Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!milano!bigtex!pmafire!mike From: mike@pmafire.UUCP (mike caldwell) Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm Subject: Re: Quantum Link - telecommunication at it's poorest Summary: Not Here Message-ID: <513@pmafire.UUCP> Date: 13 Dec 88 15:30:31 GMT References: Reply-To: mike@pmafire.UUCP (mike caldwell) Distribution: na Organization: WINCO, INEL, Idaho Lines: 64 In article prindle@NADC.ARPA (Frank Prindle) writes: >I recently signed up with the Quantum Link on-line telecommunications service. > .... >This process is often (but not always) very prone to erroneous receptions; data >are not displayed until received error free; retransmissions are many; long > .... I had similiar problems with down-loading until I applied the patch (See below) that Q-link supplied and I haven't had to hang-up and redial since. It was the best $.25 I've spent on Q-link. >All this, you understand, is taking place on a C128/Avatex Modem setup which >has had rock-solid 1200 baud communication for years with the likes of >Compuserve, GEnie, and various VAXen and SUNs using such renowned telecom And all this was on phone lines that are about as rock solid as greased mud. I haven't believed Compuserve was worth the money and haven't believed that GEnie would make it worth paying for two services. But I spend a lot of time using my 64 to work late at home (it beats working late at work). So I know how terrible the phone lines are here. My favorite key in kermit is ^L. And I normally leave KERMIT in terse DEBUG mode because with the number of resends you might as well enjoy the show on the screen. So while their packet format might be bizarre, at least it seems to work. >Their customer service people apparently don't talk to each other This sounds like all first rounds through customer service anywhere (even places like DEC and HP have this problem, software houses are even worse). You have to get through the first layer of custormer service and get the deeper layers, and from then on ask for them by name. >The second told me I must "patch" my QLINK software to use Tymnet and >proceeded to describe how to download (at my cost!) the patch program. I did Like I said, it was the best quarter I ever spent on Qlink. >both of these, experiencing only slight improvement. Another customer service >person proclaimed that QLINK software doesn't work on any C64 or C128 if there >are any peripherals attached!!!! She suggested that I must disconnect my 1581 >drive, my printer, my 1750 RAM expansion, my mouse, and my joystick to use >QLINK .... >Now, as both an Electrical Engineer, and a Software Engineer with considerable >C64/C128 hardware and software experience, I can assure you that there is >absolutely no reasonable explanation why C64 telecommunications software would >ever require removal of peripherals, especially since none of the aforementioned >peripherals utilize the same port as the modem, none generate interrupts >to the system when quiescent, and none modify or override the internal C64/C128 >kernal ROMs. I won't admit to being an expert on C64 hardware, but I have many a commericial piece of software that makes the same requirements. But of more useful information, I had a friend that was having similiar problems with his C64 connecting with Qlink and staying connected. The cure was to replace the PLA that connect to his joystick!? This cured the problem so there is at least the posibility of joysticks interferring with telecommunications. >Sincerely, >Frank Prindle >Prindle@NADC.arpa -- Mike Caldwell Paths: ...uunet!bigtex!pmafire!mike | ...!ucdavis!egg-id!pma386!mike