On Feb 28, 1996 at 19:27, Robert Gorey of 3:632/309 wrote:

 RG>>> The fact that you seem to be one of few complainants both on
 RG>>> Fido and the Internet says something......but what?  I'll leave
 RG>>> that to you and others to mull over.
[...]
 db>> Actually I wouldn't use the words "few complainants"
in relation to
 db>> the Internet...
 RG>
 RG> I am referring to complaints about the modem's performance.

You didn't say that, though - not even implied above, and since I'm not a
mind reader...

 db>> I found numerous queries on comp.dcom.modems regarding
 db>> USR in various guises (support, "spiralling death syndrome" or
 db>> something, and other errors).
 RG>
 RG> You must be seeing something I'm not.

Entirely possible - whilst the newsgroup title is the same, since Usenet
works by process of "flooding" (as opposed to Fidonet's more
orderly distribution of echos), people using different news servers are not
guaranteed to see the same articles (actually, they're not guaranteed
anything but that's another story).

 RG> "Queries" are not complaints. Most queries are just that.

A "query" to me is a question - the question may be as simple as,
"How do I make the modem answer after four rings instead of two?"
or as irate as, "Why the hell don't they just admit that my modem is
broken, under warranty, and that they should fix it?!"

Since I knew there might be ambiguity over my use of the word, I tried to
give a few examples of what I was talking about - namely, queries about USR
support, bugs and other errors.  If it makes you feel any better, replace
"queries" in my quote above with "complaints".

 RG> Spiral Death syndrome "was" more a Sportster complaint.
This seems to
 RG> have been fixed with the later Roms since about March last year. There 
 RG> haven't been suggestions of SDL with the Courier since at least March
 RG> last year.

Note - above I said "USR in various guises", and included
support;  nowhere did I try and pin anything to a particular product.

 db>> Even two from guys in Asia who are using US/Canada domestic USRs, who
 db>> wanted to talk to USR support and were told to sod off since USR
 db>> didn't support domestic modems outside the U.S. or Canada.
 RG>
 RG> Get real!  That's not a complaint about the modems operation or
 RG> performance. It was explained that USR can't support unapproved
 RG> modems as it is against the law in the Country of operation.

The reason this one was raised is because numerous Australians do operate
US/Canada domestic USR modems, not Austel-approved ones;  ergo, if USR is
starting to ignore others, it may end up ignoring Australians using USR
domestic modems.

That *is* real, like it or not.

Nowhere in your original comments, or my reply, was anything explicitly
restricted to "operation" or "performance" - the issue
was "complaints", generic.  As I said, people other than Paul
still complain about USR and their products.

 db>> there's the complaints from Australians about how even the New Zealand
 db>> ROMs are being updated more frequently than the Australian ROMs.
 RG>
 RG> Is that a complaint about the modem's operation?

Absolutely - if a bug exists that is fixed in other ROMs but not the
Australian one, then it definitely affects the end-user's operation of the
modem.

BTW, you forgot "...or performance?"  In which case, the same applies.

 RG> Most modems don't have flash roms to "complain" about.

Of course - no Flash ROMs, no right to complain about modem problems, or
problems experienced with the modem manufacturer.  Oh joy!

 db>> Of course, there are many users complaining about other modems there,
 db>> too.
 RG>
 RG> I note that here you use the word "complaining" as distinct from
 RG> the "queries" that you used when referring to the Courier?   :-)

Gee, I must really be a anti-USR zealot, mustn't I...  :-(

    - dave
    d.begley{at}ieee.org

---