Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!ncar!husc6!hscfvax!pavlov
From: pavlov@hscfvax.harvard.edu (G.Pavlov)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Which is best?
Message-ID: <654@hscfvax.harvard.edu>
Date: 2 Nov 88 08:55:22 GMT
References: <9515@conexch.UUCP> <1125@vsi1.UUCP> <299@telebit.UUCP> <10711@cup.portal.com>
Distribution: na
Organization: Health Sciences Computing Facility, Harvard University
Lines: 48

In article <10711@cup.portal.com>, David@cup.portal.com (David Michael McCord) writes:
> 
> 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.).  

  "Typical business communications applications" would be the more honest
   phrasing.  Lots of us have been in the "real world" for a long time and
   do not need to "support" SNA/SDLC, etc.

   If I do, then I will buy the necessary hardware/software.  But it would not
   be very intelligent of me to slow down current communications simply be-
   cause sometime in the future I may need to interface with a different en-
   vironment.
>
> There are some very serious reasons why, if you invest in Telebit or USR, you 
> are throwing your money away.
> 
  As with anything else, "it depends on your application".

>     ... any large corporation using modern networking (eg, SNA/SDLC, X.25, 
> etc.) is buying V.32, not Telebit or USR....

  It would be more accurate to say "current IBM" than "modern".  

> ...  And these are the customers 
> telecomm manufacturing vendors pay attention to. 
> 
  So I should go to a vendor who is focused on someone else's concerns and
  applications ????  Five years ago, the above could have been written as
  "And these are the customers computer manufacturing vendors pay attention
  to".  One of the reasons Sun has gone from zero to $1 billion during that
  time.  No, $1B doesn't hold a candle to IBM's $50+B.  That's not the point.

> 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.
> 
  1. depending on who one talks to, it is not clear that any equipment will
     have to be replaced any time soon;
  2. the replacement is likely to be considerably more powerful than V.32;
  3. it is a heck of a lot easier to ask for "more money" if one didn't spend
     very much in the first place.

 greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny