The Rural Voice, 1999-12, Page 48AgriTech
for cable internet is Windows 95 or
Mac OS 7.6.1 with a Pentium equiva-
lent CPU or Power Mac PC 601,
I 6MB of RAM, I25MB of available
hard drive space and a SVGA moni-
tor with a resolution of 800x600.
Another option, particularly for
rural users where cable is not accessi-
ble, is satellite, which may be the best
choice for the next five to 10 years.
says Ron Schuster of DataStore in
Mar. Once the domain of DirecPC
out of the US with Telesat as the
Canadian distributor, satellite internet
was assumed by Bell Expressvu as of
November I. Though Telesat equip-
ment is still available, Expressvu will
not be providing the service until the
end of March 2000, he says.
With Expressvu taking over the
provision of Internet, Schuster says it
has become more affordable as the
same dish can be used for Internet
and television, at the same time.
Satellite internet is a receive -only
service. A phone connection to the
local server is still required, but
downloads are "extraordinarily fast,
eight to 10 times faster than a 56k
modem," he says. "One hour on a
modem can be downloaded in three
to four minutes. Ninety-eight per cent
of internet use is downloading, only
two per cent (ie e-mail) is uploading.
If uploading is a concern, don't get
satellite service."
One strong marketing factor for
satellite is the potential to have as
many as 1,000 computers hooked to
one licensed service. "If you have 10
employees, each making $20 per hour
and all using the internet, you don't
want them waiting," he says.
The only additional equipment
required is a card for the PC (486 or
higher) and a cord to the dish.
Schuster "guesses" the cards will cost
$200 to $300. The connectivity
charges are comparable to other
providers, he says. Because the ser -
ice is only for down links, usage is
tracked in megabytes which can be
calculated by software packages
downloaded for free.
Detailed information about satellite
internet can be found through
DataStore's site at www.dsisp.com.
Contact me at becker@wcl.on.ca.
SPRUCE -DALE AGROMART
HANOVER
519-364-4070
— Fertilizers
— Seeds & Farm Supplies
— Custom Application
— Patz Material Handling
Equipment
At this holiday season, it is time to say
'ThankYou and to egress to our
customers, old and new, best wishes
for a Merry Christmas season anda
successful 91(gw year
—from the management and staff at
Sprucedale Agromart.
TARA
519-934-2340
"Serving the farmers of Grey and Bruce for over 20 years"
'Janice Becker is a computer enthusi-
ast and journalist living near Walton,
ON.
DECEMBER 1999 45
Sincere Best Wishes
for 2000
Wishing you the best for the
Christmas season
and the new millennium
Steve Stuempfle & Staff
.
44
kr17:-... ..
• • • • • ■ `ia r.
_ __ —
Prestige
CONTRACTING
519-366-9986 Cargill, ON Fax 519-366-9930
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