henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (12/01/87)
Just in case this catalyzes someone who is wavering: utzoo is getting a
Telebit Trailblazer high-speed modem. I encourage anyone who talks to
us, and especially those who get news from us, to do likewise. The Usenet
discount runs to the end of this year. Short notice, I know. Think of it
as getting your system a Christmas present. :-)
For those who don't know what I'm talking about... The Trailblazer is a
modem that speaks standard 300, 1200, and 2400 baud protocols and a rather
nonstandard 18000 baud protocol. The high-speed protocol adapts itself to
the quality of the phone lines in small steps, unlike other fast modems
that fall back from 9600 to, say, 4800 at the slightest excuse. The modem
also knows about the uucp protocol and does intelligent things with it.
The modem is also willing to do "compress" for you (!), saving a few cycles
on your CPU. It is unfortunate that the high-speed protocol is not a real
standard (although it is rapidly becoming a de-facto one, and I believe
there is some talk of presenting it for standardization), but it outruns
all the "real" standards put together.
The Trailblazer is not ideal for interactive use because the underlying system
is half-duplex, which can lead to some turnaround delays, but people say
that the latest revision of the firmware reduces this to a nuisance rather
than a disaster, and that the higher speed amply makes up for it.
Usenet sites which appear in the Usenet maps can get a special deal until the
end of this year. Basically, such a site can order up to two modems for half
price. The Canadian Usenet price works out to C$1055; there is also a small
shipping charge that presumably depends on where you are. Telebit normally
deals through distributors, but for this offer you talk to them directly.
The salesman I've been dealing with is Darryl Suderman (sp?) in Markham,
(416)479-6883. 'Tis the season to speed up your news feed!
--
Those who do not understand Unix are | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
condemned to reinvent it, poorly. | {allegra,ihnp4,decvax,utai}!utzoo!henry