Alex, at 19:06 on Dec 02 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

AM> Get a USR Sportster or USR Courier, they're pretty good. 

BG> The later Sportsters have virtually ALL had major EPROM 
BG> problems, and I can't agree with your recommendation.  The 
BG> Courier, of course, is fine though.

AM> Did you have problems with the Sportster?  My friend has a Sportster 28.8 
AM> (not sure which model) and he never had any problems with it.

Neither did I, and I've had 5 different Sportsters here over the last few
years (from their super-reliable V.32bis model, right up to the first of
USR's V.34+ models, all with the 20MHz clock).  However, it's only in the
last year or so that the Sportsters have been plagued with some
particularly nasty EPROM bugs, and it appears to me that their QA could be
a hell of a lot better.

AM> It's also supposed to be the 'Most Popular Modem' judged by number of 
AM> purchases, or something.

At less than half the price of their Courier, I'm not the least bit
surprised that the Sportster is USR's biggest selling model.  Doesn't mean
it's the best though, not by a long chalk.

BG> frankly, I can't see x2 being adopted in this country at all. 

AM> Why don't you think they'll get the x2 technology over here? 

Because it's USR's own proprietary protocol, requiring similar x2-based
USRs at both ends of the link (how many - if any - local ISPs use Couriers
anyway?)

AM> Rockwell are working on their version, and Netcomm's probably interested.

Rockwell's 56k will not be compatible with x2.

Regards, Bill

--- MsgedSQ/2 3.50