Well I have been mostly happy with Cox.  I run a Linux Clark Connect
router that acts as my mail/web server and firewall.  Behind that sit 5
to 10 computers that are mixed Windows and Linux.  I've never had any
issues with hooking up a Linux system and getting on line, even when I
was using a Linksys router and the Cox mail system.

I tried to go DSL when I first set everything up about 3 years ago.  But
the phone company played around for 6 months and still did not have a
DSL signal to the box outside my house.  So I gave up and called Cox and
they had it on line in 4 days.

I had the residential service for about a year and then switched to the
business service because I wanted to run a server.

There have been some outages.  Most of them have been short, like 20
minutes or so.  A few years ago the big problem seemed to be their DNS
servers.  They seem to have that resolved.  A few weeks ago there was a
state wide outage for an hour or so.  

My biggest complaint back when I had a residential account was that the
e-mail servers would go down and they didn't seem to think that was a
big deal.  The contracts only say they will provide Internet access, and
in their view, the e-mail is an unpaid for extra that they  give you at
their discretion.    But in talking with some friends who still have the
residential service, I think that has gotten better.  None of them have
complained about e-mail outages in some time.

So, bottom line.  Is Cox really wonderful?  No.  But its about the best
service for price that you are going to find here in the valley. 

Devin


-- 
Build a man a fire and he will be warm for a day.  Set a man on fire and
he will be warm for the rest of his life.
----Terry Pratchett----