Text 12168, 57 rader
Skriven 2010-11-16 11:07:05 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
  Kommentar till text 12157 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Fido over VOIP
======================
Hello Robert,

On Tuesday November 16 2010 07:26, you wrote to me:

 RB> That means that all fido participants who don't use binkd - and in R24
 RB> that's still a good proportion of them - are increasingly cut off, and
 RB> at some point in time will probably have no access to fido, as even
 RB> the last holdouts (Telekom and Versatel) will probably go to VoIP at
 RB> some point in time because of the lower cost.

In The Netherlands, there is one POTS only node left. I already told him two
years ago that I will try to maintain at least one hub that supports POTS, but
that he can not expect others to make excessive cost just to accommodate him
and that when the infrastructure no longer supports it, that's it anyway.

He said he would implement binkp, but he has made little progress do far.

 RB> The problem with VoIP - unless you know otherwise, this is my
 RB> understanding - is that it currrently does not reliably support data
 RB> transmission, only voice.

We will have to see. My experience is that your milage may vary. The official
POV of the providers is that modem signals are not supported. But then again
that has always been their official POV. Officially they NEVER offered more
than voice.

 RB> Sp hanging a fax machine on a VoIP line is a gamble - might work,

FAX is bound to go the way of the dinosaurs anyway.

 RB> but usually doesn't - and the same applies to all our fido protocols
 RB> that use POTS.

FAX is less demanding on the line than V32 or even V24b. So where fax may work,
Fido may not...

 MV>> They instruct customers not to switch off the router lest their
 MV>> phone will stop working.

 RB> Which is a hell of a future to look forward to, but probably one none
 RB> of us will escape.

I am not so negative. I guess it will be "adapt or die". But that's nothing
new. Fido Over InterNet has been a great step forward. Introduction of new
technology always means the eventual fading out of the older technology. That
is unavoidable and those who do not adapt stay behind. Try running a business
with carrier pigeons only these days...

We may loose a few that refuse to adapt. That will be the price we pay for
getting the new technology. Then again, those throwing the towel in the ring
may not be the most active participants anyway, so it will probably be a minor
loss. Fido as a whole will survive.

Cheers, Michiel

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