Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!iuvax!watmath!looking!brad From: brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix Subject: Re: USENIX Board Studies UUCP Message-ID: <50958@looking.on.ca> Date: 21 Nov 89 22:52:11 GMT References: <287@usenix.UUCP> <1989Nov19.032449.7940@world.std.com> <2167@prune.bbn.com> <7067@ficc.uu.net> Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Lines: 22 Class: discussion There are two debates to be done here. One thing that I think should be established is a Universal protocol for start of conversation. Such that every computer that answers phone calls would talk this protocol to start. It would be used by fax machines, e-mail stations, file-transfer stations etc. This protocol would negotiate A) what kind of data is being transmitted (fax, e-mail, news, file transfer, EDI invoice, login session etc.) and what protocol will be used for transfer of that info. Then it should drop to the commonly negotiated protocol. You *could* even negotiate modem protocols here. I always thought it would be better if smart modems started at 300 bps or something, and figured out what they were, then jumped to the higher speeds. None of this 'present 6 carriers in strange order until one works' stuff. Then you get one phone number on the phone system for all data calls. Or on the ISDN network. -- Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473