Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 00:00:00 -0500
From: Peter Tindall <peter.tindall@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Internet or Dial Out Access From Canada to US
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 925, Message 8 of 9

> But unfortunately this service dissapeared and PC Pursuit is
> unavailable from Canada.  Does anyone know of a similar service that
> could be available from Canada or an internet service without per
> minute fees available from Canada?

I spoke to Sprintnet last month -- they indicated that PC Pursuit could
be available for Canada early in the new year.

> [Moderator's Note: A service called Canada DataPak has a gateway to
> Telenet/Sprintnet. I know nothing about the rates, but you could use
> it to connect to Telenet/Sprintnet then into the PC Pursuit service.
> I do not think the Canada DataPak rates would be all that expensive
> compared to DDD rates. You'd have to check it out with them.   PAT]

Datapac (correct spelling) -- is a much more expensive alternative
than Telenet/Sprintnet. Even so you cannot use it to connect to PC
Pursuit.

Here in Toronto, we have a local Sprintnet port, but because Sprint
has not (yet) sold PC Pursuit in Canada, we have been unable to use it.

(A discussion with a Sprint employee revealed that with a US billing
address -- there was no technical reason that PC Pursuit would not work
from within Canada (ports in Tor, Montreal and Vancouver)).


Regards,

Peter Tindall  Internet: peter.tindall@canrem.com
VE3TJP         Mississauga, Ontario  
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044


[Moderator's Note: Well excuse me, but both the literature from
Datapac and (the old) Telenet (I am reading something from 1985) say
that Datapac gateways into Telenet for 'various USA services including
Compuserve ...'.  Now-a-days (1992) I think the Compuserve network
does its own thing with Datapac ... am I wrong on this? Does the
gateway exist but PC Pursuit is specifically excluded from using it
(given the USA billing address, etc ...)? And doesn't Datapac run its
own outdial service in various cities in Canada something like PC
Pursuit, or more likely the business version of PCP which Sprintnet
offers? 

Several years ago there was a bug in the Telenet network which allowed
calls to be made from this country to Canada Datapac network addresses
which were outdials. The same bug allowed PC Pursuit ID's to connect
all over the world using the (then) unlimited usage flat rate style
PCP accounts. For more information on this, see my 1988 article "Let
Your Fingers Do the Walking" in which I discussed some of the curious
international network connections achievable: some as mundane as
connecting to the British Telecom (data network's) Master Clock
service, the on-line terminal on the 'help desk' at the Hong Kong
Telephone Company (someone there would chat with you on line) and
something called 'Mercury' in Japan which would provide various tests
and test patterns, along with the time expressed in JST.  Telenet was
not happy with me for writing that article, but the bug disappeared
soon thereafter, as did the unlimited usage PCP accounts a couple
years later in lieu of the $30 for 30 hours deal they have now.   PAT]