Google's Nameserver: 8.8.8.8
The internet at my house has been slow of late. Can't see it in transfer rates, but I noticed today that many of my domain name lookups were timing out. So I changed the networks on my iMac and my iPhone to use 8.8.8.8 before my wifi router's 192.168.1.1. It's like having a new computer. The internet is instant again. 8.8.8.8 is google-public-dns-a.google.com. Also likely useful is google-public-dns-b.google.com, 8.8.4.4.
Slow
The pages have been very slow to load on my computer too. I have wired DSL, so don't suppose your fix would work. Also, have no idea how to do it, but probably not going to help me if I did.
On another note, however, I would not use "google" anything if at all possible.
I, too, have wired DSL
I, too, have wired DSL, through my rural phone company, Fairpoint. Maybe using a public DNS server would help, you Mama Liberty. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll look for non-Google alternatives and help you through installing it on your computer.
Wired DSL
Yes, the internet connection is from the local phone company. Not much option here except a pretty unreliable wireless and the ever idiotic "satelite" thing. I don't know what you mean by a "public DNS server." What's the difference between the servers at RT Connect and that? RT has been terrible from the beginning, so if there is a better option, I'm all ears. :)
And yes, anything not associated with google would be best.
There's a list of free
There's a list of free and public DNS servers here: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/tipstricks/a/free-public-dns-servers.htm
It links to a tutorial about changing your name server: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/browsers/f/change-dns-server.htm
OpenDNS works for me, though their server addresses are different than listed at the page above. See https://store.opendns.com/setup/
To test a DNS service in Linux, type at the command line:
host billstclair.com <dns.server.ip.addr>
E.g. for OpenDNS:
host billstclair.com 208.67.222.222
If it returns quickly with and address and mail server, it will likely work for you:
billstclair.com has address 192.241.165.212
billstclair.com mail is handled by 0 mail.billstclair.com.
Over my head
Thanks, Bill. I don't understand any of that. Don't do "command line" either and never have. I have a friend here who is going to look at my "new" refurbished computer and install a better OS and my new printer next week. I'll copy all this to him and see what he makes of it. He does this computer stuff for a living, and I think he's pretty good at it. Will hope for the best.
Googles nameserver
I tried that "host" command you suggested, and it timed out. Then I recalled that I am running pfsense in my router and that it captures all dns requests - it is itself a caching nameserver for the local net (and it uses opendns for its requests). So I tried it with the local IP address of the router and it came back instantaneously.
I think setting it up this way isolates the windows boxes my family insists on using from some internet badness...
I really like pfsense. Lots of things to play with, very powerful (but I admit not understanding a lot of it).
I started using google's
I started using google's DNS regularly a few years ago on road-trips when I got tired of hotels with lame DNS. The only problem is places that block it.
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