We handled this simply:
1) One vendor is better than two. K56Flex is better for this reason
alone, all other things being equal (Rockwell + Lucent = more
customer base than USR).
2) The entire "software upgrade" thing was a red herring. Virtually
every USR modem out there (all Sportsters prior to X2) had firmware
in PROM, and in some cases, SOLDERED IN PROM. Those were forklift
upgraded. Likewise with Rockwell. No difference at all.
3) For technical reasons (like no OSPF Support) we simply COULD NOT USE
the (It Seeks) Total Control system. There is no remedy for this.
Since there is no second-source for X2, that choice is and was a
dead end.
4) AS IT TURNS OUT, the Livingston solution with Lucent is better
*anyway*. Not only is the performance better by a significant
margin, but its also more stable in my experience.
5) Finally, and very importantly to the consumer, the Zoom modems
turned out to be the best-of-breed. They simply outperform
everything else. This *includes*, by the way, their V.34
implementation -- there's just nothing else even close.
6) The first adopters usually get screwed. We're more interested
in having *working* implementations than first ones.
---- Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net)| MCSNet - Serving Chicagoland and Wisconsin http://www.mcs.net/~karl | T1's from $600 monthly to FULL DS-3 Service | NEW! K56Flex modem support is now available Voice: [+1 312 803-MCS1 x219]| 56kbps DIGITAL ISDN DOV on analog lines! Fax: [+1 312 803-4929] | 2 FULL DS-3 Internet links; 400Mbps B/W Internal