| CompuServe 2000 6.0 |
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| CNET rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 best |
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The good: Offers an extensive network of dial-up connections; provides seven e-mail accounts with 20MB of Web space each. The bad: Cluttered screens; forces you to use its proprietary e-mail system. The bottom line: CompuServe offers great content and community in a messy interface. It may not be the tech guru haven that it was five years ago, but at least it's not as commercialized as AOL. |
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CNET review |
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CompuServe has changed a lot since its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s. Nowadays, CompuServe 2000 6.0 looks and acts much like America Online--not surprising since AOL owns CompuServe. It shares AOL's extensive international network of dial-up access numbers, instant messaging network, and easy setup. But CompuServe also hosts its own content (such as shopping links and news) and sports far fewer ads, making it a useful alternative to other content-laden ISPs such as MSN and AOL. Still, when it comes to flexibility and sophistication, CompuServe can't beat EarthLink.
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| Quick facts | |
| Software requirements and specs: | |
| Platform: | PC: Windows 95/98/Me/2000; Mac: System 6.0 |
| Processor: | PC: Pentium; Mac: PowerPC |
| RAM: | PC: 16MB (64MB for Windows 2000; Mac: 32MB |
| Disk space: | PC: 108MB-130MB; Mac: 30MB |
| Display requirements: | 256-color VGA; 800-by-600-pixel resolution recommended |
| CD-ROM required: | No |
| Downloadable full version: | Yes |
| Estimated price: | $21.95/month unlimited access ($19.95/month when prepaid for one year); $9.95/month for 20 hours ($2.95 each additional hour); $9.95/month unlimited access when using a different ISP to connect; 30-day free trial; no setup fee |
A CNET Internet contributor and editor of RegSelect, Matt Lake goes through ISPs like Super Bowl watchers go through Doritos. Got a comment for him? Pass it along. |
