mo@uunet.UU.NET (Mike O'Dell) (12/22/87)
A recent posting questioned whether Telebit could survive in the face of the cross-licensing arrangement between USR and Hayes regarding the stop-gap 9600 baud modem technology. People who want a real 9600 baud modem should bite the bullet and buy a V.32 modem. Anything else is a best a crude hack and will loose badly to the real V.32 modems when the arrive in force, which is going to be very, very soon. Rockwell, the most prolific modem makers who make the chips in most of the readily available modems (along with SSI and some TI parts) already have cheap chip sets for V.32 modems in working silicon. The others (SSI and TI) are hot on their heels as well. The UDS/Motorola V.32 modem was just price reduced from $2500 to $1500 in quantity 1, so the fall is starting seriously, and will accelerate relatively quickly. The existing "ping-pong" 9600 baud designs are stopgap hacks using existing, relatively mediocre modem technology and trying to paper over the lack of advanced signal processing with bogus protocols. They will lose big in the long run. The Telebit is a case by itself, however. I don't lump it in the 9600-baud stopgap class because (1) it goes much faster than that when it can, and slower when it must, (2) represents the current, commercially-available zenith in advanced signal processing for "get the data through if anything works at all" capability, and (3) the protocols their modems support are being engineered for maximum capability and interoperability with existing software more complex than a poor terminal emulator with a Human driving it. For example, they implement "G-protocol spoofing" for UUCP purposes. It works great. Further, they are considering SLIP as well with optional autotdialing based on IP addresses. [This latter part ain't done yet, but indicates how far-thinking they are.] So, if you want to go as fast as possible over the available channel, no matter how grotty and variable it might be, and don't mind having to have compatible modems at each end, the Telebit is outstanding. Of course, it does 2400, 1200, and 300 as well. Hmmm, I wonder if they will eventually offer V.32 mode as well????? Anyway, if you want a STANDARD for 9600 baude, V.32 is it. Period. Most of those also do the other speeds/modes as well. Anything else is something you will have to replace in the near future. -Mike O'Dell