From: picone@csc000.trdc.ti.com (Joe Picone)
Subject: X Windows over Telephone Lines - Can You Recommend A Modem?
Originator: picone@csc000
Organization: Tsukuba Research and Development Center
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 09:12:38 GMT

(I'll try again with a different type of question ...)

===============================================================================
= Please send me any comments you might have about the best modem to use for  =
= running X windows over standard analog telephone lines.                     =
===============================================================================

I am interested in any recommendations people might have about modems
for a particular application:

   running X Windows over standard analog telephone lines

We use Graphon serial X terminals and high speed modems for home
terminals. (Recently we evaluated the new NCD serial terminals also.)
We also use an Annex III terminal server as the ethernet interface.
This hardware provides a very inexpensive solution for putting X
Windows on your desk at home as an extension of your work environment
(do people still use standard tty terminals?).

Our application demands a highly interactive environment - low delay
on both sides, reasonably small buffering, etc.  (I see a lot of
messages flying around about modems for file transfers, and fax, but
these type of data transfer applications have different requirements.)
X windows is very consumptive of bandwidth: the data tends to be less
amenable to compression and you tend to generate a lot of data per
keystroke.

We first started running X with 9600 Baud modems (before that it was
impractical). We have been using v.32 modems for three years. I am
about to purchase more modems for a modem pool in Japan, so I would
like to reevaluate what is out there.  With v.32 and v.42 modems here,
and ISDN looming on the horizon, X windows over serial lines is
getting really interesting.

So here is my request:

   Please send me any information/feedback/opinions/etc. you might have
   about the best modem to use for this application.

Here are some points of reference:

Microcom QX/4232bis:	Price: ~ $630 in US

   Great modems but probably at the top of the price range. Hard to
   purchase in Japan. Also, untested in Japan.

Telebit T2500:		Price: ~ $1000 in Japan

   We are having trouble with line drops - the modems will hang in the middle
   of a session. 

Telebit T3000:		Price: Unknown

   Is this the same as a Worldblazer? We are currently testing these.

OKI ????:		Price: Less than a US modem, of course

   You quickly learn in Japan that the local vendors always try to sell
   you a domestic product that is cheaper and "just as good." Not
   scheduled to be tested (yet).

Gandalf ISDN:		Price: Unknown

   Not qualified in Japan yet. Appears to be the best solution on the
   horizon, but may be expensive.

I will collect the responses and post the results. Please be sure to
respond to picone@trdc.ti.com.

I am particularly interested in some of these new, inexpensive v.32
modems I keep reading about in this newsgroup.  Is anyone using these
in an X windows environment?

Regards,

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