[aklug] Recap of ISP history in Mat Valley

The issue that I had with being blacklisted [see thread "Check my
headers (I.P. blacklisted)"] has brought back memories of the early
days of internet and ISP.

Although I started programming in 1987, I never was involved with
any of the pre-browser-day bulletin board culture. My first internet
access was Compuserve in 1994. That year, I used Compuserve to
deliver desktop applications to customers. In 1995 I started writing
applications that used FTP, but still desktop-based.

In 1996, there were 3 ISPs in the Valley (that I knew of). Matnet,
Denali Computer Services (one of the original techs is still on
this ML, I think) and Neptune, which had a partner in Broward County
Florida. I started using Neptune as ISP that year and also starting
writing CGI programs and simple bulletin boards for them and their
partner.

By 1999, Neptune had folded and their customers were taken in by
Matnet. Whereas Neptune had used Windows NT servers, Matnet was
Red-Hat-based with a MySQL backend for data, adminstered through a
M$ Access front end. I worked for them for a while and also coded
from them under my own biz license.

Matnet sold out to Chugach Electric in later 1999 or 2000. Unlike
Neptune, I think Matnet's owners made a profit. At that time for
some reason electrical utilities were getting into the ISP business.
I met Les Helfrich there, I think. He was managing their ISP
service, if memory serves me.

MTASolutions, I think, was originally based in Anchorage and only
partilly owned by MTA in a partnership arrangement. At that time,
MTASolutions had a pretty poor reputation, it was known for bad
performance and even worse treatment of customers.

Shortly after Greg Berberich became CEO of MTA, he and I had a
conversation in which I presented a synopsis of issues that I and
other techs had with MTASolutions.

Following that interchange, Greg had his wife sign up for DSL
through MTASolutions, and monitored the progress, which I seem to
remember was lengthy and painful. He then started the process to
assimilate MTASolutions fully into the MTA management structure. I
believe that Les Helfrich was hired a little later to manage the new
"Valley-based" MTASolutions.

I got DSL and a static IP shortly after that transition. I imagine
that the RDNS configuration prior to Adam's solution dates back to
that time period. I might imagine that there are other legacy issues
being looked into.

Speaking of legacy, in 1995 following the Oklahoma City bombing
there was chatter that 1)The bombing was ordered by a paramilitary
"commander". 2)That the internet was being used to set up "sleepers
viruses" of some sort, and that electric grids were potential
targets. I have thought ever since about the vulnerabilities of the
electric grid with internet connections, lax security and SKADA
devices being controlled by computers with internet connections.

Thus we keep a fully functioning generator and a month's worth of
food, water and firewood on hand at all times.

So much for a trip down memory lane. Up until Friday what little I
knew about RDNS had completely been forgotten. Really nice to have
had the help. And the re-edification.

-- 
Tim 
tim at tee jay forty nine dot com or akwebsoft dot com
http://www.akwebsoft.com, http://www.tj49.com
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