Trouble With Modem Operandi
Today’s introduction of Windows 98--Microsoft’s newest personal computer operating system--ought to represent a clear-cut advance in technology. But for some users, like Joe Bates, the new software could force a technological setback.
Bates, a corporate video producer in Studio City, bought a new Pentium II-powered PC on Monday night and was eager to e-mail his friends with the news. He had no trouble loading the software from Pacific Bell Internet Services, his Internet service provider of more than two years. But when he tried to log on, he got stuck.
“I called Pacific Bell and talked to their tech support agents, and they said, ‘We don’t support Windows 98.’ ”
It turns out that the Baby Bell’s Internet service company won’t be fully compatible with the new Microsoft operating system for a couple of months, said Ed Callan, vice president of consumer and small-business markets for Pacific Bell Internet Services in San Francisco.
His company is waiting for Windows 98-compatible versions of browser and dial-up software from partner Netscape Communications. Once it arrives, it will take several weeks to customize it and run it through a battery of tests, Callan said.
“Clearly we will support [Windows 98], but the question is when,” Callan said. “We want to be sure we kick the tires and make sure it works. We’re being a little bit conservative.”
In the meantime, PacBell’s customer service and technical support agents will receive additional training on the new software, he added.
For their part, Netscape representatives said they’ve been using a beta version of Windows 98 to make necessary updates to its Navigator and Communicator browsers and its dial-up software. But the company isn’t willing to certify its software as Windows 98-compatible until it runs tests on the actual operating system, which doesn’t appear in stores until today, said Edith Gong, group product manager for Communicator.
“As soon as we get a final version, we will certify it with the quality assurance team and get that out as fast as possible,” said Maggie Young, a spokeswoman for Mountain View-based Netscape. That will probably take about a week, she said.
Other Internet service providers that use Netscape’s dial-up software would apparently have the same problem as Pacific Bell Internet, although Netscape would not say who else uses its dialer. But PacBell’s major competitors--EarthLink Network, Netcom On-Line Communication Services and America Online--don’t appear to have the same problem. AT&T; WorldNet did not return calls inquiring about its Windows 98 status.
Most of Pacific Bell’s Internet customers will also be able to use Windows 98 without any problems, either, Callan said. But the company does not want to pronounce itself Windows 98-compatible until it has made sure that none of its 200,000 customers will have the technical difficulty Bates encountered.
The Studio City man, meanwhile, said he is thinking about switching to another Internet service provider. Although he has been a very satisfied PacBell customer for more than two years, he said he can’t wait until August to use his e-mail account.
“I will look at what else came installed on my computer,” he said.
