TELECOM Digest Thu, 3 Feb 94 09:56:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 58 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Book Review: "The Internet Guide for New Users" by Dern (Rob Slade) The Dawn of A New Age (Stephen Goodman) New Area Code 281 for Houston (Richard R. Guadajardo) Terrible Net Lag - Information Rquested (Robert Zawalski) Lowest Rates in the Long Distance Industry! (Dan Dindinger) GSDN Programming Question (Jerry Aguirre) Lebanon Telephone Infrastructure (Alex Cena) Best Low-Price Cordless Phone (Darby Holliman) Internet Access in Germany (Michael Weir) U.S.A. - Cuba Telecommunications (macbainr@nbnet.nb.ca) I Want Your War Stories! (Jeff Kagan) Dialogic Help Please? (Rich Padula) PC Anywhere Disconnect in Windows? (albertip@woods.uml.edu) Remote Call Forwarding and Distinctive Ringing (Robb Topolski) That Illusive Program: swIXO (Marcus Blankenship) The Right Number, But Not *Quite* Right (Paul Robinson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 02 Feb 1994 09:53:45 MDT From: Rob Slade (rslade@sfu.ca) Subject: Book Review: "The Internet Guide for New Users" by Dern BKTIGFNU.RVW 931229 McGraw-Hill Ryerson/Osborne 300 Water Street Whitby, Ontario L1N 9B6 905-430-5000 905-430-5047 Rita Bisram, Marketing fax: 905-430-5020 or 2600 Tenth St. Berkeley, CA 94710 USA 510-548-2805 800-227-0900 or 1221 Avenue of th NY 10020 "The Internet Guide for New Users", Dern, 1994, 0-07-016511-4, U$27.95 ddern@world.std.com In the Preface, Dern expands on the title, explaining the audience and purpose of the book. He emphasizes users, stating that the book is not about protocols or administration. I would second that, and note the other boundary condition: the book is not for dabblers. This is for people who are serious about using the resources of the Internet. Dern also stresses "new", proposing that the book could be for those who have never used a computer or a modem before. This may be stretching things a bit. There certainly is not sufficient background here for someone who has just bought a PC to get communications software and hardware up and running. (Dern does suggest that you find at least a BBS buddy to get started.) On the other hand, no prior knowledge is assumed: there is even a section on "Enough UNIX to Survive," which goes so far as to explain what an operating system is. Part one has four chapters explaining Internet history and background, getting connected, Internet addressing and the aforementioned UNIX overview. This survey describes the "tools" of email, Usenet, remote login and file transfer (ftp). I would query the status of Usenet here; new users generally have a function oriented approach and it might more generally be seen as a part of the concept of discussion groups, and refer to mailing and distribution lists. Part three explains tools to aid in finding and accessing information; chapter nine, in conceptual terms, and chapter ten, describing the specific individual programs and systems. Part four discusses Internet "citizenship" in terms of etiquette and culture (chapter eleven) and in getting help and assistance (chapter twelve). Part five is a miscellany, looking at special sites, mailing and distribution. This book will very likely be seen as a successor to Krol's "Whole InternUser's Guide and Catalog" (cf BKKROL.RVW). The two share a very common history, size and UNIX bias. Dern's work is larger and more complete, in many respects, and has the advantage, in this very rapidly changing arena, of more recent information. (Being up to date, however, has a very emphemeral value in the Internet world.) Dern also shows less reliance on the navigating tools of gopher and WAIS which are still not accessible to even a majority of users. On the other hand, Krol's "Catalog" is a lot of fun, although far from exhaustive. (Both major internet guides have this UNIX flavour. Dern does give a credible explanation of why this is so, and also tends to use the UNIX examples in a more useful fashion. If you are using ftp and telnet extensively, then you should know the examples.) I am happy to see the emphasis on netiquette and online culture. Given both the personal nature and the importance of the topic, I would prefer to see somewhat less discussion of this area. Dern also provides useful lists of "common mistakes." I am also pleased to see some prominence given to the use of various functions via email. Literally millions of online service users have access to the Internet via email gateways -- and don't know it. This section could use some expansion; even with references to other sections of the book, the examples are quit true of the Internet. This work deserves serious consideration. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKTIGFNU.RVW 931229 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 DECUS Symposium '94, Vancouver, BC, Mar 1-3, 1994, contact: rulag@decus.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Feb 94 16:48 EST From: Stephen Goodman <0003945654@mcimail.com> Subject: The Dawn of A New Age Here is what the future could bring!!! TCI, the nation's largest cable television company, is in talks to launch a unique pilot project in conjunction with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Microsoft Corporation to design a "smart home". The home automation industry is expected to triple in size, from $1.7 billion this year to more than $5.1 billion by the year 2000. Here is the diary of a future homeowner! ================ November 28, 1995 Moved in at last. Finally, we live in the smartest house in the neighborhood. Everything's networked. The cable TV is connected to our phone, which is connected to my PC, which is connected to the power lines, all the appliances and the security system. Everything runs off a universal remote with the friendliest interface I've ever used. Programming is a snap. I'm, like, totally wired. November 30 Hot stuff! Programmed my VCR from the office, turned up the thermostat and switched on the lights with the car phone, remotely tweaked the oven a few degrees for my pizza. Everything nice and cozy when I arrived. Maybe I should get the the universal remote surgically attached. December 3 Yesterday, the kitchen crashed. Freak event. As I opened the refigerator door, the light bulb blew. Immediately, everything else electrical shut down -- lights, microwave, coffee maker -- everything! Carefully, I unplugged and replugged all the appliances. Nothing. Called the cable company (but not from the kitchen phone). They refer me to the utility company. The utility insists the problem was in the software. So the software company runs some remote telediagnostics via my house processor. Their expert system claims it has to be the utility's fault. I don't care, I just weant my kitchen back. More phone calls. More remote diagnostics. Turns out the problem was "unanticipated failure mode" -- the network had never seen a refrigerator bulb failure while the door was open. So the fuzzy logic interpreted the burnout as a power surge and shut down the entire kitchen. But because sensor memory confirmed that there hadn't actually been a power surge, the kitchen's logic sequence was confused so it couldn't do a standard restart. The utility guy swears this was the first time this has ever happened. Rebooting the kitchen took over an hour. December 7 The police are not happy. Our house keeps calling them for help. We discover that whenever we play the TV or stereo above 25 decibels, it creates patterns of micro-vibrations that get amplified when they hit the window. When these vibrations mix with a gust of wind, the security sensors are actuated and the police computer concludes that someone is trying to break in. Go figure ... Another glitch: whenever the basement is in self-diagnostic mode, the universal remote won't let me change the channels on my TV. That means I actually have to get up off the couch and change the channels by hand. The software and the utility people say this flaw will be fixed in the next upgrade -- SmartHouse 2.1, but it's not ready yet. December 12 This is a nightmare. There's a virus in the house. My personal computer caught it while browsing on the public access network. I come home and the livingroom is a sauna, the bedroom windows are covered with ice, the refrigerator has defrosted, the washing machine has flooded the basement, the garage door is cycling up and down and the TV is stuck on the Home Shopping channel. Throughout the house, lights flicker like stroboscopes until they explode from the strain. Broken glass is everywhere. Of course, the security sensors detect nothing. I look at a message slowly throbbing on my PC screen: "Welcome to HomeWrecker!!! Now the FUN begins ... (be it ever so humble, there's no virus like HomeWrecker ...)". I get out of the house. Fast. December 18 They think I've digitally desinfected the house but the place is a shambles. Pipes have burst and we're not completely sure we've got the part of the virus that attacks toilets. Nevertheless, The Exorcists (as the anti-virus SWAT members like to call themselves) are confident the worst is over. "HomeWrecker is pretty bad," one tells me, "but consider yourself lucky you did'nt get Poltergeist. That one is really evil". December 19 Apparently, our house isn't insured for viruses. "Fires and mudslides yes," says the claims adjuster, "viruses, no." My agreement with the SmartHouse people explicitly states that all claims and warranties are null and void if any appliance or computer in my house networks in any way, shape or form with a noncertified on-line service. Everybody's very, very sorry but they can't be expected to anticipate every virus that may be created. We call our lawyer. He laughs. He's excited. December 21 I get a call from a SmartHouse sales rep. As a special holiday offer, we get the free opportunity to become a beta site for the company's new SmartHouse 2.1 upgrade. He says I'll be able to meet the programmers personally. "Sure, I tell him"... To Be Continued ... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Feb 1994 02:31:42 CST From: "RICHARD R. GUAJARDO" Subject: New Area Code 281 for Houston Houston, Tex. will be getting a new area code, probably 281, in 1995. The {Houston Chronicle} in an article by Dwight Silverman (Jan. 21, 1994) states than a number of ways to implement the new code are currently being studied. More details were expected in about two months. Area code 713 currently serves the Houston metro area (Harris County and small parts of adjoining counties) According to the news article the following options were being considered for the new area code: 1) an overlay of 713, assigning 281 to new installations (neighbors would have different area codes) 2) an overlay of 713, assigning 281 to all pagers and cellular phones 3) a split of 713, half of Houston in 281 and the remaining half in 713 Previously 713 was split to create 409 for East Texas (1983). Richard Guajardo Guajardo@UH.Edu ------------------------------ From: bobz@crl.com (Robert Zawalski) Subject: Terrible Net Lag - Information Requested Date: 3 Feb 1994 00:45:17 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access In the last two weeks I'm experiencing terrible net-lag at the Canadian servers. Running a version of "traceroute", and running a "ping" script that returns a summary of transfer times leads me to conclude that something is quite broken along the path. I'd like to learn about the implementation details of network connections before being the four-thousandth person to call sys-admin's at the problem sites. Yes I know the net is always slow in Canada, but until a few weeks ago, this was moot. It was easily fast enough for my fingers and modem :') Please email suggested information to read etc. if this topic is outside the usual scope of discussions among this group. Thanks, Bob Zawalski bobz@crl.com ------------------------------ From: dedindin@ouray.cudnvr.denver.colorado.edu (UtiliComm Consultants) Subject: Lowest Rates in the Long Distance Industry! Date: 3 Feb 94 08:42:35 GMT Organization: UtiliComm Consultants QUALITY & SERVICE FROM $0.0895/min TO $0.1495/min I need to inform you of a company out of San Francisco called Phoenix Network. Phoenix (NASDAQ Symbol: PHXN) has been in business since 1987, with 1993 revenues surpassing $30 million. Phoenix is in business because it can save small to medium sized businesses money on their long distance phone charges. Phoenix offers a range of rates starting from $0.0895/min up to $0.1495/min. These rates are flat rates, which means they are good anytime/anywhere throughout the U.S. Phoenix also offers International rates which are discounted 50% off that of major carriers. (The rates that are basically the same for outgoing calls and for incoming 1-800#'s.) WHAT ABOUT QUALITY? You can be assured of the highest quality transmission, as your actual service will continue to be with the major carriers (ATT, MCI & Sprint) but at a huge discount. Phoenix is a re-biller which purchases large volumes of long distance service, and is able to offer your business the lowest rates possible. Phoenix also offers a customer service center with over 60 employees ready to help. Phoenix can offer your company a customized long distance service to match your exact needs -- PLUS it will save you money. There is no fee to sign up, so give me a call at (303) 797-7034 for a demonstration of how much you can save. Dan Dindinger UtiliComm Consultants Voice: (303) 797-7034 Fax: (619) 287-4188 P.S. This offer is only available to businesses that use over $200/month in long distance telephone service. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ah, I see -- just skimming the cream from the better business customers; smart thinking! PAT] ------------------------------ From: jerry@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Jerry Aguirre) Subject: GSDN Programming Question Date: 3 Feb 1994 06:56:25 GMT Organization: Olivetti ATC; Cupertino, CA; USA We, along with other locations of our company, are members of GSDN. Our lines to AT&T come in on a T1 to a system 75 Generic 1 switch. When promoting GSDN the sales people said that calls to other sites that were part of GSDN would automatically get billed as GSDN calls. (Explaination by hand waving!) Now that we see the bills it is obvious that the only way calls route as GSDN is if we manually dial the trunk access code, GSDN code, and extension at the other end. Now one method is to tell everyone about the new method of calling the other offices; And then hope enough of them use it to achieve better rates. Does anyone have any suggestions on a more transparrent, or at least easier to dial, method? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 03 Feb 94 08:12:48 EST From: Alex Cena Subject: Lebanon Telephone Infrastructure The Lebanese government has approved contracts to buy one million telephone lines from Alcatel Alsthom NV, Siemens AG and AB L.M. Ericsson. How the work will be divided between the three vendors will share the work still has not been decided. Can someone tell me what role if any wireless technology, especially cellular, may play in this project? Thanks in advance, Alex M. Cena, Lehman Brothers, acena@lehman.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 08:56:00 +0000 From: Darby Holliman Subject: Best Low-Price Cordless Phone Which of the lower priced cordless phones has the best reception. I've heard Panasonic makes a good phone for the price. Darby Holliman Northern Telecom atdlh01@nt.com (404)496-2280 ------------------------------ From: mweir@elvis.umd.umich.edu (michael weir) Subject: Internet Access in Germany Date: 3 Feb 1994 03:15:17 GMT Organization: Umich I am searching for Internet access for a friend of mine who lives in Wiesbaden Germany. There are three different types of access that I am interested and they are as follows: (in order of preference) 1) My friend is an Opel employee and the first option would be to obtain an account through Opel. Does anyone have a contact within Opel or know what Opel's procedure is? 2) The second type of access would be through a local Freenet. Does anyone have any information regarding Freenets in the Wiesbaden area? 3) Third and finally would be pay access. This would preferably be a last resort but if that is all that's available that's fine. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated. ------------------------------ From: macbainr@nbnet.nb.ca (Raymond Luxury Yacht) Subject: U.S.A. - Cuba Telecommunications Organization: nbnet Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 23:37:02 GMT Is there anybody out there who knows anything about the present Cuba -- USA telecommunications regulation situation or even anything about telephony in Cuba? Specifically, I would be interested in knowing anything you can tell me about: - Is it possible to call from the USA to Cuba today? I understand the old Florida City radio link was wrecked during Hurricane Andrew. Is it illegal under the embargo, or are there just no facilities? If it is possible, do you have any idea of the aproximate cost/min? - What is the penetration of telephones in Cuba? How many phones are installed and where are they? Also, any general info about the state of telecom in Cuba and between Cuba and the USA would be appreciated. No need to post unless someone else shows interest -- just email me. TIA ------------------------------ From: jeffkagan@delphi.com Subject: I Want Your War Stories! Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 21:02:35 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) I am participating in an article on phone company overcharging and gouging, etc. I know there are a million stories in the naked city (as Joe Friday of Dragnet used to say). Let me hear yours! Jeffrey Kagan Tele Choice Consulting Atlanta JEFFKAGAN@Dephi.Com ------------------------------ From: rpadula@aol.com Date: Wed, 02 Feb 94 21:37:18 EST Subject: Dialogic Help Please? SOS! I am trying to write a program for the Dialogic D/40B in QuickC. I thought things were OK, but I've found that when a user holds down a DTMF keypress, my program skips though many states, as if the long DTMF is being seen as many DTMF presses. If anyone out there has any helpful hints, could we discuss in e-mail? BTW, QuickC = V2.0, D/4X driver = V2.98 Thanks, rich ------------------------------ From: mailrus!samsung!ulowell!aspen.uml.edu!albertip@uunet.UU.NET Subject: PC Anywhere Disconnect in Windows? Date: 4 Feb 94 00:28:50 -0500 Organization: University of Massachusetts Lowell Anyone know any reason why Norton PC Anywhere (v 4.5) disconnects after it paints the opening screen in Windows? It disconnects, then, when I dial back in, Windows runs fine the rest of the time. Please EMail, I don't follow this group much. Thanks in advance! Pete albertip@woods.uml.edu ------------------------------ From: topolski@kaiwan.com (Robb Topolski) Subject: Remote Call Forwarding and Distinctive Ringing Organization: KJ6YT Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 20:53:11 GMT Just so there's no confusion, in my area: Remote Call Fowarding is a seven-digit number that exists in the CO only that your callers call to be connected with another (usually distant) number. Distinctive Ringing is a feature on your telephone that provides a distinctive ring (short-long-short) when a call originating from a particular number is received. You create this list by inputting the number or by pressing *61 immediately following a call from a number you want added to the list. QUESTION: If a caller (from 555-1133) dials my Remote Call Forwarding number (555-9922) which is forwarded to my home, which number is evaluated by Distinctive Ringing? Robb Topolski KJ6YT topolski@kaiwan.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Feb 1994 10:04:58 PST From: blankenm@seq.oit.osshe.edu Subject: That Illusive Program: swIXO While reading through the archives trying to find shareware/PD software that sends text messages to Motorola Advisor pagers via the IXO protocal I found a message that refered to a free program called swIXO. The message even contained a portion of the README.TXT file that came with the program. Unfortuantly, it did _not_ tell where the program could be retrieved from. If someone know where/who has this please e-mail to my address. Any ftp sites or shareware companies would be appreciated. Marcus Blankenship Alpha-Telcom Inc. Payphone Tech. ------------------------------ Reply-To: PAUL@TDR.COM From: Paul Robinson Date: Thu, 03 Feb 1994 01:36:58 EST Subject: The Right Number, But Not *Quite* Right ... Reply-To: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring MD USA Today we had a problem with one of the employees that wanted to call the University of California at Davis, in that he said that the main number - 752-1011 - wasn't working, and he was unable to get through. He told me he had tried calling the number, and even Directory Assistance in area code 707 had given him the same number. So I tried calling that number both via the government FTS network and as a commercial call. and an announcement that the number was bad occurred in both cases. I called 707-555-1212 on the FTS network and asked for the main number of U.C. Davis. The computer read off the *same* number: 752-1011. Still didn't work. I called the FTS trouble hotline and they got the same recording and directory assistance in 707 gave them the same number. If it was "Joe's Bar" I could understand that it could be out of service, but the main number for a State University? (This is in Central California, far outside the earthquake zone.) Then we discovered the problem. Davis is in the *916* areacode, *NOT* in 707. And the funny thing was, living in the Washington, DC area, I'm used to hearing the local DA recording give the area code before a number. Later tonight, in repeating the experiment, I called 707 information. The first Directory Assistance operator informed me that the area code for Davis is 916, and to dial 916-555-1212 to get Directory Assistance there. The second call to 707 DA gave me the 752-1011 number without mentioning the area code. Paul Robinson - PAUL@TDR.COM / TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The way it works is that a lot of DA Bureaus are handled from the same location by the same operators and they are *supposed* to pay attention to what lines the incoming calls arrive on, but they do not always do that. You'd think it would be just as simple to ignore the identity of the incoming trunk and just always recite the response with an area code on the front to avoid this kind of confusion, but the answer to that is that since most people do in fact call the correct area code (plus 555-1212) to obtain the desired number, the recital of the area code at the start of the number would confuse people (the local people) into thinking *they* had to dial the area code first also. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #58 *****************************