Dave, at 15:29 on Jul 25 1996, you wrote to Albert Alcoceba...

AA> Personally the endless USR connections stats being posted in this echo are 
AA> getting very annoying.  These stats might be interesting to a bunch of 
AA> sysops using USR modems but to the majority of readers I would say they are 
AA> a waste of time!

DH> You aren't reading, Albert.   Each of those stats is a good readout of the 
DH> line characteristics for the link in question.  The modem is more or less 
DH> irrelevant, other than as a measuring instrument.

Well said, Dave.  This extremely useful data was more or less unavailavble
to the masses until USR saw fit to permit such line probing (and the fact
that we both run Couriers is, of course, quite irrelevant).

DH> S/N, frequency response, and bit error rate.

Not to mention the symbol rate, carrier frequency, trellis coding states,
LAPM selective reject, line levels (ATY11), reason for carrier loss, plus a
whole swag of equally relevant information.

DH> There was a time not too long ago, when figures like that would have 
DH> engendered offers of good right arm for said information.

Quite so.   In the absence of such data, I'd have been blaming my modem for
the occasional poor connect, when in fact it's been the lines all along.

AA> Not everyone owns or wants to own a USR.

DH> And of course, has no interest whatever in telephone lines, since all the 
DH> rest of you communicate by telepathy.  (Try and pick up the thought I'm 
DH> sending you NOW...:-)

:)

Regards, Bill
@EOT:

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