Linux users here?

[HappySmileMan]

I'd like to know how much people here use Linux, mainly out of curiousity,and what distro, to see whether Irish people really are slower at switching.

Also on topic, what experience have you had with your ISP and have they been helpful if you encountered problems.

I'm a Gentoo user, switched from Kubuntu. I use Permanet and am in Wexford, and despite claiming on there website that they're multiplatform, I can't connect to MSN using any messenger on Linux. When I mentioned this in an email to the support address I was told to get a business connection instead of a residential one and that I need a public IP address to use MSN, despite it working fine on Windows, and working fine on Skytel and Eircom for Linux users.

Anyone else have equally frustrating conversations with their ISP over an operating system?

[-DC-]

I use Linux (Fedora, previously RedHat) and have done for years. I've never had a problem with MSN/Gaim/Pidgin that could be tied to a broadband issue. How can a public IP address make any difference to MSN messenger? It connects using https on port 1863 to messenger.hotmail.com. That should be the same on Windows as it is on Linux. Either your ISP knows there's more to MSN messenger than this, or they know feck all...

From a ISP point of view, I can't see how the OS on the end of a connection can make any difference whatsoever. If they present an ethernet interface and your OS supports ethernet & dhcp (if used) then that should be that. The problems arise when people look for support when using Linux. As soon as (non-Linux trained) support staff hear you're using Linux, their instant knee-jerk reaction is "we don't support that", even if the problem is not remotely OS related.

[HappySmileMan]

Originally Posted by -DC-

It connects using https on port 1863 to messenger.hotmail.com. That should be the same on Windows as it is on Linux. Either your ISP knows there's more to MSN messenger than this, or they know feck all...

What annoyed me was the fact that their immediate response was to upgrade to a business connection, not that they didn't know anything about it.

From a ISP point of view, I can't see how the OS on the end of a connection can make any difference whatsoever. If they present an ethernet interface and your OS supports ethernet & dhcp (if used) then that should be that.

Yes but if 99% of the traffic on port 1863 is from MSN, then I come along, use the same port and same connection, sending mostly the same stuff, but identifying as something else it might look suspicious to them, depends on whether they actually are multipatform or just say it because you can get basic internet working with DHCP.

Is it hard to use HTTPS? I was thinking of making a simple program in C/C++ to connect to that port on the server with it and see what responses I get, though depends how complicated it actually is.

[-DC-]

Originally Posted by HappySmileMan

Yes but if 99% of the traffic on port 1863 is from MSN, then I come along, use the same port and same connection, sending mostly the same stuff, but identifying as something else it might look suspicious to them, depends on whether they actually are multipatform or just say it because you can get basic internet working with DHCP.

That implies that they can actually see what traffic is flowing out on port 1863 (or any other port for that matter). That most certainly is not the case, because if it were, then using SSL would be pretty pointless, wouldn't it?

Originally Posted by HappySmileMan

Is it hard to use HTTPS? I was thinking of making a simple program in C/C++ to connect to that port on the server with it and see what responses I get, though depends how complicated it actually is.

I have no idea how difficult it is to make a program to connect via HTTPS. I'm not a pregrammer and have no experience of such things.

[HappySmileMan]

Originally Posted by -DC-

That implies that they can actually see what traffic is flowing out on port 1863 (or any other port for that matter). That most certainly is not the case, because if it were, then using SSL would be pretty pointless, wouldn't it?

Point taken, though now I have no idea at all why I can't connect to MSN using Linux, I have a feeling it may be something to do with NAT traversal, but no idea if any messengers use it, and I wouldn't expect it to be necessary for just IM.