Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!csus.edu!ucdavis!iris!zerkle From: zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) Newsgroups: comp.unix.amiga Subject: Re: Amiga 3000UX, X, OpenLook, Motif, Color, A2410, Etc. (somewhat long) Message-ID: <8656@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> Date: 22 Mar 91 12:57:38 GMT References: <19986@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1991Mar20.100122.1717@kessner.denver.co.us> <1991Mar20.211652.3247@kessner.denver.co.us> <9K5AC+2@xds13.ferranti.com> Sender: usenet@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu Reply-To: zerkle@iris.ucdavis.edu (Dan Zerkle) Organization: U.C. Davis - Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Lines: 32 In article <9K5AC+2@xds13.ferranti.com> peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) writes: > >I don't get it. Why put compression on the modem, when the UNIX box can do >a better job at it (after all, it's got the whle file to examine), and put >all this interrupt handling on the UNIX box when the modem is better at it? >Doesn't make sense to me. Notice that when the modems are doing compression, EVERYTHING goes faster, not just file transfer. You have probably noticed that using a full screen editor is much nicer at 9600bps vs 2400bps. Also, it's nice to have it done automatically by the modem, instead of transforming your file n times, you get to do it n-2 times (one less compression, one less de-compression). It can save time in this manner. Finally, modems with compression also usually have correction built in. With your editor again, this means no annoying line noise. Also, on-the-fly error correction via the modem is a little bit more efficient than the usual programmed error correction. However, all of this is pointless if your site has no budget from the legislature this year because the last governer was a bozo and all the funds got cut and your fees are going up and there's no way in Hell the computer center can afford error correcting modems so your modem might as well be the kind that cost noticably less than the one you did buy. But then again, that's life. Dan Zerkle zerkle@iris.eecs.ucdavis.edu (916) 754-0240 Amiga... Because life is too short for boring computers.