On May 25, 1996 at 07:58, Bill Grimsley of 3:640/305.9 wrote:

 db>> Judging from the programming style of the guy I know who used to work
 db>> at NetComm, I have no doubt some probably *were* sacked for
 db>> incompetence...
 BG>
 BG> Ah, that probably explains their M5s and M7s then...

Certainly the M7F modems, but he joined after the M5 modems;  it was
annoying at the time because the M5 used to detect dial tone on my
exchange, but the M7F didn't do it properly.  At least I got a leaked
"test" ROM for the M7F out of him that fixed a fax bug the M7F
had (they were reusing a variable between both modes and not properly
clearing it, apparently)...

 BG> I doubt he'll last too long though, as I know all about pissing into the
 BG> wind, which is why I left Chandlers.  Twice.

Twice, eh?  ;-)

 db>> What if all the top programmers left USR, and management hired
 db>> drop-kicks from, oh, I dunno .. MBE, say.  Would you *still* want a USR
 db>> modem?
 BG>
 BG> Yep...

No need to call NetComm owners crazy, then.  :-)

 BG> Even worse, they finally acknowledged that they had a problem, yet still
 BG> had the nerve to charge around $400 for the board replacement which fixed
 BG> it (turned it into a Series 4, in fact).

I never bothered .. from my ol' Series 3 M7F with the leaked ROM, I went
straight to a Series 5 M34F early-to-mid last year (buying it brand new,
for less than it cost for the M5 to M7F upgrade!  Puke..).

 BG> Polish their marble staircase more frequently, do they?

No idea - been a while since I've been out to North Ryde.

 BG> Doesn't matter, common usage should have made it the accepted practice.
 BG> Just like baud and bps (ask Paul).  :)

That's going to come back and haunt Paul, in oh so many ways...  :-)

 BG> Funny, the ONLY problem with my Courier is that it doesn't like Paul's
 BG> NetComm (nor even his Viper, for that matter).  It works fine with
 BG> everybody else's NetComm, so what's different at Wollstonecraft, I
 BG> wonder?

*shrug*

    - dave
    d.begley{at}ieee.org

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