About Us

Ok, it's really about me, Alan Norton.

If you are here then you want to know more about the genesis of this Web site and the 'who' behind it.

I spent more than two weeks researching the best Internet providers while looking for a new ISP. I found that a lot of the Web sites out there that had ISP information were sadly lacking in the detailed information I was looking for. I learned that these sites are called directories and don't offer a lot vital details an informed buyer needs before choosing a new ISP.

It became clear that I had unwittingly become somewhat of an expert on the ISPs I had researched. I spent many hours digging through those ugly Terms of Service contracts that a new customer has to agree to. That is where many of the important details of the service are written. It was an easy decision to share that information with others.

My number one priority is to provide accurate, detailed and timely information that will save you time during your hunt for an ISP. It is my goal and hope that you will find this Web site helpful in your search for a new ISP. Please take the time to tell me how I am doing by emailing me.

Many Thanks

I had originally wanted to provide a spreadsheet that could be downloaded to compare ISPs. The table didn't copy over into Excel easily so I decided to create a special page for you that would ultimately allow you to rate each ISP based on your requirements. I find it interesting that so many sites are able to rate an ISP for you. I prefer to allow you to rate it yourself.

I had to learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and Javascipt to build the page. I couldn't have done it so quickly without a lot of help from the following:

• Thanks to BigBaer.com for the two column layout CSS code for a more professional layout and for code that actually worked
• Special thanks to Chandra Vedantham for code that dynamically creates a table that is the core of the You Can Rate It! code
• The W3C Schools Web site was helpful with syntax and examples
• Thanks to Mozilla for help dynamically creating a div object
• Thanks to Virtual Promote for a Javascript encoder/compiler

About Me

I began my career as little more than a data retrieval and reporting person at Digitgraph Computer Systems in Tucson, AZ. (2 years)

I moved to Hughes Aircraft Company and began creating spreadsheets in Framework and charts in Graphwriter. I was PC oriented and soon learned how to tap into the data on the mainframe to produce the charts via a data download to the PC. I found a niche building systems where I was responsible for each phase of the project life cycle. (9 years)

I next worked for CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) as an analyst/programmer in support of Hughes Aircraft Company creating software that interfaced PC's to shop floor insertion machines to the mainframe database. (6 months)

I became a contract programmer/analyst for MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) transitioning several of their mid-frame systems to a PC network based Access/Visual Basic system. (8 months)

My last position was with CSC as an analyst/programmer in support of their global help desk reporting team including a role as project lead. (3 years)

I am currently semi-retired and learning a new skill, professional writing along with the additional computer skills needed to build and maintain great Web sites.

Thank you for visiting!