Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!gatech!emcard!wa4mei!nanovx!techwood!paldn!pwilcox
From: pwilcox@paldn.UUCP (Peter McLeod Wilcox)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Telebit vs. Fastlink
Summary: DCA never even manufactured the Fastlink
Keywords: Telebit Trailblazer DCA Fastlink
Message-ID: <155@paldn.UUCP>
Date: 11 Sep 89 16:21:04 GMT
References: <612@ccssrv.UUCP> <12661@eddie.MIT.EDU>
Sender: news@paldn.UUCP
Distribution: na
Organization: Paladin Solutions, Dawsonville GA
Lines: 30

In article <12661@eddie.MIT.EDU>, rs@eddie.MIT.EDU (Robert E. Seastrom) writes:
> In article <612@ccssrv.UUCP> perry@ccssrv.UUCP (Perry Hutchison) writes:
> >Can someone enlighten me as to the similarities/differences between the
> >Telebit Trailblazer (which I often see mentioned in this group and
> >others), and the DCA Fastlink (which I have not yet seen mentioned, but
> >have had some experience with)?  
> 
> They are the same thing; DCA licensed the Trailblazer specs from
> TB.

Actually, DCA never even had that much to do with the Fastlink.  DCA
and Telebit formed a joint venture in which Telebit supplied the product
and DCA supplied money, "marketing expertise", and the enclosure for the
product.  In return DCA received a non-exclusive right to distribute the
product.  Fastlink was never manufactured by DCA, only by Telebit.

About a year or so after the joint venture was formed, DCA realized two
things, first that they were still unable to sell modems (this was their
third or fourth try), and second that they could have the same benefits
they received from the joint venture by just becoming a Telebit dealer,
and they wouldn't have to pay big bucks to Telebit! (Golly!)  At this
time the joint venture was disolved, probably with a mutual sigh of
relief.  Telebit, berift of DCA's "help", went on the capture the wide
area uucp market, and DCA, lacking anyone to blame (since as usual the
maketing types responsible had left or were working on some new "big deal"),
went on pretty much the same as always.  DCA's marketing scheme involved
the rather optimistic idea that PC users would buy a modem that cost as
much as their computer in order to get fast file transfers.
-- 
Pete Wilcox		...gatech!nanovx!techwood!paldn!pwilcox