Computers couldn't be more part 15, given that every part of a computor contains a part 15 compliant label or function, including the wi-fi, cpu, modem, all of it.
Obviously everyone who comes to this website does so by computer, and many have their own radio station websites or program streams.
After that very general introduction, I want to bring up two specific matters concerning my computing experience, and I am looking for opinions and suggestions.
No. 1 - I just negotiated a lower rate from my internet service provider, and they told me that I was entitled to an upgrade which could only be achieved if I install their cable modem and disconnect my own self-owned cable modem.
But my modem is working exactly the way I like and I don't want to fix something that isn't broken, so I'm not installing the modem they sent.
But what do you think is going on? Why do they want me to install their modem? Does it contain spy features for the NSA? I don't know.
No. 2 - For many months I have not been receiving any updates for Windows XP, which according to John Gibson at TWiT.tv are released on a Tuesday every month. All of a sudden today a massive batch of XP Updates have arrived and want to be installed. I think Radio8Z has decided not to install XP updates because sometimes they introduce a problem that wasn't experienced berforehand.
What should I do about all these XP updates? What did it mean that I got no updates for so many months?
It could be to your benefit that you install their cable modem. You will likely get faster downloads/uploads as a result, particularly if they're upgrading your service (different modems have different download/upload speed capabilities). There really is no reason not to install theirs, unless it's got built-in WiFi to replace your external WiFi router, you can't disable it and it doesn't have the functionality you require.
Don't know about the updates. There is a problem getting updates on XP unless you're running Service Pack 3 (and also have an update for Windows Update!?). But the fact that you eventually did get them is interesting. I'd install them, personally, as they're generally security related, and Part 15 computers are at least somewhat visible on the Internet.
"Leasing" rather than owning a cable modem makes sense from the cable company's view because they can charge a monthly fee and can control the hardware necessary for providing their service. The modem used here is available to purchase for about $75 and the monthly lease charge is $6 so the breakeven to owning is about a year. From my view, it makes sense to lease since the maintenance and upgrades are not my responsibility. When I owned my satellite receiver there were usually questions about whether service problems were due to my receiver and which party was responsible for them. Owning a modem may save money but it is one more thing not to worry about if it is leased.
Regarding XP updates, I elect not to install them since in the past updates sometimes changed system operation and features in ways that were not wanted. For examples, DRM lockdowns were applied and some media files no longer played, file associations were changed, and shutdown was extended from the usual 20 seconds to many minutes because update checking was launched when shutting down. Unknown and sometimes unwanted update changes to system operation were becoming annoying. (A nice tool for checking on update status is Belarc Adviser.)
Security is a concern but my system has never had a virus or infection beyond occasional browser hijacking. The methods used for protection include continually running a virus scanner, disabling JavaScript and only enabling this for trusted sites, and most important is doing a disc partition image (not a file save) operating system backup every few days which takes three minutes and always before installing software so a return to a clean state can be easily done. (System Restore is not suitable for this.) All cookies are cleared upon browser exit. This may be a geeky solution and some may wish not to have to keep such a close eye on things but it works for me.
Neil