Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

euro internet??

M

Mac|Photo

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 28, 2004
46
0
MI
Not sure if this post belongs here, but I couldn't figure out where else to put it.

I am heading to Europe soon, most of time will be spent in Strasbourg, France. I was just wondering how internet usage works over there (as I am in US and have never traveled to Europe). I am assuming internet cafes and the like, but are there any other places that have internet or Wifi terminals or something? How much do they normally charge at the cafes or other areas?

Any experiences of your travels in or around that area would be greatly appreciated, thanks a ton!
 
french live in stone-age. don't expect anything besides a high-cost wifi in the better hotels.

stone-age, really. they don't even allow any kind of encrypted network transmission, so basically even ssh is illegal there.
 
In the UK there are internet cafes though they tend to be in more heavily touristed areas. In my experience this is much the same in the rest of Europe. If a lot of tourists are in the area then there will be internet cafes. Wireless hotspots are pretty uncommon and the access charges much higher than you might be used to in the US - e.g. Starbucks charge around $10 an hour and that seems a pretty common price. Having said that - like in the US - a lot of folks that do have wireless don't know how to turn the security on so it isn't hard too find wide open wireless connections in major cities.

Bigger hotels usually have internet points in rooms though the either charge a lot for the rooms or charge around $18 a day for the internet access...or both.

Domestic internet access is still mostly by dial-up and is paid for by the minute. Broadband is available in most urban areas.
 
caveman_uk, so your saying that I might be able to find some "open" wifi around because some people might not know how to make their network secure? That would be cool, but otherwise I guess I could just stay after hours at work, because I know they have to have it *crossing fingers* :p

If $10 is pretty common, I might have to re-budget then, because I have to have some internet usage...atleast a couple times a week.

Thanks
 
My French is horrible, bordering on non-existent :p
Yet another thing I have to learn and accomplish before leaving in Oct.

I was going to order the "Learn French Now - Platinum" with my new Apple from their site ($39.95) but was wondering if those "Learn " " Now" software packs are any good at actually teaching or just a good way to make some easy cash. I have had years of Spanish language classes starting back in high school, and I have heard from friends that the transition from Spanish to French is not all that hard, structure wise (obviously the vocab is different). So anyways...anyone out there have any learning expereiences with the Learn _ Now stuff?
 
Doraemon, my thought is that he was referring to wireless availability of internet, I wouldn't let it get to you either way....
Any advice on what to expect in Europe, specifically Northern France, as far as internet availability and cost?
 
Mac|Photo said:
caveman_uk, so your saying that I might be able to find some "open" wifi around because some people might not know how to make their network secure? That would be cool, but otherwise I guess I could just stay after hours at work, because I know they have to have it *crossing fingers* :p
Click to expand...
All I can say is that on a brief survey on the train home from London to my home (30 miles) with my ibook and macstumbler, I found 11 wireless networks, approximately two thirds had no WEP or anything turned on and four were still set at their default SSIDs etc. I have surfed the web at Kings Cross station on an unsecure wireless network. In business districts it shouldn't be hard to do likewise. This is of course almost certainly illegal :(

I should clarify that wireless internet usually costs around $10 an hour. An internet cafe would probably charge less for wired access on their machines.

As for learning French, I did French and Spanish at school and IMO French is harder. One language that is much closer to Spanish is Italian where many of the words are similar. Personally I think it's much easier to learn a foreign language with a teacher than a book and a tape. Best of all is actually a lot of practical experience 'in at the deep end' after you know some of the rules. Can you find a native French speaker to practice with?
 
caveman_uk said:
...practical experience 'in at the deep end' after you know some of the rules. Can you find a native French speaker to practice with?
Click to expand...

Well a good friend of mine who took French all through high school and now in college said he would look for some of his early learning books, the basic ones, and he said he would be willing to help me, but its hard to motivate someone like that to spend time helping me "study" when we both just finished finals and whatnot at school :p
I am willing to do it because its an interest of mine, and I get to go!, but I don't know how much time he will be willing to put into it on my behalf alone.

Anyways, it should all workout eventually I guess, just getting kind of nervous and excited. Now all I really have to do is decide which PB to get :p
Thanks again all.
 
if you reboot, does the "eaten" disk space miraculously re-appear? you might have used several gigs of disk swapping (virtual memory) and if that's the case, the swap files are deleted automatically during reboot.

edit: why on earth this post came to appear on this thread? i'm sure i replied to the question about disappearing disk space - something weird random errors in the forum software?
 
Mac|Photo said:
My French is horrible, bordering on non-existent :p
Yet another thing I have to learn and accomplish before leaving in Oct.

I was going to order the "Learn French Now - Platinum" with my new Apple from their site ($39.95) but was wondering if those "Learn " " Now" software packs are any good at actually teaching or just a good way to make some easy cash. I have had years of Spanish language classes starting back in high school, and I have heard from friends that the transition from Spanish to French is not all that hard, structure wise (obviously the vocab is different). So anyways...anyone out there have any learning expereiences with the Learn _ Now stuff?
Click to expand...

i have never tried the software, but imho i think learning in class is a better way to go, because a lot of language is about feel. listening to recordings or reading book don't help you learn how phrases are used in real conversation,imo. i think good background in "book work" with social interaction is the best way to learn. the fact that you have a background in spanish is a big plus, you understand the basic structure. your biggest advantage in learning french is that you will be forced to speak it. that is the fastest and best way to learn. also if you try and force yourself to make friends with non-english speaking people you will learn even faster. you might not talk much a couple months, but the learning curve is much better. my problem was everyone wanted to pratice their english with me ;)

just travel a tip, buy your converter plug for eletrical devices in europe. your power adaptor for you notebook is 100 ~ 240 (europe is 220v if you are wondering), so you won't need a transformer just the plug. in general they are cheaper in the US, but sometimes you find deals. if you want drop some cash get this one power adatpor. http://www.kensington.com/html/4103.html
its a bit bigger, but you can use power in the plane, car, and wall. if that isn't a big deal i wouldn't worry about it. it is also rated from 100 ~ 240.
 
Hey, I live in strasbourg, and we surely don't live in stone-age. There are some cafes and some wi-fi hotspots. Unfortunately, none of them are free. For instance, NetSurCour (located on the "Quai des pecheurs") offers such an access (+conventional cybercafe) for a fair price afaik. There are also private users sharing their bandwidth for free...
 
l0wc0der said:
Hey, I live in strasbourg, and we surely don't live in stone-age. There are some cafes and some wi-fi hotspots. Unfortunately, none of them are free. For instance, NetSurCour (located on the "Quai des pecheurs") offers such an access (+conventional cybercafe) for a fair price afaik. There are also private users sharing their bandwidth for free...
Click to expand...

Where would one venture to find those "private users" who would be sharing their bandwidth? I am coming over in late September/early October, so that would be the timeframe of which I would be looking. Another posting suggested looking online for some deals of preordering dialup in France before I go there. Another member here said that he was able to get 45 days of free AOL in France, which was more than he needed for his trip.

lOwcOder, what prices can I expect to pay at an internet cafe or other wi-fi connections? I am *attempting* to come up with a budget for this trip, so any information would be appreciated. Thanks :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back