gnu@hoptoad.UUCP (John Gilmore) (11/14/86)
I have a few :-) suggestions for PC Pursuit: (1) I don't understand why there are separate contention groups for 300 and 1200 baud dialers. E.g. often I can connect to DIAL415/3 when all the DIAL415/12 dialers are busy. The modems can certainly handle both. It seems like they could reduce the contention problems by fixing their software to just switch to the desired baud rate on ANY free dialer. (2) There are people now using PC Pursuit to call in to systems which are already on Telenet. This is because PC Pursuit is flat rate, while Telenet collect calls are billed to the receiving computer, which then bills the customer for them. For example, people will tie up a dialer calling the Well in Sausalito, CA, when they could just type "c well" to get to it. Surely it costs Telenet more for these people to connect via a dialer than it costs to connect them directly, so why is Telenet burning its resources, particularly dialers, and thereby denying them to other PC Pursuit users? It should be easy to allow prepaid PC Pursuit calls to existing Telenet hosts. This shouldn't eat into existing revenue much, since if the users have any sense they are calling out on the dialers now anyway. (3) If Telenet was to register as an alternative long distance service, then people could reach modem locations long-distance using the Telenet data network by just dialing 01yyy and the area code and phone number. In other words, it would be almost as easy to call via Telenet as it would be to call via AT&T. Sounds like a win, no? I realize that getting an ALDS hookup to the local telcos is an arduous process, but they'd be the first long distance data service reachable by mortals from the regular phone network. You'd have to autobaud the connection, but when the remote modem answered, they'd have a good idea of its baud rate. (4) It would be easier on people if they would make the "id" command work with PC Pursuit accounts, so we didn't have to keep typing our account name and password info on each "connect" command. (5) I am glad to see that Telenet has put in SOME kind of host name service (e.g. "c well" instead of "c 415 123456"). I think this should be integrated into the "reverse PC Pursuit" stuff early, so that people can connect to "RBBSPC-LAMBDA" rather than a bunch of gobbledygook numbers. What are computers for, anyway? (I just uploaded the initial protocol specs and, like in the Arpanet, this is a separate service that you have to connect to and ask the address of the name, then get out and issue a connect command to the address. In 8 years they haven't learned. I didn't expect BBN to learn, but Telenet is selling to people other than the government...) Surely if they can check your PC Pursuit account name/password as they make a connection, they can also look up the name=>address of the host you are connecting to! (6) It would be nice to know what the "technical problems" are with the 2400 baud modems -- we might have already run into them ourselves and be able to offer solutions. (E.g. not all 2400's talk to each other; extended status codes break existing software.) (7) It would seem like a better solution than making poor BBS users call in to Telenet nodes, to put modern modems on all the Telenet nodes, and support dialin and dialout on the same telephone lines. Why can't the Telenet node in Podunk dial out on the modems it gets incoming calls on? (Yes, there is a problem with funding the upgrade to modern modems, but only one or two will be needed in each Telenet office, until traffic warrants more. Presumably when traffic warrants more, it will be because the service is making money and can afford more modems.) (8) The worst aspect of the proposed "dial in and provide a host on Telenet" service is that the typical micro BBS system would then ONLY be accessible via PC Pursuit, since its phone line is now tied up to call into the local Telenet node. (9) Ever play "PC Pursuit Roulette"? That's where you connect to a dialer somewhere (anywhere) and then type "A/". With luck, you will connect to some random bulletin board system somewhere in the country. An interesting way to broaden your horizons, e.g. I got a Christian BBS. (10) What I'd really like is "dial in to Telenet and then start passing X.25 data at the packet level" service. In other words, give me a way to cut out the PAD after calling in. This would let me do some serious long-haul networking without getting a leased line to a Telenet Central Orfice. After trying that for a while, the next step is to allow such a caller to dial using a remote dialer, and then pull the remote PAD out of the line, so that neither party needs a leased line to the TCO. Fun fun fun... PS: I wonder what $25/mo times thousands of people comes to? Anybody know if PC Pursuit has repaid its development and operating costs yet and what the margin on the service is? Anything in their Annual Report about it?