> Wellllllll..."pon" and "poff", and let's not overlook "plog" _are_ > elegantly tiny and simple, _but_ since my ISP instituted 'idle-time > disconnects' I don't always know whether I'm connected or not. A little > on/off light thingie might be nice to check before doing an apt-get, a > perl -MCPAN or a wget. > > AAMOF, since "pon's" man page is also elegantly tiny and simple, I have > not found if or how it can be activated by an application yet. > > Anyone know? Then I could care less about a little light thingie.
I always run an asmodem on my dialup machine. It's a compact modem icon indicating activity and dialed-up-ness, although not transfer rates like some of the others mentioned. Also doesn't obviate pon/poff--but gives you a good idea of when the connection is up and how traffic is moving. Little blinky lights. Cute as heck.
