Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!convex!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!bennett
From: bennett@mp.cs.niu.edu (Scott Bennett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Telecommunications package
Keywords: modem
Message-ID: <1991Feb28.011807.18664@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 91 01:18:07 GMT
References: <Feb.27.18.04.50.1991.25123@remus.rutgers.edu>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
Lines: 42

In article <Feb.27.18.04.50.1991.25123@remus.rutgers.edu> declan@remus.rutgers.edu (Declan McCullagh/LZ) writes:
>
>  [text deleted  --SJB]
>
>Would there be enough interest in this package, at a list price of
>about $800 or so?  Or would there be interest in the software alone?
>Would the modem program be useful, or are people satisfied with tip
>and Communicae?  Would the UUCP-installer be necessary, or would most
>people rather do it themselves?

     I've never seen Communicae, so I can't comment on it.  tip(1) is
useful for what it does, but, of course, is extremely limited.  I don't
much like the idea of a UUCP installation program/script.  Automatic
UNIX configuration-for-dummies programs that I have had the misfortune
to encounter invariably do at least some things wrong and/or put things
where I don't want them to go.  They frequently leave security hazards
strewn in trail.  Email is *not* the sort of thing that *I* would want
set up behind my back, as it were.  Besides, getting a UUCP link going
is not particularly difficult if hardware problems are not involved. 
If someone wanted to tackle something non-trivial that manufacturers
(including NeXT) generally distribute with abundant errors, they could
take a look at sendmail.cf.
>
>Perhaps this post is a bit out of place here, but I'd like to see what
>kind of market there is...  If this company does move their modem over
>to the NeXT, the rest of their product line will follow - and certain
>other companies will do the same.  And that, IMHO, is A Good Thing for
>the NeXT community.
>
>-Declan / declan@remus.rutgers.edu


                                  Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
                                  Systems Programming
                                  Northern Illinois University
                                  DeKalb, Illinois 60115
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