Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!usna!tsmith From: tsmith@usna.MIL (Tim G. Smith ) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems Subject: Re: Which is best? Summary: Another fine message brought to us from you all know where Keywords: Get Real Mr. Professional Expert Person Message-ID: <123@usna.MIL> Date: 1 Nov 88 14:23:23 GMT References: <9515@conexch.UUCP> <1125@vsi1.UUCP> <299@telebit.UUCP> <10711@cup.portal.com> Reply-To: tsmith@usna.mil.UUCP (Tim G. Smith (Mechanical) ) Distribution: na Organization: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis Lines: 93 In article <10711@cup.portal.com> David@cup.portal.com (David Michael McCord) writes: > >I don't know why this conference isn't named comp.dcom.telebit-lovers. It >ought to be. > >To dredge up my old opinions on the topic, neither the USR or the Telebit is >worth a damn when it comes to global networking, or when supporting most >real-world communications applications (SNA/SDLC, X.25, etc.). The Telebit >product does not even support synchronous transmission, not to mention the >disadvantages of getting yourself locked into a modem vendor's proprietary >modulation technique. Try reading page 2-17 in the Commands_and_Registers_Reference_Manual from Telebit. It is entitled "SDLC Support". Many of us using the TB don't give a crap about your "real-world communications applications" we only care about our "real-world communications applications". Ever stop to think that they might be different? >I say this in this forum because perhaps there are some readers who will >appreciate exposure to points of view not so parochial. It would be easy for >someone not knowledgeable about telecommunications to believe, by reading >this conference, that the Telebit or USR or whatever is the cat's pajamas. >There are some very serious reasons why, if you invest in Telebit or USR, you >are throwing your money away. I don't consider the TB to be the cat's pajamas, I simply have an application where the TB is without a doubt the best product available. I have other applications where I use X.25 and others where I plan on using V.32. I try and pick the best solution for each problem. >Speaking as a data and voice telecommunications professional with many years >of experience and the salary to back it up, I say that V.32 modems are going >to smash the vendor-proprietary types in the marketplace within a year. Why? >Because any large corporation using modern networking (eg, SNA/SDLC, X.25, >etc.) is buying V.32, not Telebit or USR. And these are the customers >telecomm manufacturing vendors pay attention to. Consequently, if you invest >in V.32, you are still going to be able to use it five years from now; long >after the HST and Telebit schemes fade away and disappear due to lack of >market support. So what if V.32 takes us all by storm and I replace my TBs- they have still been cost effective and worth using. Yes it is true that the vendors only pay attention to large corporations. Perhaps that is why that TB has so many loyal customers- because they treat all of their customers well instead of ignoring the academic and government market (which is a pretty large and lucrative market). There are quite a few folks who have had TBs for quite some time now and have had their LD and online bills reduced significantly. Folks were using TBs for a long time before V.32 could be bought. There are still many V.32 modems that can only talk modems from the same manufacturer. So the original V.32 modems were just about as proprietary as the TB. >The USENET community has done itself a disservice to let itself fall into the >trap it is now in. It should be fun to watch as you netadmin types have to >replace your equipment with new modems, be they V.32 or whatever PEP >variation is officially adopted by the CCITT (hint: it will not be compatible >with your current Trailblazers). I am glad I am not going to have to stand >up in front of my managers and ask for more money to redress my past bad >decisions. Many people expect communications gear to be short lived. Many of us are happy to get a year or two out of gear before it is obsolete. Many people have also saved enough money on their LD and OL bills that the a pair of Telebits (at about $1400 for the pair) is cheaper than one V.32 (at the regular price a pair of TB's is generally cheaper than one V.32). Many folks don't have time to sit around waiting for the standards- we want products that work today- not products that will be available RSN. One other minor point-- try using a V.32 modem to call the busiest mail relaying machine in the country (uunet if you don't know) and see what kind of modems they use. It is worth a lot of folks the money to buy a modem compatible with uunet's no matter what the cost. >It's your choice. >David@cup.portal.com Indeed it is and many of us are very happy with our choice. Perhaps in the future you should ask some of the folks for the technical and financial reasons that they bought TBs instead of jumping in and telling us that we all are idiots because you say so and you are "Mr Professional Well Payed Data Communications Expert". Also one last thing- I am not sure of how the V.32 modems adjust for poor quality lines but I have yet to see as good a scheme as TB's. Standard disclaimer: The Navy doesn't pay me enough for me to speak for them. I speak for me and me alone.