Xref: utzoo news.sysadmin:2103 news.admin:4571
Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!oresoft!news
From: news@oresoft.uu.net (Randy Bush)
Newsgroups: news.sysadmin,news.admin
Subject: Re: i2ack request for news/email supply connection
Message-ID: <606@oresoft.uu.net>
Date: 26 Jan 89 17:33:25 GMT
Reply-To: news@oresoft.uu.net (Randy Bush)
Organization: Oregon Software, Portland OR
Lines: 27

In article <56046@pyramid.pyramid.com> Carl S. Gutekunst writes:
>These links are also fairly slow, which limits traffic in a practical sense.

Interestingly, FidoNet (for which I run the netmail equialent of uunet) uses
the ackless Zmodem streaming protocol, which is somewhat more efficient over
X.25 links than uucp-g.  Originally, FidoNet was XModem, which was abyssmal;
but, as the costs were coming out of individuals' pockets, the fix was quick.

>Generally, dialup is not an effective alternative (more expensive and less
>reliable), and TrailBlazers aren't legal.

We have found dialup to NL or CH (at 2400 or PEP) to be as reliable as X.25,
but, having no big corporate support, must use dial-up X.28 to get to X.25.

Telebits are approved in many European countries and in Australia.  FidoNet
uses Telebits (or Telebit clones such as Ventel's) quite heavily for
overseas as well as intra-continental links.

BTW, FidoNet is seriously testing the new lower-cost symmetric V.32s, as we
are not addicted to the g-spoofing, and have a true full-duplex protocol
(Janus) available which makes the puppies really scream.

I am not in any way saying that FidoNet is better (or worse) than USENET.  I
use both, and, in fact, gate between them.  Just trying to give some
perspective from a net that uses different technology.
-- 
{mcvax!uunet,tektronix,reed,sun!nosun}!oresoft!news (Randy Bush)