[lobo_pac]

right now i'm seriously considering dsl with sbc/yahoo. price is right at $29.95 a month for a year. i have a few questions and concerns that i know i've read before on various threads, but can't seem to find them.

sbc/yahoo is my only choice now for broadband, but comcast cable will be available soon. i have basic cable with them and i've heard they stick you pricewise if you don't have digital/premium cable. i'm really not interested in that even when it does show up.

any comments on dsl in general or sbc/yahoo specifically is appreciated.

few specific questions:

1)i've heard about bloatware or spyware associated with sbc/yahoo dsl. is this a concern? i also remember a way to install it without all the extra stuff. how do i set it so i got the connection, but not all the extras?

2) right now i have only 1 comp, but planning on using a wireless router in the future for laptop/pda. not too difficult to set up?

3) will i have an "always on" connection. i've read a bit about ppoe.....someone give it to me in a nutshell. how do i set it up so i don't drop connection? i've heard a router and even xp will handle it pretty well.

4) i do game on occasion, and possibly would like to set up a server for my friends. will i be able to use some service to set a "static ip?" sbc yahoo is dynamic i'm pretty sure. any resources, links, etc on that would be good.

5) finally....how do i find the distance from the CO (central office). i want to estimate what kind of connection speeds i'm going to get.

thanks for you help.