> I have to choose between the original Apple Express Modem and a GV
> PowerPort/Mercury for the 2300c, so I'm wondering... which one should
> I keep? ;-)
I found myself in the same situation a few years ago, and I elected to keep
the Apple modem and put the GV one in a Duo 230 (which I then gave away).
The main reason for that decision came when I tried both and found that the
GV software (updated to the final 2.5.x version) really bogged down the Duo
while it was in use, and to a lesser degree even when it wasn't. The effect
was much less pronounced with the latest Apple Telecom software for the
Express modem, and I found it a bit more reliable in dialling out to
various other modems (I occasionally couldn't get the GV one to negotiate a
connection). As you note, the v.32ter(bo) mode is useless for most people
anyway, so they're both 14.4 modems most of the time - except that the
general system slowdown cut into PPP throughput for the GV Mercury. This
was with System 7.5.5, but I doubt anything's improved. I also found the GV
software somewhat less stable, though neither was great in that respect.
The GV modem and software performed considerably better in a 68030 Duo, so
that was the other reason for my choice - I had a 230 to swap with. I
figured the main problem was 68k code in the modem software; since it
predated the 2300 and never really saw a major update (despite the version
numbering and upgrade fee to 2.5), we can probably assume it was never
compiled for the PPC. Not that PPC code is necessarily always a win on the
2300 anyway (lots of 68k drivers).
Many people like the GV fax software, but I've never found it all that
compelling a reason to use their modems - perhaps I just don't do enough
faxing for it to matter. Again, though, the latest version of Apple Telecom
has fairly decent fax software as well, and I never had any trouble with it.
Neither is really supported any more, although the Apple software has been
more recently updated. There's also a possibility that neither will work
with Mac OS 9, in case you're planning on putting that on your Duo, but so
far this seems to be merely an expression of nonsupport from Apple, and in
any event probably concerns the pure-software Geoport Express (which is no
loss :P ) rather than the part-software Duo Express.
The modem lines on a Minidock (or full-sized Dock) are a simple passthrough
to the Duo's internal modem, so you should be able to use it with either.
btw, the 19200 mode is, as noted, called v.32terbo - the presence or
absence of Trellis encoding is a mostly separate issue. I think it may be
supported by some of the pseudo-modem PRI setups increasingly used by
ISPs, so it may make a brief comeback (until modems disappear forever, and
good riddance :).
--
Marc Sira | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"If you can't play with words, what good are they?"
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