CompuServe Messages

This is not directly related to your question, but I did a simple study of which pricing plan is the most cost-effective for accessing CIS. These calculations are based on the following (2/6/94) rates: Stardard Plan Alternate Plan ————————————————– Monthly Fee : $ 8.95/month $ 2.50/month ————————————————– 300 baud: $ 4.80/hour $ 6.30/hour 1200,2400 baud: $ 4.80/hour $ 12.80/hour 9600,14400 baud: $ 9.60/hour $ 22.80/hour ————————————————– The formula for when the Standard Plan costs less than the Alternative Plan is simple: nr + m < nR + M Where n = number of hours online/month. r = hourly rate for standard plan. R = hourly rate for alternative plan. m = monthly fee for standard plan. M = monthly fee for alternative plan. Solving for n we get: n > (m-M)/(R-r) This tells us that the standard pricing plan is more cost effective when the hours on-line (n) exceeds . . . n Hrs/Month or n Min/Week ————————————————– 300 baud: 4.3 Hrs/M or 65 Min/Wk 1200,2400 baud: 0.80625 Hrs/M or 13 Min/Wk 9600,14400 baud: 0.48864 Hrs/M or 8 Min/Wk ————————————————– This study is only valid for time spent in "Extended Services", such as the ASOFT forum, under Standard Plan. Also, keep in mind that any session has a minimum of 1 min charge in either plan. BTW: M. G., make sure you are under the Standard pricing plan. The $23/hr. rate sounds suspiciously like the Alternative rate for 14.4 Kbps. If you are not sure, try GO BILLING. Also, there is an $8.70 / Hour surcharge for an 800 connection — your phone company probably will not charge you that much for long distance. See GO RATES under Communications Surcharges.