I have recently gotten a bunch of inquiries from budding ISPs that basically ask where to start, how to get a bit of a handle on all the baffling information and new terminology I have discussed in the FAQ.

You definitely do need to fully read and digest the information in the FAQ before making any final decision as to whether this business is for you. Alas, it is only human nature to want to know a quick answer, to try and find out now, without wading through a FAQ that's the size of a small book.

Thus, this document. It will help you determine whether being an ISP might be for you, and suggest a brief (one-month) and moderately priced ($ 0- $ 3,000) experiment you can embark on to see if you're ISP material.

As always, I don't claim to have all the answers. Send your Questions and Comments to me

This document makes certain assumptions about the current state of your ISP project:

• You have determined that the business looks viable. What this basically means is that there is either little competition in your area, the competition is weak, or you have specific strategies that you think will make your effort succeed. Alas, I can help you little with this; it's a determination you have to make yourself. I recommend checking out local computer publications to locate your competitors, and assess their relative merits.

• You love computers. If you don't, this is not the business for you. Even hardened veteran ISPs are always at their computers, programming perl scripts for their WWW sites, debugging modem problems, or following the many ISP mailing lists that have sprung up. This is not a "set and forget" business.

• You are not intimidated by change. This business is changing, every second of every day. The rules are in constant flux. In order to succeed, you must follow a large number of mailing lists, and you must adjust constantly to changing conditions and competitive threats. If you don't like change, or if you couldn't stand 100 email messages a day from certain mailing lists, this business isn't for you.

Unix

You will have to learn Unix. The effort you will go to in order to use less well supported operating systems, such as Windows NT, will be even greater than the effort needed to learn Unix. If you do want to use Windows NT for some reason, be prepared for a tough road, and little sympathy from your fellow ISPs when you have trouble.

Many people interested in this business don't know Unix. One of the strongest suggestions I can give you is to learn it before you take the plunge and spend sizable sums on equipment and connections. If you have a connection that's costing you $ 2,000 a month or more, and you're still trying to figure out how to do a directory listing on your shiny new system, you're in big trouble.

If you don't know Unix, but you would like to learn it in order to become a player in this business, here is my suggestion.

1. Get an account on a local provider. Before you decide to become a provider, play with the Internet. See what you really think of it. Is involvement with it something you're going to be happy with?

2. Get Linux. It's probably not the Unix you'll stick with permanently, but you can get it on CD ROM very cheaply (like around $ 20-40), and you can run it on hardware you probably own already. If you don't want to get Linux, FreeBSD would also work fine, but note that Linux runs on a far larger selection of hardware, so FreeBSD is likely to be harder to set up and run initially.

3. Play around. Get a SLIP/PPP account that connects you directly to the Internet, and plug your Linux machine (step 1) into it. You now have a "play ISP". Download and compile the latest version of sendmail from Berkeley. Install it on your system and see if you can get a friend to send you mail. See if installing and configuring complex Unix sofware really is your cup of tea before you get your expensive connection.

When you start out, get a Sun or SGI system. Yes, PCs are cheap. The problem is that they're cheap because they're not designed or engineered well. Most PC systems are designed only for the low-stress life of running Windows and Windows applications. A Unix system puts many more demands on a system than the usual PC software.

You can get a high-quality PC if you know where to look, but the cost can be nearly as much as a decent workstation, particulary if you're willing to consider a Sun clone instead of the real thing. If you want to do web page development, Silicon Graphics (SGI) has the best solution by far. I started with a Linux-based PC system and always had trouble with it. I have added a Sun clone from CERAM, and it's been 100% reliable since the day I took it out of the box. However, I want a SGI Indy due to the WWW development features and the better speed for money spent.

Recently, there has been a trend of companies springing up solely to provide space on the World Wide Web (WWW), as opposed to the traditional ISP.

I am trending in that direction myself, since the advent of SLIP/PPP has made product differentiation more difficult than in the past. Web presence provision is especially attractive if you have artistic or creative ability to put into the venture.

Be warned, though, that the competition is getting very stiff in this area, and it's not clear whether costs are up too high and prices too low for the service to remain solidly profitable. Check local conditions before you leap, and make sure you have something special you can bring to the table.

I've been asked this question twice now!

The answer is no. There's no license, there are no formal requirements. All you need is expertise (both technical and marketing), capital and luck. Rest assured that you'll need all three.