFox wasn't even running when I took that pic. (The app killed Firefox. No, really!)

Yeah, I saw that error, too. I allowed the domain in noscript and that fixed it right up.

[pengolodh-sc.livejournal.com]

It strikes me that Verizon is the same company which some years back decided that the best way to combat spam was to block all e-mail from all European domains - individual domains would be unblocked only at the request of the domain's owner.

[frostyw.livejournal.com]

That's pretty braindead. My carrier (AceInnovative) is a Verizon DSL reseller, but they have none of this BS. It's actually a static IP address, and it's available as soon as you hook up a host to the back of the modem. Static IP, no port blocking, servers welcome, even on the $29.95/mo 1/384 pkg.

[natashasoftpaw.livejournal.com]

Heh, I opened that link in Opera, which I've configured to not allow JS resizing, and it said I needed to open it in IE, the one Windows browser that can't block JS resizing :-P

As for the OS detection, I've seen that problem before in old Windows software, and it seems to stem from sloppy detection code. Instead of looking for an OS version >= whatever they first wrote it for, it'll look for a specific list of OSes and versions. Which is why there are apps I can't install without the installer acting like I'm on Win95. In this case, they may have only listed major versions, or something similarly short-sighted.

[thraxarious.livejournal.com]

ie: when running in XP or later, "Windows NT 4.0 is not supported!"

Luckilly, old games and things have /disableversioncheck switches.

[furahi.livejournal.com]

It opened in FF with resizing disabled just fine for me...

[orionvw.livejournal.com]

I have problems with it randomly blocking the AC site

[neillparatzo.livejournal.com]

As long as every Internet-related company keeps trying to simultaneously commoditize every other Internet-related company, shit like this will keep happening.

[furahi.livejournal.com]

Is that for FIOS?

[giza.livejournal.com]

No, DSL.

[furahi.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, it does say DSL there x_x
Repeatedly x_x

[giza.livejournal.com]

It sure does. :-)

Sounds like you had a cheetah moment there. ;-)

[bluedeer.livejournal.com]

This is one of the things I will never understand about DSL. There is no reason that it can't just be connected to a modem, then to a router or computer, and just work. Why it needs special software, trickery, 'activation', login, or whatever, I don't understand. There's really no need for it. But yet DSL companies are bent on using authentication for a dedicated connection. It's not like anybody can take their DSL modem and stick it into another phone line and magically get online.

When I worked with Verizon, they were using a PPPoE authentication called WinPOET. I don't know if they still do, but at the time, they were using software that came from a company that didn't even exist anymore.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it was "plug and play" when I was a customer of DCANet.

Of course, they also raped me at $50/mo for 1.5 Megabit down.

[delphanaeous.livejournal.com]

I've been using this exact same service for almost a year, yet I've never been able to log into their web site. The DSL itself has worked decently, but it's not stellar. (The Speakeasy speed test says 1002/379 Kbps, but I only ever get those numbers while connecting to Speakeasy. I wonder why...)

I have no idea what the website is for, nor do I care. I connect with a Linksys WRT54GL running OpenWRT Linux - There's nothing about the service other than the website that is OS specific.

I should add that the web server embedded in the modem works perfectly fine with Firefox on Linux.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

I tried Verizon DSL this spring. Aside from the datarate being Nothing like I was paying for and changing depending upon the time of day, I too had to go through the activation garbage.

First they wanted me to run their software. I refused citing security reasons. So then they did it manually with me poking data into their modem through Firefox. It took 3 times to get a connection to the internet with it.

And they wonder why their satisfaction ratings are so poor... With the comcast modem, I just plugged it in and I was off and running in 3 minutes without having to change my network around and beat on the modem for 90 minutes. If not for comcast raping me so bad every month, I'd be very happy with them.

[nemetfox.livejournal.com]

Hey, guess what. I used to do support for Verizon, I can tell you how to bypass that nonsense entirely.
I'll send you a private message.

[zorinlynx.livejournal.com]

Since you used to work for them, can you enlighten us as to WHY they implement such stupidity instead of just letting it be plug and play?

[nemetfox.livejournal.com]

Doesn't really work that way. Front line tech support doesn't get told anything that it doesn't need to know.

It never needs to know reasons.

[rickwoods.livejournal.com]

DWTF, go!

Seriously this is ridiculous. Title of post should have "... and really shouldn't need to know anyhow" appended to it.

[athauglas.livejournal.com]

[troll]

Okay, three things:

1. Redundant internet connections aren't useful unless the switch is automatic when a failure occurs
2. Disallow JS from resizing/moving windows
3. Never install any software from an ISP, it will always end in tears.

If you're not going to use an OS/Browser that 95% of their customers use, don't complain when shit doesn't work.

[/troll]

[giza.livejournal.com]

Heh.

1. Oh, I know. But since I'm the only user here, I don't need automatic failover. My failover consists of switching to the other wireless network. :-)

2. Yeah, I probably should.

3. Yep.


Funny you should mention #1, though. I was in a heated discussion with a co-worker the other day about this, basically told him, "No, you can't haven't a single globally routed IP without using something like BGP, and it's unlikely that Comcast and Verizon are going to play along with that for a residential customer nor would my /32 BGP announcement actually *make* it anywhere."

His reaction was to insist that it could be done, but he refused to draw me a network diagram. Classy, I know. :-/

[yakko.livejournal.com]

Even if you could run your own BGP instance and advertise a subnet, it makes things harder than they need to be. I'm in a similar boat: if my cable goes down, I just get my MiFi out and turn on the wi-fi in my computer. Easy-peasy.

His reaction was to insist that it could be done, but he refused to draw me a network diagram.

No, I'm pretty sure you're correct here. It can't be done -automatically- without a lot of cooperation, but it can be done manually.

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

Call Verizon at 1 800 567 6789, and they should lead you through some back door to get around the installation. Technically, you shouldn't really need the software installed to activate the connection, and if you call in with this problem, they should be able to do this manually for you over the phone.

Their Mac software, also typically lags behind their PC one, so that may be part of the problem.

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

Also, you *may* want to consider upgrading to 3mb - it should only be like $5-10 more per month at the most. 3mb is what I have, and FIOS isn't available in my area yet.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I took care of that a long time ago, thanks to instructions that someone emailed me. Basically, I had to log onto the modem and tweak a setting there.

I'll make an LJ entry about the "fix" some day.

Also, I don't want 3 MB DSL. This is strictly a backup circuit in case Comcast goes down.