Verizon can kiss my ass!

Wally Balljacker · Post by **Wally Balljacker** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:59 pm

Lets see, after 3 weeks of waiting for my Verizon DSL self-installation kit to arrive in the mail, and another week of waiting for the DSL line to be turned on, I can safely say that Verizon doesn't give a rats ass about Linux users. In fact, they've actually blocked me from using their service until I verify something on a web page that requires Windows or OS X. What a load of crap! Here I am sitting on someones unsecured WiFi network (ironically it's Verizon DSL on the back end) downloading WINE + Firefox in hopes that I'll be able to to bypass this crap, and not have to go as far as to borrow a Windows laptop from a friend. Anyone else have this experience with Verizon? I am completely shocked by all of this. I didn't know ISPs could restrict what operating systems people use, and actually block them from using their service. Sorry about the rant, but I was just on the phone for almost an hour with a Verizon support drone from India, and I'm a little pissed.

Arrrg! It requires Internet Explorer! Noooo!

Okay, I just tried installing IE under WINE, and that bombed out. I guess I'll have to steal a Windows laptop for a couple hours.

jsusanka · Post by **jsusanka** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:45 pm

that is most certainly a load of crap

sometimes konqueror can fool crap like this with its spoofing - it seems to the best at doing that.

I wouldn't doubt they have some deal with microsoft in doing this.

probably some deal where if they did this microsoft would do this - you know the nothing in writing deal. happens all the time and it makes sick

CptnObvious999 · Post by **CptnObvious999** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:12 pm

Im glad my ISP (Adelphia) doesn't bitch about such things.

I think IE can run through WINE although thats probably a lot of trouble to get to work.

Judland · Post by **Judland** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:23 pm

That is a terrible way of doing business, I agree.

I'd give Konqueror's browser identification spoofing tool a try. It allowed me to do my taxes on-line, as the service I was trying to use had similar issues about using IE and only IE.

Konqueror was excellent at "fooling" the web server at thinking I was actually using IE.

Wally Balljacker · Post by **Wally Balljacker** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:41 pm

No go with the Konqueror spoofing. It doesn't fool it.

Update* - I just tried IEs 4 Linux, which is a super easy way to install IE with WINE under Linux, FreeBSD, or Solaris. It works for the Verizon site, w00t!

snarkout · Post by **snarkout** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:44 pm

It's nice working for an ISP sometimes. I generally try to help linux users if their calls somehow reach me (I'm in the noc, not phone tech), but our unix/linux knowlegable staff has dwindled significantly. Still, there's only so much you can do for someone - if it's someone who needs help with setting up a config, and they're not shy of the cmd line, then fine - if it's someone trying to dial up, and they can't get their winmodem to work, etc, then tough titty toenails. Personally, I understand completely why ISPs refuse to support linux, but actively refusing linux users service is bullsh!t.

kbrown3074 · Post by **kbrown3074** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:27 am

I feel your pain! I had the same problem with Verizon

The a-holes that I talked to said that it must be IE that you use to set up the account. I told that was horse-s**t and said I wanna talk to a supervisor. He of course told me the same thing so I then asked to talk to someone who had technical knowledge. I figured 'Finally someone who uses a computer'...well that didnt happen either. I asked him why you would create a page that was browser specific...no answer...then went down the same road as the 3 previous idiots. I ended up tellling him to 'F off' and hung up on him.

I eventually just logged into my work box, which is Windows, went to the site and logged in. After you create the account, the site is easily viewed in Firefox..so wtf??

snarkout · Post by **snarkout** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:01 am

FWIW, it probably requires activex or something like that. IIRC there are ways to get activex working in firefox, but not to the point they want it to though. I'd have thought seriously about telling them to dangle, but then I have a windows machine in my rotation, so I wouldn't have had to.

irish rebel · Post by **irish rebel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:11 am

I had verizon fios installed a 20 mb connection , all I had to do was call in the mac address of the router and it was on, the only thing I did find was that their techs didnt know what linux was except marcy , from virginia she was great we chatted a while and she too uses ubuntu but anyway my connection is great and my home is all linux .

Wally Balljacker · Post by **Wally Balljacker** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:49 am

Well, it turned out that even Internet Explorer running under WINE still doesn't work. I can start the installation on their web page, but it bombs out on me since the proprietary Verizon software it expects to find on my C drive is not there. I actually had to borrow a friends Windows machine and plug it into my network in order to create an acount, and install their software to make my Linux boxes usable.