US McDonald's Wi-Fi Going Free In January 376
Knowzy writes "After five years behind a paywall, McDonalds plans to stop charging for its Wi-Fi in mid-January in the US. According to the Dallas Morning News, you aren't even required to make a purchase — 'free is free,' a spokesman said. It's also been widely reported that they won't impose time limits on your surfing. With around 20,000 free hotspots between McDonald's and Starbucks (who went free[ish] earlier this year), anyone still charging for Wi-Fi is going to look foolish, if not downright greedy."
We have this in the UK (Score:3, Interesting)
Unsure how successful it has been in the UK though. Never seen anyone use it.
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Let's hope more big chains offer open WiFi in the UK. They have enough money to make sure such travesties as Pub fined £8,000 for customer's illicit downloads [guardian.co.uk] don't happen very often, by lobbying for laws to protect open WiFi providers.
Which might one day protect you, dear reader!
Re:We have this in the UK (Score:4, Insightful)
It always seemed like McDonalds didn't want people to hang around anyway. They've always had horribly uncomfortable seats, cramped seating areas, unsettling colors (per color theory if you believe that stuff), etc. Even the PlayPlace ones seem mostly uninviting.
I always just assumed that they didn't actually want people hanging out. "Get your burger and get the f* out".
Re:We have this in the UK (Score:4, Funny)
In fact, I've heard that was Ray Kroc's original stroke of genius: serve consistent, mediocre food almost instantaneously, and deliberately make the place unpleasant and uncomfortable so that patrons didn't stick around too long crowding the restaurant (and thus preventing new patrons from coming in).
Yes, I know, [citation needed] and all that.
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Burger King is still better (Score:5, Funny)
Free wifi won't make me eat a fried burger.
Flame Broiled, or nothing.
-JJS
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They're both junk anyways.
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What's in them dollar burgers anyhow? McD's?
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Whatever it is, they are held to a higher standard than a school lunch these days.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-08-school-lunch-standards_N.htm [usatoday.com]
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What's in them dollar burgers anyhow? McD's?
Why 100% pure beef. At least, some of them contain 100% pure beef. Which is kind of like saying that they are not 100% pure beef since even the most diluted mixture contains 100% of whatever is being diluted.
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:5, Informative)
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I rather liked them as a kid when they were made with organ meat. They actually had taste then, unlike the "white meat, honest" ones of today.
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:4, Insightful)
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Salamis made for hundreds of years could be described in a similar way but still taste good, as do the last bits of ham still stuck to the bone. If you are squeamish in any way it's best to only question where any meat product came from, only how clean it is. In Australia we have "seafood extender" which is tripe (cow's stomach) flavoured with the stock you get from cooking prawns (shrimp). I'm told tripe on it's own is fairly tasteless.
The important thin
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but, but... they are calling themselves restaurants, at least here !
it's a bit surprising that such a junkfood is so massively popular :)
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Flame Broiled Nothin'!
I'll take some lean, thin-sliced Roast Beef over a Burger ANY DAY.
Arby's all the way baby!
Crap. Now I'm hungry again.
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I'm so hungry I could eat at Arby's!
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:4, Funny)
Amen. If I ever find myself unable to afford food, I, too, will finally be so hungry I could eat at Arby's, but in my destitute state, I will also be ironically deprived of the ability to do so.
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:4, Funny)
From the Arby's website, under "printable ingredients list"
I wonder what the unprintable ingredients are....
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Burger King is still better (Score:5, Informative)
You call those sloppy pale mini-sticks “fries”?
Here’s how real fries look like: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.gentoo%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=belgische+frieten&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&start=0 [google.com] :)
Belgian fries. In my opinion the best fries in the world. Especially if made with eastern-European potatoes (those that still taste like potatoes). If you ever get there, try them.
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You're just acclimated. Their fries suck. You want good fries? Buy some potatos and some cooking oil, slice the potatos (leave the skins on, that's where most of the vitamins are) and fry 'em. Puts McDonald's AND Burger King to shame (even though Burger King has better fries AND burgers).
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slice the potatos (leave the skins on, that's where most of the vitamins are)
This is completely false. The majority of the nutrition in a potato is just under the skin. The skin itself traps toxins, and should always be discarded except perhaps in the case of organic potatoes.
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Their fries don't mould, you can leave them for months and they won't rot... Not even the mould wants to eat them!
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Their fries don't mould, you can leave them for months and they won't rot... Not even the mould wants to eat them!
Yeah because mold not wanting them has nothing to do with the fact that they are covered in a preservative like salt.
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Re:Burger King is still better (Score:4, Informative)
Long Enough (Score:2)
understanding is critical here (Score:2, Informative)
starbucks isn't charging for the WIFI. Some companies, however, are charging for the access. Panera does this - but I don't think they label it free wifi either.
So yeah, you have wifi, free and open, but it's still requiring a purchase at panera to just use the damn internet (which is horribly slow at their locations anyway).
Re:understanding is critical here (Score:5, Informative)
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Of course it's more a novelty in my small city in Ohio.. very few people walk around carrying a laptop.
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I've never been in a St. Louis Bread Co. (same company as Panera) and charged for access. They have a splash screen that you have to click "log-in" before you can get on and agree to their terms of service. But that has never required a purchase. Granted their web is useless for anything other than email and surfing to CNN and a few web sites as anything of interest seems to be block and they also seem to block ports like FTP/SSH starting a little over a year ago.
Coffee shop I'm setting at now requires y
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Must be nice. The two closest starbucks do charge for wifi. So I go to a local coffee shop and buy a coffee to use their "free" wifi. It's still cheaper than just paying for starbuck's t-mobile wifi.
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Starbucks doesn't exactly charge for the wifi here in Mexico, but you must enter the user id and password you get in your purchase ticket. Several other places do that too.
The only difference, is that Starbucks also allows you to plug in your laptop to the AC.
So a lot of people buy a small cup of regular coffee and stay four hours in a comfy seats...
Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:5, Funny)
For everytime I wished I had Wifi when I was at McDonalds... I'd have the exact same amount of money I do now.
You see, Coffee Shops like Starbucks make sense. Thats where you go to prop open your laptop, pretend to be a professional writer while blogging, while pompously talking to other "professional writers" over your Peppermint Mocha Extra Pump Extra hot no foam Chai Late Fusion Coffee.
There is nothing Arrogant or pompous about pretending to write while stuffing down a big mac.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:5, Insightful)
Peppermint Mocha Extra Pump Extra hot no foam Chai Late Fusion Coffee
That actually made my teeth, brain and stomach hurt.
Doesn't anyone drink a normal cup of coffee anymore?
I use Dunkin' Donuts brand regular grounds in a Mr. Coffee.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:5, Funny)
Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:4, Insightful)
Locutis
selvin
sieze
Aaaaaah, my I's!
I guess you missed the part (Score:2)
about talking pompously talking to other professionals.
Throw in the requirements that the laptop is an iMac, aluminum models only, while displaying in full view your iPhone as well. If your a young college age woman your allowed to sit outside underneath the umbrella with a cigarette. Please not that similar aged men may not appear with a cigarette if they have Apple branded technology.
If I had a nickle for every time I see this stereo type near me I would be...
Someone did a very good job of marketing cof
Foamy The Squirrel (Score:2)
NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcwAwTPX3IQ [youtube.com]
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Amen
As an Airman assigned periodically to Army posts, I also came to appreciate the epically near-toxic stuff called Army Coffee. After those assignments fellow Air Force guys called me Rasputin for the kind of stuff I could drink.
I appreciate good coffee.... I really REALLY appreciate good coffee... but if I need caffeine, I can drink anything caffeinated.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:4, Interesting)
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many other devices use Wi-Fi.
True.
same with people with a DSi, PSP, etc.
If they block all incoming connections, block all outgoing ports except 80 and 443, and use an HTTP proxy on port 80, DSi and PSP multiplayer games won't work. Public hotspots already have to use some sort of filter to present the cover-your-anus TOS to customers. If sued over blocking practices, expect these Wi-Fi providers to advertise Web access instead of Internet access.
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There is nothing Arrogant or pompous about pretending to write while stuffing down a big mac.
That's why I don't try to look arrogant or pompous when I work on code while I wait for slow eaters in the family to finish eating. I see three kinds of slow eaters: single-digit-year-old kids who got a Happy Meal and are still playing with their food and/or promotional toy, senior citizens whose worn-out bodies just do everything slowly, and senior citizens' nearly-senior daughters who like to gossip about various people's personal lives.
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when I work on code while I wait for slow eaters in the family to finish eating
In whose family? Your own? I can't imagine why you'd be waiting for slow eaters in someone else's family to finish eating, but then I also am finding it hard to imagine why you'd be so anti-social as to go out for a meal with your family and start coding during the meal.
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I would be characterized as a slow eater and if that annoys you, tough. Eating a meal is one of the few times one has during the day to relax and take your time. Granted, McD's can't quite be called a good meal, but regardless, eating a meal slowly is a surefire way not to eat too much and not get fat.
People talk about living life to the fullest, how about enjoying it for once.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:5, Funny)
Dress in a black turtleneck sweater and use a Macbook while talking (via bluetooth) on your iPhone. If you wear glasses, make sure to look over them, down your nose at other people and scowl protectively when anyone gets near your personal space. That'll make you look arrogant and pompous no matter where you go.
Re:Man, If I had a nickle... (Score:4, Funny)
Are you Steve Job's image consultant?
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If you wear glasses, make sure to look over them, down your nose
Somebody has a funny shaped face
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The parent must remember that McDonald's caters to a different class than Starbucks. Those people at McDonald's will pretend to be a amateur blogger, while pompously talking to other "amateur bloggers".
Remember this is McDonald's, if they were real bloggers, they'd be at Starbucks.
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No Purchase Required? (Score:4, Informative)
Perhaps to use the wifi, but you cant sit in the building or on the lot unless you bought something. " parking for customers only"
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Well, the word 'customer' does not necessarily imply that money must be spent. What the sign actually means is said person must be making use of or receiving a product or service of McDonald's. Since the free WiFi is offered by McDonald's, that would be a service offered by that company. QED, you may park.
Starbucks free? (Score:4, Informative)
Is it just me, or free wifi from Starbucks is just some wishful thinking? I've traveled to San Deigo, Denver and Boston in the past week and tried on several occasions to get wifi signal. And in each case, Starbucks was requiring me to pay. I don't know why I thought it was free ... may be it was trumpeted in some earlier slashdot article?
Re:Starbucks free? -- Da Rules (Score:4, Informative)
Free for up to 2 hours (per-day, may not be split across multiple login sessions) if you've registered one of their Starbucks stored-value cards and you've used it to make a purchase sometime within the last 30 days.
So more "free with purchase"-style.
Anonymous surfing (Score:2)
Only terrorists......
Why would businesses NOT do this? (Score:3, Interesting)
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Meh... (Score:2)
Meh... please notify me when wi-fi is ubiquitously free at airports.
Re:Meh... (Score:5, Insightful)
Nice try, but that's a different market. At McDs, they want to lure you in and keep you there as long as possible. Even if you don't order anything, at least you will be immersed in their branding. The airport is just the opposite - they have a *captive* audience, and they're the only game in town. That's why a soda at the airport costs 5.00 while the same one at McDs costs $.79. Basic supply and demand.
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That's all true. I just find myself in airports without a free connection a lot more often than I find myself at McDonald's. That McD's are offering free wi-fi won't bring me in. Free wi-fi at airports, while not likely to happen for the reasons you mention, would still be much more useful - at least for me.
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Fly in business or first class, then you get to use free wifi in the lounge..
Failing that, just get a decent antenna and go sit close to the first class lounge and use it anyway.
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So, what happens when there's a McDonald's at the airport?
(Actually, there's a Starbucks at my local airport, and Starbucks offers free wifi here... gotta try it next time I fly)
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Single anecdote, but I was in Little Rock airport last week and they had free wi-fi.
It's been free already for iPhone users..... (Score:4, Informative)
AT&T worked out a deal where the hotspots at McDonalds are partnered up with them, so iPhone customers can automatically get signed in and use them for free. It's been that way for months now. I've used the one in my neighborhood a number of times, as well as a couple of them when I was on a road trip.
Only complaint I've had, in general, with Mc Wi-Fi is, I think someone needs to do site surveys on those things and improve the reception! I've always gotten pretty weak signals that are still generally usable, but worse than I get throughout most of my house with my own wireless router.
Not just iPhone users (Score:3, Informative)
Nice, but I don't see it lasting. (Score:5, Interesting)
Unrestricted free WiFi in places where one might be expected to be for some time (sit-down restaurants, conference rooms, hotels, waiting areas) makes sense. People are already sitting around bored and generally looking for something to do, so allowing them to get online with their laptop or smartphone and get stuff done or goof off is great.
Starbucks and McDonalds business models are based on rapid customer turnover. Get 'em in, get 'em fed/caffeinated, get 'em out. People taking up the generally limited space for longer than needed cost them money. What makes sense for these type of places is "free" WiFi with purchase. Every receipt has a code printed on it valid for that day at that location which allows one hour of access. Ran out of time? Go buy a drink or something. I'd also recommend they partner up with one or more of the nation-wide hotspot networks to allow subscribers of those services to get on as well, as long as the payout to the local store makes sense.
There are also a lot of McDonalds and Starbucks locations within a short distance of residential areas. I could see the local McDonalds' front window from my back porch at my last apartment. If they had offered purely open free WiFi, I'd sure as hell have tossed one of my cantennas up and used it as an extra internet connection.
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people taking up the generally limited space for longer than needed cost them money.
Actually, I don't think I've seen many McDonalds with limited space for eating. Yeah, there may be a line halfway out the door but there are usually still about 5 tables left.
What makes sense for these type of places is "free" WiFi with purchase. Every receipt has a code printed on it valid for that day at that location which allows one hour of access. Ran out of time? Go buy a drink or something.
Yeah, but what happens when it doesn't work? Good luck getting the high school drop-out a the cash register to do something more than power cycle the router.
There are also a lot of McDonalds and Starbucks locations within a short distance of residential areas. I could see the local McDonalds' front window from my back porch at my last apartment. If they had offered purely open free WiFi, I'd sure as hell have tossed one of my cantennas up and used it as an extra internet connection.
Yeah, but you might be one of the few. For one, putting up a cantenna isn't something most people are going to do. Most will simply look at the 3% internet connection, see th
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No, McDonald's targets people
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I work away a lot, sometimes i have people with me and sometimes not, but i invariably have to go and eat out somewhere.
If i'm with someone else i'm happy to sit in the restaurant and wait for my food etc, since i can talk... If i'm on my own i want my food quickly, or something else to do while i wait.
McDonald's Doesn't need wi-fi, it needs bikes (Score:3, Funny)
Nobody going into a McDonald's should be allowed to sit for more than the time it takes to scarf down the food.
In fact, all McDonald's should be placed at the top of long flights of stairs; or better, escalators running backwards.
Re:McDonald's Doesn't need wi-fi, it needs bikes (Score:4, Insightful)
Nobody going into a McDonald's should be allowed to sit for more than the time it takes to scarf down the food.
In fact, all McDonald's should be placed at the top of long flights of stairs; or better, escalators running backwards.
And you should only be allowed to use your computer after watching wrestling, drinking a few beers and getting laid.
You see, making sweeping generalisations about other people's lifestyles, and deciding unilaterally that you are right and they are wrong, is easy.
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In fact, all McDonald's should be placed at the top of long flights of stairs; or better, escalators running backwards.
With blackjack and hookers. In fact, forget the blackjack. And the McDonalds.
Ok, I'm having a hard time imagining the remaining two put together,
Urban (Score:4, Interesting)
What will MAFIAA do when they trace p2p to McDs? (Score:3, Interesting)
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Free WiFi but.. (Score:2)
..they will still charge for extra ketchup and McNugget sauces.
Expect bright lights (Score:5, Interesting)
I read somewhere that back in the 80's McDonalds in the US inner cities had problems with crack addicts. They'd stay all day, maybe buy a coffee or fries occasionally. Hardcore crack addicts don't eat much but they need small amounts of water, salt, sugar, caffeine and fat which were supplied by the coffee and fries. They smelled bad and were abusive and scared away the regular customers who'd spend more and leave quicker. The revenue per table hour started to drop in the crack addict infested restaurants. McDonalds Corporate was made aware of the problem and asked for directions.
McDonalds is a bit like the bugs in Starship Troopers - lower level drones are able to implement policy and are interrogated about falling revenues but not trusted to make policy. That was done by MBAs - the McDonalds equivalent of Brain Bugs - in the headquarters. Now clearly forcefully evicting the crack addicts though possible would create a bad atmosphere. Studies were commissioned. It was found that crack addicts dislike bright lights but the good customers - people who wolf down this months's special premium burger supersize meal ("SwissMac Meal! With real Swiss Cheese!") and then got the hell out - weren't bothered by them. Or indeed anything else.
A decision was made to increase the ambient light levels. The crack addicts left and revenues increased. My guess is geeks leaching wifi will need to be repelled in the same way, and for much the same reasons.
VOIP! (Score:3, Insightful)
Android users (and apparently Nokia n900) are experiencing seamless voip integration... looking bad for the telecos!
It's the expensive places that still charge for it (Score:5, Insightful)
I've noticed that, in general, the more expensive a place is the more likely it is to charge for WiFi. Hotels are especially bad about this. Inexpensive chains usually offer free WiFi whereas expensive hotels generally charge. Hiltons, in particular, often charge unbelievable rates: $15/night in some hotels. Far from competition bringing the price down, some have actually increased their rates over the years; $10/night used to be fairly standard. As best I can figure, they're targeting business travelers with expense accounts. For example, many hotels charge extra for the ability to use a VPN, which makes no technical sense but is a great way to price discriminate.
I've also found that the terrible WiFi rates at many high-end hotels actually make sites like Priceline less useful. Yeah, you might get a great rate on a 4-star hotel, but when you figure in the cost of WiFi and parking it often ends up being nearly a wash. I think in the end it'll actually be the cell phone companies that kill overpriced WiFi. If you can use your tethered cell phone, why pay for WiFi? Sure a tethered data plan might be $60/month, but that's for 30 days compared to just 4 nights of WiFi at a Hilton.
Re:It's the expensive places that still charge for (Score:4, Interesting)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingness_to_pay [wikipedia.org]
If you willing to dish out $500+ per night for a double queen room, then you're probably ok with $13 per night wifi and $32 cheeseburgers (Actual prices from a hilton I stayed at).
I was sent on a short-notice (36 hours) emergency deployment to hawaii a while back; base housing was under construction so we had to stay downtown. I wound up living in the Waikiki Beach Hilton for about 2 months. That sounds great, and for the most part it was, but I was an E-5 living in an environment designed for the very rich. I had a nice view of the beach, yes, but like I said earlier the internet prices were outrageous. It turned out to be much cheaper to find a local t-mobile store and buy a usb wireless internet dongle. A month later I returned it and ultimately wound up paying only for the one month of service with no termination fee (under 30 days trial period).
-b
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I went to a university that happens to be in one of the fanciest parts of one of the most expensive cities in the world. They owned some nearby houses, which were rented to first-year students.
It was cool to have a Lamborghini parked outside my window for a year, next to the Porsche and the line of BMWs and Mercedes. But the novelty wore off when I realised the nearby shops charged 50%-100% more than elsewhere (even the food shops -- although in their case the prices were the same, but they only stocked lux
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Hiltons, in particular, often charge unbelievable rates: $15/night in some hotels.
I had heard they were promiscuous socialites, but had no idea they were hookers.
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By blocking ports and protocols related to VPN. Blocking all outbound tcp/1723 as well as GRE will block most PPTP traffic, blocking all outbound udp/4500, udp/500, ESP and AH will block most IPSec traffic, blocking all outbound udp/1701 will block most L2TP traffic just in case it isn't secured by IPSec in the first place. Decent firewalls can inspect HTTP traffic and make sure you're not using it to tunnel traffic. HTTPS traffic can be dropped once the connection has passed more traffic than you think cou
Product placement plus tech support (Score:5, Funny)
Another problem about to get MUCH worse... (Score:3, Interesting)
Some airports that have free Wi-Fi have seen an increase in people setting up Wi-Fi from the parking lots in an attempt to go on a Phishing expedition. They basically take advantage of people that don't really pay attention to what network they are connecting to.
Anyone really expect McDonald's customers to check such things?
McDonald's is simply making this as easy as possible. Buy a cup of coffee in the drive-thru, go back around to the parking lot, bait ya hook, and start Phishing.
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hah...that is AWESOME!!! A server farm made out of transformer parts and mini-barbie dolls. You sir, are a genius.
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Cracked as in wannabe MAD? (Score:2)
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My city had the opportunity to have free city wide wifi (probably just for a year) because a local company was trying to start up and wanted to show off their service (and test their equipment). The city council decided the city's citizens were not interested in such a thing as wireless internet.
One of our neighboring cities now enjoys said city wide wireless.
Course my city decided that using a point to point wireless system using radio (maybe micro wave) was a great idea for their internal infrastructur
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You are missing out, I understand Baltimore has free wifi in the inner harbor area.
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And in other places, a mcdonalds will sit empty most of the day and only peak at lunch/dinner time...
They should just prioritise the tables, ie those who want to eat get them first.