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Monday, August 3
New feature: message board
This weekend I logged in to create a new survey question
for August. For the life of me I couldn't come up with
anything. There just aren't that many insightful questions
you can ask about modems.
I've removed the survey and replaced it with a much
better interactive program: a message
board. Message boards are a great way to help people on
a technically-oriented site like 56K.COM, and they provide a
sense of community. I'm looking forward to getting to know
the regulars who hang out here.
A lot of 56K.COM readers work in tech support, so I've
created a board just for tech support folks. (For those who
don't know, I used to do telephone tech support at U.S.
Internet, and I still work there part time writing docs
and developing software.)
The current board is in beta testing mode. I ran into a
few glitches while setting it up, so I want to make sure it
works correctly. If it does, I'll customize it to have the
look and feel of the rest of the site. I've already made
some changes and bug fixes, which I'm sending to the
program's author.
Meanwhile, post away. There's nothing lonelier than a new
board with no messages.
News
AOL has officially released version
4.0 of their client software. AOL expects the new
software to significantly decrease tech support costs
because of increased automation and intelligence in the
software. Among other things, version 4.0 automatically
detects the customer's brand and model of modem. Previous
versions of the software required customers to select their
modem from a list.
An MSNBC article, In
race for faster Web access, cable modems outpace phone
competition, looks at the cable modem vs. DSL shootout.
U.S. News and World Report examines the operating costs
of different high speed modem technologies in At
last, modems that won't slow you down.
In You
don't have to live in the big city to get fast Internet
service, Tom Regan of Nando.net discusses the joys of
DSL, and why those lucky Canadians are getting it first.
Wednesday, August 5
Ascend Communications has announced
its intent to buy Stratus
Computer for $822 million in stock. Stratus is primarily
known for its telephone switches.
Rockwell has released a new single-chip solution for
software-based
PCI modems targeted at the low-cost PC market. According to
the press
release, these are the first PCI modems certified by
Microsoft's Windows Hardware Qualification Labs (WHQL).
Interactive programs department
After a few glitches Monday morning, the new
message board is working well and is getting plenty of
traffic. It looks like a keeper.
I've installed a terrific classified ad program on the
site. It needs a little more tweaking before it's released,
but look for it on Friday.
V.90 Upgrades
On August 3rd, Hayes released V.90 upgrades for the North
American Hayes Accura 5675 and 5674. The upgrades are
available at Hayes' 56kstandard.com
web site. Thanks to Charles Roberts for the tip.
Magitronic has V.90 upgrades for some of their internal
modems at the Magitronic
FTP site (read index.txt for file descriptions).
Stephen Melachrinos notes that ActionTec
has V.90 firmware for their IS560SKV / DT56000 x2 modem.
Oddly, once this modem has been flashed to V.90, it loses
the ability to use x2. Though this has been
true of all K56flex modems, it's the first time I've
seen this with x2 modems. I've added a note to the V.90
Upgrade FAQ.
Other changes to the V.90 Upgrade FAQ
When my ISP upgrades to V.90, will they stop
supporting x2/K56flex?
No. In all of the cases I'm aware of, when the ISP
upgrades, they are adding support for V.90. They are not
removing support for older protocols (such as K56flex or
x2).
My ISP uses Livingston Portmasters. Is there anything
I should know before I upgrade?
Yes. Livingston's current V.90 beta firmware does not
support Rockwell V.90 modems. If you have a Rockwell-based
modem, don't upgrade to V.90 until Livingston's code is
updated to work with your modem.
How can I tell if the V.90 upgrade installed
successfully?
Lucent-based modems
Issue an ATI3 in a terminal
program, or check the ATI3 response in the Windows
95 Modem control panel.
If the ATI3 response shows firmware version 5 or higher,
the modem supports V.90. (The FAQ also gives the
corresponding commands for Rockwell-based and 3Com-based
modems.)
August 7
New classified ads board
As promised, 56K.COM now has a free
classifieds service. You can post ads for communications
hardware you want to buy, sell, or trade. Besides modems,
there are categories for Ethernet, satellite dishes, ISDN,
DSL, and cable modems.
Domain sale Monday
In addition to 56k.com, I have about a dozen
modem-related domain names. On Monday I'll announce the sale
of these domain names. (In case you're wondering, 56k.com is
not for sale. :-)
News
Wired
reports that the FCC may allow regional Bell companies in
the U.S. to provide DSL service through subsidiaries. The
baby Bells say the plan would create a compelling financial
incentive for them to provide high speed DSL service.
The August issue of PC
Magazine reviews 56K PCMCIA card modems from Compaq,
Diamond, Hayes, Megahertz, Multitech, Ositech, Viking
Components, Xircom, and Zoom. I've added these latest
reviews to the Buyer's
Guide and Reviews page.
The Tritium Network
is a free, advertising-supported ISP available in fifteen
cities. In exchange for free Internet access, an advertising
ticker runs at the bottom of the screen while accessing the
Internet, and members are required to take a monthly survey.
V.90 upgrades
Lots of new V.90 upgrades today. The V.90
Upgrade Link Board now lists upgrades from 86 companies.
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