----- Original Message -----
From: "Ralph Brandt" <ralph.brandt@pateam.com>
Yes, those things happen. But there are several such failure points in the POTS system and hundreds in VOIP. I support VOIP, ISDN etc. But I know all too well the failure points...
And here, Ralph puts his finger on what has always been my number one concern about the Internet, as cool as it is: The likelihood of a system's failure (and indeed, it's lack of complete use) is proportional to -- not solely, but prominentl -- its systemic complexity. There really isn't much that can fail in a current day copper POTS install, or more to the point: much that *does* fail. There are probably an order of magnitude or two more places that a VoIP residential phone line can stop working. Sure, you get more capability, but does that outweigh the reliability you lose? My answer is Not Always. Alas, I don't make those decisions. The same process has affected other disciplines; most notably (for me) photography: tried to buy a roll of 35mm ultraviolet film lately? Locally? Cheers, -- jra -- Jay R. Ashworth Baylink jra@baylink.com Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100 Ashworth & Associates http://baylink.pitas.com 2000 Land Rover DII St Petersburg FL USA http://photo.imageinc.us +1 727 647 1274