PE> Yes, it is slightly inferior in that respect.  So
PE> how much do you think I would have saved off my phone
PE> bill if I had paid the extra $200 for a V34+ modem?

BG> The problem with any non-DSP modem is that they are basically
BG> non-upgradeable.  Sure, small bugs in the ROM controller code can be
BG> fixed (and at least NetComm have a flash-ROM for that), but chipset
BG> problems or feature upgrades are simply not viable propositions.

PE> Bill, I've never been able to get any modem manufacturer to fix my bugs.

Sure, but some get fixed anyway. Bills latest Sportster rom helped
heaps. I got the same result with one Supra rom change. Its very
handy to be able to just flash some new code into the rom.

Corse a separate question is whether the obscene price of the Courier is
worth spending to get that. I personally cant justify spending that even
with my STD phone call costs, let alone the other question of waiting till
the warts have been mostly excised from V34 before I do go V34 myself.

PE> I couldn't get Borland to fix their compiler, etc etc. Not much use having
PE> the feature if the real problem is that they're not going to fix it.

Usually with a decent modem supplier it does get fixed tho.

PE> Besides, can't I get a ROM upgrade for $20 or something
PE> from Netcomm? $20 is one-year's interest on the $200 saving.

Yeah, thats one consideration.

PE> Yeah?  Worked out how many years it would take for
PE> me to make back the $200 in saved phone call costs?

BG> Forget the speed difference.

PE> Then you're forgetting the only thing that
PE> would be of any difference to me anyway.

Not if you did have as serious a problem as Bill had before the latest rom
change. In your case there isnt much in it Netcomm/Courier wise. Thats a
separate issue to the more general question tho. Its never really possible
to know what the risk of getting bitten in the future is, say if Daves end
degraded enough to cause you major hassles which a new flashrom load fixed.

PE> And only a VERY MARGINAL difference at that. Certainly isn't saving
PE> ME any money.  It MIGHT save my ISD callers some money, but every
PE> time I've looked, ISD callers get very low connect speeds anyway.

Dunno, that figure of Bills was awful. I normally dont have any real
problem with V32bis calls and would presumably do rather better with
V34 again. In some ways thats a significant problem, the cost of those
is high enough so I do take some care to minimise them, whereas I really
dont give a damn about STD, its not enough for me to care basically.

BG> The REAL advantage with the top-end modems, like the USR Courier and
BG> the AT&T Paradyne, is the future upgradeability of these products,
BG> and I for one am more than happy to pay a premium for that ability.

PE> It isn't worth $200 to ME,

Sure, thats a valid point, and I basically feel the same way, the price
hike just cant be justified. Corse if it was possible to get full DSP
flashrom for the SAME price it would be a different matter entirely.

What some Taiwanese devil should do is make a clone of the
Courier, and just supply some adequate code, and arrange it
so that it would always run the USR Courier flashrom code |-)

That would REALLY put the fox amoungst the chickens |-)

PE> so there's no point you telling me I've bought a lemming etc etc,

Its lemon actually |-)
@EOT:

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