Paul, at 10:57 on Apr 25 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> I was actually on my 4th USR before I knew about that.  So?

PE> So you weren't well aware of it for years.  Just like lots of other
PE> people.  Until it bites them.

It only ever bites ONCE Paul.  Or not at all if you RTFM.

PE> Anyway, a deficiency IS a quirk which can cause problems.

BG> For the brain-dead perhaps.  It never bit me before I knew about it.

PE> Right, so USR doesn't have bugs,

Of course they do, but unlike Rockwell, USR at least do something about them.

PE> it just has brain-dead users.

Nope, not since you gave your Courier back to Paul Markham.

PE> I'm so brain-dead that my Netcomm locked up by itself.  So silly
PE> of me, I'm well aware of the quirk, all I have to do is turn my
PE> modem off and on and it goes away.  I wonder if the modem industry
PE> is run by people just like you?  Netcomm and USR certainly appear
PE> to be.

ALL modem companies are run by fuckwits, that's nothing new.  But I buy my
products based on performance, not who runs the company.

PE> Mass-produce the hardware, not the software.  That was well
PE> explained, several times, try to keep up. 

BG> Oh crap, the hardware is easily (and probably quite legally) copyable,

PE> Pity no-one's done it then, which is what Rod was saying the 
PE> Taiwanese should do.

They came pretty close with the ZyXel modem though.  No Rockwell
componentry whatsoever, but horribly overpriced for what they were.  BTW,
it might pay you to actually read these messages occasionally, because I
just happen to agree with Rod 100% when he suggests that the Asians should
clone the Courier.

BG> as it simply uses generic components.  We were actually discussing copying 
BG> the ROM code which controls the hardware, and that is indeed copyrighted 
BG> material.

PE> And which Rod WASN'T planning on mass-producing at all. 

Missing the point completely.  As usual.

PE> If you'd bothered to engage your brain whilst reading.

If I need any advice on how to conduct myself with email, I'll ask, and I
can assure you that it won't be you that I ask either.  And until then, I
might even suggest that you go fuck yourself instead.

Regards, Bill

--- Msgedsq/2 3.20