Xref: utzoo talk.politics.misc:20153 comp.protocols.iso:196 comp.std.internat:442
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!scott
From: scott@attcan.UUCP (Scott MacQuarrie)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,comp.protocols.iso,comp.std.internat
Subject: Re: ISDN & the Police State
Message-ID: <3748@attcan.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jan 89 19:48:26 GMT
References: <1943@cpoint.UUCP> <5291@pdn.UUCP> <1960@cpoint.UUCP>
Reply-To: scott@attcan.UUCP (Scott MacQuarrie)
Organization: AT&T Canada Inc., Toronto
Lines: 53

In article <1960@cpoint.UUCP> martillo@cpoint.UUCP (Joacim Martillo) writes:
>All the
>ISDN packet switches and modules which I have seen have miserable
>performance since they are designed and manufactured by people who
>really only understand voice. 

Judging by the tone of the article I presume this statement is directed at
AT&T. If you are implying that the technical and R&D staff of AT&T are only
capable of understanding voice technology you are sadly mistaken. Many of
the technologies developed by AT&T have a primary usefulness in the
computer (or "data") environment. Three quick examples are the transistor,
the UNIX operating system, and the C development language. If you require
even more examples of contributions by AT&T Technical staff to the "Data"
world, the list is quite long. Not to mention advances in area completely
unrelated to Data or voice, except in the most indirect manner -
Astrophysics for example. If you check the facts and the track record you
will find that your statement is simply wrong - and insulting to those of us
within AT&T who DO UNDERSTAND THINGS OTHER THAN VOICE.


>Look at it this way.  AT&T products
>are low quality and ridiculously expensive.  AT&T is a major player
>in standardizing ISDN.  

While I am not prepared to argue price alone with you (pointless without
reference to performance), I do take exception to your statement
concerning "low quality". AT&T has a world famous reputation for Quality
Assurance (One of the standard texts on the subject was written by an AT&T
employee, thank you very much). Our products, regardless of what you think
they can do (seperate arguement), are one of the most reliable products on
the market - particularly in the voice environment. They have been known to
survive an almost unbelievable amount of abuse and remain functional, as
well as having an extremely long life expectancy.

In reference to the Data product line, which I am the most familiar with, I
have personally seen a 3B2/600 get dropped off a loading bay, with no
packaging around it, unto solid concrete 3.5 meters below. This demo unit
is still functioning two years later in our facilities (although the
entire unit has a noticable twist to it). That really doesn't sound like
low quality to me - how about you?

What this boils down to is that your statement are insulting and ungrounded
in fact.  
-- 
     -------     Scott T. MacQuarrie 
   -====------   Senior Technical Consultant, Toronto Branch, AT&T Canada
  -======------  
   -====-------  Phone:      416-756-5124   UUCP:
    ----------   CompuServe: 73677,102      uunet!attcan!scott  or
     -------     ATTmail:    !smacquarrie   uunet!attcan!strider!scott

P.S. Opinions expressed are my own and represent neither statement nor
     policy of AT&T or AT&T Canada Inc.