Is DSL safe?

Well, yes and no. There is a significant risk of being victimized by Internet crackers, but that risk can be greatly minimized by taking some simple precautions:

• Run good antivirus software and keep it up to date.
• Run firewall software on any computer that is connected to the Internet. An excellent free choice is ZoneAlarm.
• If you want to share files locally on more than one computer over your own network, a SOHO router is highly recommended; otherwise, that sharing could make you wide open to Internet crackers. (For detailed advice on file sharing, see this article on NetBIOS.)

Are all DSL service providers the same?

No. DSL is more likely than cable Internet to give you a choice of service providers. Quality of service can and does vary widely, even where the same telephone company provides the basic DSL connections to different ISPs. Be sure to find out which ISPs are available to you, and take the time to compare their service offerings and reputations. One place to do that is DSLreports. Do this before you get service -- switching after the fact can be difficult and painful.