TELECOM Digest     Wed, 14 Sep 2005 14:36:00 EDT    Volume 24 : Issue 419

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    FBI Warns About Fake Web Sites Regards Katrina (Reuters News Wire)
    Ebay Pays Top Dollar for Broadband Firm (Jon Van)
    PECO and PSE&G Power Companies Merger (Lisa Hancock)
    Fiber on the Comeback Trail (USTelecom dailyLead)
    Back to the Future in 845-268 Land (Steve Stone)
    Speaking of Cellular/911/GPS Tracking (Danny Burstein)
    Employment Opportunity: Desktop Coordinator/Network Admin (Pat Townson)
    Re: Roaming Charges (Joseph)
    Re: Roaming Charges (Lisa Hancock)
    Re: How a Telephone Works (burris)
    Re: How a Telephone Works (Lisa Hancock)
    Re: Gripes From Skype Users After eBay Buyout (William Warren)
    Re: Lucent TNT Max or APX 8000 (Matteo)
    Re: Bush Takes Responsibility For Katrina Blunders (Henry)
    Re: Last Laugh! How Many Members of Bush Administration (Carl Navarro)

Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
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We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime.   Geoffrey Welsh

               ===========================

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: FBI Warns About Fake Katrina Charity Web Sites
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:01:53 -0500


FBI Warns About Fake Katrina Charity Web Sites

Many of the 4,000 Web sites advertising relief services for Hurricane
Katrina are fake and about 60 percent of them come from overseas --
a sign they may be bogus, the FBI said on Tuesday.

Senior FBI and Justice Department officials warned Americans who want
to donate money to the relief effort to be cautious to avoid
fraudulent charities, including those that pretend to be major
organizations like the Red Cross. Just because they _say_ they are
the Red Cross does not mean they actually are Red Cross. After all,
look at the large number of fake banks and fake PayPal sites operating.

"Just like these natural disasters bring out the best in people, they
also bring out some of the worst elements of the criminal element out
there who are willing to take advantage of those who are willing to
give and those who so desperately need the relief," said Chris
Swecker, chief of the FBI's criminal investigative division.

Swecker said the FBI is investigating sites of fraudulent
charities. He said there are about 4,000 sites advertising Katrina
relief services, and about 60 percent of them are coming from
overseas.

"That overseas angle is not a reason unto itself to conclude that
that's a scam Web site, but it is a reason to be cautious," he said.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said some of the bogus sites
had been shut down but would not give details on the number or how
many investigations had been launched.

"We must ensure that those offering a helping hand do not become
victims themselves and that those found preying on the compassion of
our citizens are punished," he said.

The Red Cross' general counsel, Mary Elcano, said the organization had
hired a security company to scan the Internet for fake e-mails that
try to trick people into providing credit card numbers and personal
information on a Web site that looks like the one run by the Red
Cross.

"If the companies don't go away ... the Department of Justice will
prosecute and, if necessary, the Red Cross will file a civil action to
seek restitution," she said.

Officials urged people who want to donate money not to click on links
but to directly type in the Web address of the charity in order to
donate.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I saw an op-ed piece yesterday from one
of the papers saying some 'tough love' was needed in the instance of
Katrina. The writer suggested people should give _nothing_ to help the
victims of Katrina, since, as he put it, 'by doing so, you are giving
the government a 'free pass' (or a less expensive pass) on the whole
problem.' He pointed out that all the charity money raised from all
sources thus far, was only a drop in the bucket of what will be needed
in any event. He suggested 'sticking it to the government, which is
where it will wind up anyway.'  I think that is sort of a mean,
hateful approach, but I can't judge.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Jon Van <chi-trib@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: E-Bay Pays Top Dollar For Broadband Firm
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:05:32 -0500


 From chicagotribune.com >> Technology

       Auction giant seeks to gain ad revenues

By Jon Van, Tribune staff reporter. The Associated Press contributed
to this report.

The purchase of Skype Technologies SA by eBay Inc. on Monday
makes strategic sense to analysts as more consumers embrace broadband
services on the Internet.

But the price tag -- which could top $4 billion in cash and stock --
seems spectacularly high for an Internet telephony service that mostly
gives away its software. The software allows people to talk for free
over the Internet.

San Jose, Calif.-based eBay is positioning itself as a commercial
portal with a broad suite of services to attract users rather than
sticking to its origins as an online auction site. It wants to become
more competitive with the likes of Yahoo, Google, AOL and Microsoft,
said Andrew Belt, a senior vice president with Adventis, a
Boston-based technology consultant.

"This isn't about generating revenues from voice service," he
said. "It's about helping [eBay] tap into the advertising and
transaction revenue streams that Google and Yahoo enjoy."

To acquire the Swedish-based Skype, eBay will pay $2.6 billion in cash
and stock now and could add another $1.5 billion in cash and stock if
Skype's growth meets certain future goals.

"Those numbers certainly give you pause," said Belt.

Meg Whitman, eBay's chief executive, said that providing eBay's users
with voice communications will make it easier for them to buy goods
online.

But there may be a downside to the enhanced communications, said Paul
White, chief financial officer of Deltathree Inc., a New York based
Internet phone service. "When buyers and sellers talk directly with
each other, you may see more of them going around the system and
making private deals that avoid paying eBay's commissions."

Technology that enables voice conversations online, often called voice
over Internet protocol, has already seduced Yahoo, Google and
Microsoft. In recent months, each of the online giants has bought into
the VoIP space, although at prices far lower than what eBay paid.

The public is still baffled by VoIP. A recent survey by Harris
Interactive commissioned by Verizon found that 87 percent of
respondents didn't know what VoIP was. Twenty percent thought it was a
European hybrid motorcar and 10 percent said it was a low-carb vodka.

Confusion may arise because people try to think of VoIP in terms of
traditional phone calls, when it is really more akin to a voice form
of e-mail or instant messaging, said Terry Manning, sales vice
president of Zoom Technologies Inc., a Boston-based firm that supplies
VoIP equipment and services.

"VoIP is far more powerful than just a phone service replacement," he
said.

Jacob Guedalia, chief of iSkoot, a company that brings VoIP services
to cell phones, said "voice used to be an infrastructure service, but
now it's a software application. It's become a logical extension of
every Internet portal, whether it's Yahoo, Google, AOL or whatever."

Internet phone service is driving down the price of voice service,
said Raul Martynek, chief of Eureka Networks, a provider of telecom
services to businesses.

"We offer VoIP today," Martynek said. "It's part of a package of
services. Large carriers are offering voice in bundles at a point
where it's nearly free. It's happening right now."

But even granting the new technology's value and the branding power of
Skype, which had more than 30 million unique visitors to its Web site
in July according to comScore market research, the multibillion-dollar
price tag still seems high to many observers.

"They certainly paid a much higher multiple than they paid for
PayPal," said Tim Melton, a Chicago attorney with Jones Day, in a
reference to eBay's earlier purchase of an online payment service.

Whitman compared Skype with the 2002 purchase of PayPal, the online
payment company eBay bought for $1.5 billion. Before buying PayPal,
eBay unsuccessfully tried to compete against it with Billpoint, its
own payment company.

"We worked hard to build up Billpoint," Whitman said. "In the end,
PayPal had the technology lead, they had already built the
ecosystem. Skype is in the same position. It has a global footprint
and is already a well-known brand."

One analyst said he sees the value of value of voice capability and
the premium paid for Skype's brand, "but how this supports this price
isn't readily apparent, " said Ranjan Mishra, a principal with
A.T. Kearney.

The high price did please some people in the Internet phone business.

"I'm delighted by the valuation," said White. "My company is in the
same space."

Email address is: jvan@tribune.com

Copyright 2005, Chicago Tribune

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

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------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: PECO and PSE&G Power Companies Merger
Date: 14 Sep 2005 10:32:32 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


The companies claim the merger will result in lower rates.

See KYW report:
http://www.kyw1060.com/news_story_detail.cfm?newsitemid=49285

PECO = Philadelphia Electric Company, and PSE&G = Public Service
Electric and Gas (New Jersey).

I do not see how the merger will lower electric rates.  There are very
few economies of scale.  The biggest economy -- sharing power -- was
set up many years ago by the PJM grid.

I think PECO (owned by Exelon of Chicago) is already too big and the
more modest sized companies are more responsive to the needs of their
own communities.

For the present there is the PECO HQ in Philadelphia and the PSE&G HQ
in Newark NJ and they say they'll remain.  But after a few years "for
efficiency" they may close these buildings and move everything to
Exelon HQ in Chicago.  So, when reporting troubles instead of talking
to a regional representative who has some idea of the area, you'll
talk to someone in Chicago who knows nothing.  If you have a downed
wire in Bryn Mawr PA, will then send the truck to the Chicago suburb
of Bryn Mawr IL (or vice versa)?  Highland Park NJ or Highland Park
IL?  Mayfair IL or Mayfair (Phl) PA?  I'm not kidding -- dispatchers
in large centers make these mistakes and homes burn down in the
process.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: While Highland Park could be either
New Jersey or Illinois (I guess, if you say so; I never heard of the
New Jersey version) in the instance of Bryn Mawr, there is no such
suburb in the Chicago area. There _is_ a Bryn Mawr Avenue in Chicago
(and continuing in a near northwest suburb) and there is a CTA
train stop known as 'Bryn Mawr' (logically, on the street by the same
name) and there is, oddly enough, a 'Bryn Mawr' station on the
Illinois Central suburban line on the southeast side of Chicago; but
no Bryn Mawr as a town or neighborhood around Chicago. There, did I
leave the water muddy enough?   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 13:10:59 EDT
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: Fiber on the Comeback Trail


USTelecom dailyLead
September 14, 2005
http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=24598&l=2017006

		TODAY'S HEADLINES
	
NEWS OF THE DAY
* Fiber on the comeback trail
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Verizon unveils Verizon Game Services portal
* Nokia's numbers reflect wireless industry's strength
* Sprint Nextel sells Sirius radio service
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT 
* Triple Play:  Real Life Lessons, Thursday, Sept. 15, 1:00 p.m. EDT
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
* Yahoo! to unveil beta version of new e-mail service
* New chip speeds up short-range wireless networks
* Ethernet not ready for primetime
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Australian Senate approves Telstra sale
* Is a telecommuting boom on the horizon?

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=24598&l=2017006

Legal and Privacy information at
http://www.dailylead.com/about/privacy_legal.jsp

SmartBrief, Inc.
1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005

------------------------------

From: Steve Stone <spfleck@citlink.net>
Subject: Back to the Future in 845-268 Land
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 12:57:12 GMT


I placed a call from my cellphone to my Mom in Congers, Rockland
County, NY. I got a busy signal, not unusual because she is always on
the phone.  What was unusual was the busy signal sounded like what I
remembered hearing as a kid in the 1960's from my mom's house when
they used mechanical switching rather than ESS.

I tried it a few more times and at one point even came up with a
1960's style ring tone with no answer. Is it possible the old gear is
still in the little brick telco building by Rockland Lake and taking
overload calls ?

845-268-xxxx.
 
A definite blast from the past.
 
Steve
 
------------------------------

From: Danny Burstein <dannyb@panix.com>
Subject: Speaking of Cellular/911/GPS Tracking
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:57:41 -0400
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC


( NY Post story. Limited detail, alas)

"A drug dealer was kidnapped by a group of men she'd tried to rip off
in Hamilton Heights yesterday, police sources said.

The victim, whose name and age were not released, was snatched at West
145th Street and Convent Avenue late Sunday and taken to 48-05 Ave. I
in Brooklyn.

The dealer was held captive for nearly an hour before she called 911
on her cellphone, allowing cops to pinpoint her location with a GPS
signal emitted from the phone, police sources said.

Officers arrested one man at the scene. The woman was not harmed,
authorities said.

 	http://www.nypost.com/news/nypdblotter/nypdblotter.htm
 		(url will change tomorrow)

_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
 		     dannyb@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

------------------------------

Subject: Employment Opportunity: Desktop Coordinator/Network Admin
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:29:33 EDT
From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor)


American Insulated Wire, a leader in electrical wire manufacturing has
a position available for a PC coordinator/network administrator who is
self motivated, conscientous and detail oriented with excellent
communication skills. Your responsibilities include, but are not
limited to administering network workstations, investigating and
correcting user problems. You would also install, configure and
maintain all personal computers, file servers, cabling and related
equipment. You would ensure timely user notification of maintainence
requirements and system availability. You would also maintain
confidentiality with regard to information stored, accessed or
processed on our network.

An ideal candidate should possess at least an Associate's Degree with
two or three years of hands-on experience with computer networks, but
a Bachelor's Degree is preferred.

AIW offers a competitive salary, and full benefits package, including
quarterly gain share bonuses. Qualified candidates should apply in
person or send a resume with salary requirements to:

                 Human Resources
                 American Insulated Wire Corporation
                 PO Box 1388
                 3297 Highway 169 North
                 Coffeyville, KS  67337
                 Email: CSprague@leviton.com


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The above announcement appeared in the
_Independence Reporter_ classified ads three times, on Sunday, Monday
and Tuesday, September 11-13, 2005. As far as I know, the position is
still open in case anyone wants to apply. This location (on Highway
169) is about halfway between Independence and Coffeyville. It would
be a good position for anyone who wanted to locate to this area.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Roaming Charges
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 22:29:47 -0700
Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com


On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:39:50 GMT, Kevin Lindow
<KevLindow@nospamgmail.com> wrote:

> I have a situation regarding my cell phone company. I contacted my
> cell phone service and discussed "roaming" charges before I went cross
> country.  The phone company told me if the cell phone didn't show
> "roaming" on the phone that the call would stand as a local
> call. Well, I just got the bill and it is 300 bucks, full of "roaming"
> charges. I swear only one call indicated "roaming." Should I pay the
> bill and shutup and chalk it up as experience or should I refuse to
> pay the bill? And, in the meantime, how do I make phone calls to
> friends and family back home -- without racking up more "roaming"
> charges?

Well, since you do not give any details of which company this is or
what kind of plan you have it's sort of hard to make any sort of
recommendation on how you should proceed.  Each company has different
policies on what is considered roaming.  Some companies don't even
have roaming charges depending on the plan.  Some plans do have
roaming charges.  In order to provide you with any suggestion on what
you should do you'll have to provide us with more information on which
company you're using and where you're traveling and what kind of plan
you have subscribed to.

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: Roaming Charges
Date: 14 Sep 2005 09:58:21 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Kevin Lindow wrote:

> I have a situation regarding my cell phone company. I contacted my
> cell phone service and discussed "roaming" charges before I went cross
> country.  The phone company told me if the cell phone didn't show
> "roaming" on the phone that the call would stand as a local
> call. Well, I just got the bill and it is 300 bucks, full of "roaming"
> charges.

That's a tough issue, unfortunately, and a common cause for complaint.

Many cell phone carriers advertise "no roaming charges" when in fact
there are roaming charges defined in microfine print.  Perhaps other
users can expand on this and how to handle it.

I guess the first thing you should do is check your contract and
service plan for its definition of roaming and your local territory.
If you were not in roaming territory you shouldn't pay the bill.

Otherwise perhaps you could negotiate a reduction in rates.  Maybe
others have better suggestions.

[My phone is pretty explicit -- only my immediate region is local,
everywhere else is roaming at $1.00 minute surcharge.  But a little
light on the phone goes on when roaming.  I have noticed that in
border areas (e.g. a rest stop on the turnpike at the edge of my
service territory), that sometimes I'm roaming, sometimes I'm not;
because the base site antenna used varies all the time even in a fixed
location.]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 08:44:59 -0400
From: Burris <responder@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: How a Telephone Works


William Warren wrote:

> eagle_speaks@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

>> Though I am in the telecommunications field ( software side) I am a
>> bit confused about how everything works, though I have a high level
>> overview. So I am stating my undestanding, so that someone can
>> correct or fill up the gaps.

>> 1. Each home suscriber has a twisted copper pair that runs from his
>> telephone to a cable containg thousands (why no multiplexing here and
>> send it through a single wire??) thousands of such pairs; to the local
>> excahnge or the central office.

> There's no multiplexing because it means putting active equipment at
> the end of the wire, and that means the company has to build a weather
> protection enclosure, connect power, maintain batteries, and pay for
> easement(s), maintenance, etc. It's more cost-effective to have the
> pair go back to the CO., at least for most single-family homes.

> Apartment buildings, especially large ones, are more likely to be
> multiplexed, since the ILEC doesn't pay for the space needed and it's
> less expensive to run fiber than copper for the same number of lines.

>> 2. In the central office there is a hardware equipment (LTG ??) which
>> has a lot of ports, to one of which the copper pair that runs from the
>> suscribers telephone is plugged in.

>> (I hope I am correct here.) 

> Yes, you are correct. Most companies use the term "Central Office" to
> refer to both the telephone exchange equipment and the building which
> houses it.

>> 3. The central office is connected to the tandem office via trunks
>> which I hope are a thick co-axial cable or optical fiber through which
>> multiplexed traffic from various CO flows.

> Almost all fiber; coaxial cables were retired long ago and are now
> used only for TV transmission, and even then only in locations where
> the coax is "retired in place" (as far as trunk usage goes) and
> there's no demand for digital transmission.

>> Also there is a separate cable for SS7 siganlling, connecting various
>> CO to TO .

> There are separate _circuits_ for SS7, which share the same
> transmission layer as inter-office trunks, but are always routed to
> two geographically diverse Signal Transfer Point locations via routes
> that have nothing in common.

>> There is also a switch at the tandem office.

> Yes, it's a tandem switch. The definition _used to_ be along
> "two-wire" vs. "four-wire" switches, but since all digital paths are
> four-wire, the distinction is less clear now. It's very common for
> "local" exchages to do double-duty as small tandem offices, e.g., for
> E-911 switching to a PSAP, and the only real difference between
> "local" and "tandem" switching is the circuit packs used at the edges,
> since all digital exchanges have to have "four-wire" (i.e., separate
> paths for transmit and receive) internal switching anyway.

>> 4. Now if a suscriber dials a number, the DTMF tones are resceived at
>> the CO which has a directory (databse ???) look up. It finds that this
>> number is at antother exchange and sends a SS7 signal to that . From
>> there how is the trunk reserved ????

> In the Bell System, SS7 is an overlay on the old MF signalling method,
> so each CO handles trunk reservations the same way for both signalling
> methods. The exchange keeps an internal list of which trunks are in
> use, and assigns a vacant trunk to each inter-office call as needed.
> Intermediate tandems assign trunks in turn, in a daisy chain fashion,
> until the call is completed or there are no trunks available.

> There is no "database" of trunks; i.e. they are _not_ preassigned at a
> central "brain" before the call setup is attempted. Each office
> maintains a local list, and makes its own decision about which trunk
> to use for the next hop, with the assignments taking place in sequence
> from office to office.

>> 5. Also how is the incoming call from a modem and telephone
>> distinguished at the CO. Or does the modem also dial DTMF signals???

> The modem uses either DTMF or dial-pulse, depending on how it has been
> programmed, and it dials the call in the same way a subscriber would.
> The CO is unaware that a modem is being used, either for data or fax.

I think your explanation is right on, however in my world, and this
may be too technical for this discussion and if I remember ...  If the
switch does sense data flowing, it turns off the echo cans for the
duration of that call on any long haul circuit.  Having been retired
for about 7 years now, I wonder if the scheme is still the same ...

burris

>> I hope someone can answer my questions.

> I hope I have.

> William

> (Filter noise from my address for direct replies)

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: How a Telephone Works
Date: 14 Sep 2005 07:51:21 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


eagle_speaks@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

> 1. Each home suscriber has a twisted copper pair that runs from his
> telephone to a cable containg thousands (why no multiplexing here and
> send it through a single wire??) thousands of such pairs; to the local
> excahnge or the central office.

Since the beginning of telephone service there were various forms of
"multiplexing".  First, people only had one wire instead of a pair,
the earth ground was used as the other.  Early on people simply shared
the wire pair as party lines.  In the 1960s they used "concentrators"
in which a whole neighborhood shared a group of common trunks to the
C.O.  Today more sophisticated methods are used.

> 4. Now if a suscriber dials a number, the DTMF tones are resceived at
> the CO which has a directory (databse ???) look up. It finds that this
> number is at antother exchange and sends a SS7 signal to that . From
> there how is the trunk reserved ????

Plenty of people still use pulse.  The switch is always scanning lines
for off hook and detects dial pulses the same way.  I'm pretty sure
today's switches could handle 20 pulses per second if anyone had a
fast dial.

> 5. Also how is the incoming call from a modem and telephone
> distinguished at the CO. Or does the modem also dial DTMF signals???

The central office makes no distinction between voice calls and plain
dial up computer calls.  The whole point of a modem is to "modulate"
 -- to convert digital pulses into analog sound signals that can be
transmitted over the telephone line.  Now internally at the central
office those analog sound signals are converted into digital pulses
for high capacity transmission through the telephone system network.
At the other end those digital pulses are converted back to analog
sound waves for a person to listen to or a modem to demodulate (modem=
MODulate/DEmodulate).  Older modems used to have an acoustic
connection, not electrical, by placing the telephone handset into
suction cups.  (Such an arrangement, while slow, would still work
today if you don't mind a 300 baud connection.)

One can wonder if the conversion of computer pusles to analog sound
waves and then back into computer pulses is inefficient.  It is.
That's why today we have broadband communications like DSL.  In those
cases digital signals are directly sent out in an efficient form, and
as such, more bandwidth can be handled.  Keep in mind that the basic
principal of dial-up modems is about 50 years old now and they're
gradually fading from the scene.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:36:29 -0400
From: William Warren <william_warren_nonoise@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Gripes From Skype Users After eBay Buyout


Adam Pasick wrote:

> By Adam Pasick

> Ebay's acquisition of Skype could be worth up to $4.1 billion to
> investors in the Internet telephony start-up, but it is getting mixed
> reviews from Skype's fervent supporters.

> It was the hard-core Skype fans whose word-of-mouth advertising helped
> it become the world's largest voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)
> provider without spending a penny on marketing. It has some 54 million
> registered users and usually has more than 3.5 million people online.

> But the sale to eBay could signal the end of the evangelical zeal from
> users that drove Skype's rapid growth. Its software -- which offers
> free computer-to-computer calls between Skype users -- has spread in
> classic viral fashion, as each new user convinces friends and family
> to sign up.

[snip]

The same thing happended with Red Hat -- they built a dedicated user 
base, relied on word-of-mouth to spread their product, and became the 
preeminent Linux distribution.

Then, they changed their distribution model so that they now have
"Enterprise" and "Enthusiast" versions, started charging "license"
fees on open-source software, and invited the user base that had
spread their brand name to participate in "Alpha" software tests,
while saving stable versions for paying customers.

What was it that The Who sang about? " ... then I get on my knees and 
pray -- we don't get fooled again"?

FWIW.

William

(Filter noise from my address for direct replies)

------------------------------

From: Matteo <matteo@intelcocommunication.ca>
Subject: Re: Lucent TNT Max or APX 8000
Date: 13 Sep 2005 23:19:02 -0500
Organization: Intelco Communication


Hi,

I just wanted some user feedback from anyone who has used Lucent TNT
Max or APX 8000. Does it work well? Is it stable? Is it interoperable
with Cisco with H323 and SIP? 

Thanks.

Matteo D'Amato
Intelco Communications

------------------------------

From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry)
Subject: Re: Bush Takes Responsibility For Katrina Blunders
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:50:20 +0300
Organization: Elisa Internet customer


Lara Jakes Jordan <ap@telecom-digest.org> wrote:

> By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer

> President Bush said Tuesday that "I take responsibility" for failures
> in dealing with Hurricane Katrina...

Yes, but ... what does that _mean_, really? 'I take responsibility ...'

In a parliamentary system, it would mean that he RESIGNS,
forthwith. In this case, absolutely nothing substantial is going to
happen. Yes, 'Brownie' is out but ...I said, nothing _substantial_.

The American people had an accountability moment and that was last
November.

' ... hereby issue a full and free pardon for anything he did or may have
done while serving ...' blah blah blah

Corruptiion from top to bottom.

cheers,

Henry

------------------------------

From: Carl Navarro <cnavarro@wcnet.org>
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! How Many Members of Bush Administration
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 06:01:12 -0700
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com


On Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:28:19 -0500, Debbie DKTubiolo
<debbietubiolo89@hotmail.com>  wrote:

> How many members of the Bush Administration does it take to change a

<<<< snipping away the sniping >>>>>

Deer Pat and Debbie,

Debbie,

You can submit this to any and all newsgroups you like, but political
crap is best appreciated in politcal forums.  Or hang out in
alt.obituaries.

Pat,

Please do your job and edit.  You are slipping.

Carl Navarro
  

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, Debbie is not to be blamed. 
She is a member of another list to which I belong, and she sent that
item around with one of those 'pass it along to all your friends'
tags. Considering that Debbie and I share certain parts of the same
agenda (?!) I took her suggestion and 'passed it along'. If you took
umbrage to it, I am sorry!  Seriously.  PAT]

------------------------------


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