Security patches via modem? Forget it!

recently had two eye-opening experiences that made me aware of something that, to my shame, I had forgotten. In the first case, I was helping a friend perform a clean install of Windows 2000 on a used computer that he had bought. We installed Windows 2000 just fine. We then installed all the other software that you have to install along with Windows: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spyware software, the whole works. We then started to update all of that extra software, and that's where the troubles began.

You see, my friend still uses a dial-up modem to access the Internet.

I have DSL at home, and have had it for years, ever since they offered it here in St. Louis. Before that, I had ISDN. When I head over to Washington University to teach, I'm on a crazily fast Internet connection that can download entire Linux ISOs in minutes. When I visit friends' houses to work, they all have DSL or cable modems (and wireless routers too, but that just makes enjoying the DSL or cable all the easier). When I leave my house to write, I head to any of the coffee shops and cafes in my area that offer wireless DSL connections.

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