XPost: alt.comp.linux   
   From: robin_listas@es.invalid   
      
   On 2026-02-02 14:54, Paul wrote:   
   > On Mon, 2/2/2026 6:39 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:   
   >   
   >> In the subject of winmodems, I bought one by mistake. At that time I   
   >> double booted to Linux, and that blasted thing would not work in Linux at   
   all.   
   >> I think I resold it to a friend what was a happy Windows user.   
   >   
   > Modems were never a lot of fun at the best of times.   
   >   
   > I had two modems with datapumps, one each from the different   
   > modem factions. If I was "dialing into a Livingston front end",   
   > there was a modem for that, and there was another modem   
   > for the other flavors of front ends (modem pool).   
   >   
   > I think if you mixed the wrong modem types together,   
   > there would be a spiral of death, where the datarate   
   > would drop, until the datarate dropped so low, it would   
   > do a disconnect. And this is because if conditions improve,   
   > the bins that weren't being used, would not be recommissioned.   
   > And thus, a connection could only go downhill.   
   >   
   > My modems may have been flashed once or twice. I needed to   
   > flash them, for them to run at 56K. And I think a typical   
   > good day with the modem, was 43.3 or so. The line to the   
   > CO was likely too long, to support more than that. They used   
   > to connect a tank of dry nitrogen to our "wire bundle"   
   > in the manhole, and leave the gas running for a couple   
   > days, to "dry the lines". And this would help bring my line   
   > back to 43.3K again. I would occasionally have it drop all   
   > the way to 33.6K because of line conditions.   
   >   
   > I had to disconnect the household phone wiring, drill a wire up   
   > through the computer room floor, and run a brand new phone wire   
   > up into the computer room. And that's how I got the ability   
   > to run at 43.3 . You had to fight every inch of   
   > the way with that crap.   
   >   
   > My manager at work, when he had to debug his damn modem,   
   > there was corrosion in some phone wires where they passed   
   > through the foundation wall.   
   >   
   > "Good riddance, to bad rubbish."   
   >   
   > I don't recollect anyone lamenting that their modem was   
   > in the junk room now :-)   
      
   I had two lost battles that I remember. One was that I got a win-modem   
   that would not work in Linux, except at a low speed. 9600? Then I   
   learned that I needed an external modem to be sure it had the whole   
   hardware.   
      
   Later I had another trouble with a modem of about 30000 or 40000 bps.   
   The box said compatible with certain protocol that I have forgotten the   
   name. Compatible, ie, not included. I had to buy another modem.   
      
   Finally, I got an V90 modem. Worked fine. I never improved it to V92.   
   I'm not sure I got the numbers right.   
      
      
   Oh, and here we had (have?) to pay local phone calls, so we tried to   
   make our calls to Fidonet or Internet as short as possible.   
      
   --   
   Cheers, Carlos.   
   ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)