30 minuite cutoff - reply from Dan

[lcompton]

Hi, again, grimball.

I'd be interested in knowning why you're using both magicJack and Skype? I'm looking at migrating to Skype as a replacement to magicJack to escape magicJack's 60-minute call caps, which don't work for me.

The cap does not bother me (the advertising/claim of unlimited calls bothers me). How do I say this without offending..... I am a man therefore my calls consist of "Yes, dear" "O.K." "Love you too", and "Buhbye"
I can accomplish this in 45 seconds, on a slow day.

No offense taken. I'm not ashamed of being a woman and if that means I'm a little chattier than most guys, I can live with that.

I got the MJ to play with. Cutting the land-line, I've had for 25+ years is not an option for a couple of reasons:

1. No MJ local number here.....
2. Monitored home alarm, not sure it can be FULLY trusted with any VOIP
3. Wife not totally convinced on quality of VOIP
4. the 36 per moth on land-line (AT&T) is trivial to the $175 iPhone & Blackberry data/cell plans (and 2 additional cells for family)

Perfectly understandable.

Many of the reviewers recommend differing versions of drivers to use with the DPH-50U. About the only thing that is clear is that the drivers on the accompanying product CD-ROM are the worst possible choice. I downloaded the Windows Vista driver package from D-Link's web-site, which also contain an updated version of the Windows XP drivers.

Do you have any thoughts on driver packages? Which drivers are you using with your DPH-50U?

I have it on an XPsp3 install.
http://www.dlink.com/products/support.a ... 66#drivers

Well, yes. I have that link too. But, I was interested in knowing which package you installed. Was it the version 1.00 package or the 1.10 package? And, I will also be installing it on Windows XP SP3.

I'm excited about trying out Skype with the DPH-50U. If this works out, I'll have a reliable inexpensive home telephone service without 60-minute call caps!

I have not purchased a monthly plan with Skype, just credits, which have lasted a long time.

I'm going to go with the Skype unlimited outbound plan at USD2.95/month. This plan looks really good to me.

Also, is it true that one has to dial the international calling code prefix to make local calls with Skype? I read that to call a local number with Skype I will have to dial 001 + area code + exchange + local extension. The extra 001 is a bit of a pain, but liveable.

You are correct on the dialing.

Much obliged.

One other thing, not to discuss the legal issues, but the software lets you record .WAV files of the calls (incoming & outgoing) made with the DLINK. No beep to let the other party aware they are being recorded.......

I don't care about this stuff. I don't have any need to record conversations. I'll leave that shenanigans to Linda Tripp.

I'm off to practice guitar!

Thank you.

Lisa

[docooo]

I have had skype in/out for several years and just last month
I got a Wifi phone and really like it .. so when MJ screws up
I just switch over to skype .. this wifi is also good as I do not
have to fire up the computer and when the pwr goes off my UPS
keeps the cable modem and wifi modem going for 5 hr's
1500AH UPS -- and on weekends just use my cell as it's free
Took 1 day to get a E-Mail from Skype [ there run by EBay]
and all was taken care of ..

Doc
>

[lcompton]

Good evening and Happy New Year, Doc!

I have had skype in/out for several years and just last month I got a Wifi phone and really like it

If you don't mind my asking, which make/model WiFi telephone did you purchase to use with Skype?

.. so when MJ screws up I just switch over to skype ..

I'm curious as to why you use both Skype and magicJack? Is there something about Skype that does't meet your full telephony needs?

this wifi is also good as I do not have to fire up the computer

I'm hoping to do something similar by setting up a dedicated Skype telephony server and combining it with the D-Link Skype telephone adapter.

and when the pwr goes off my UPS keeps the cable modem and wifi modem going for 5 hr's 1500AH UPS

I have the same setup. Yesterday (New Year's Eve of all days), we had a power outage here in Exton. I couldn't believe it. But, my telephone was up and running and all of my laptops had Internet access thanks to the UPS. I get the same run time; i.e. about five hours.

Took 1 day to get a E-Mail from Skype [ there run by EBay]and all was taken care of ..

What does this mean? I don't understand.

Thank you.

Lisa

[docooo]

Good evening and Happy New Year, Doc!


>> H-N-Y to you also


docooo wrote:
I have had skype in/out for several years and just last month I got a Wifi phone and really like it


If you don't mind my asking, which make/model WiFi telephone did you purchase to use with Skype?


>> BELKIN wi-fi phone for skype F1PP000GN-SK

The Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype doesn't require a PC and will work anywhere in the world where you have secured or open access to a WiFi network.
Any home, office, cafe, or municipal wireless access point that does not require browser-based authentication will do.

Ready to go. Pre-loaded with Skype software and featuring the same Skype interface, the Belkin Wi-Fi Phone is ready to use with any wireless network.

Easy to use. To make a call, simply use the intuitive on-screen color menu to locate your contact and view their online availability-exactly like you use Skype today.

Skype CertifiedThe Wi-Fi Phone is Skype-certified, which means that it adheres to all Skype's requirements to ensure that your Wi-Fi Phone experience is just like it is on your PC.

Features:

# Allows users to make or receive Skype phone calls as long as users are in the coverage of a wireless local area network (LAN)
# Features compact and elegant design
# Allows users to make VoIP calls at work, home, and on campus
# Eliminates hassle of SSID or security-key input; the Wi-Fi Phone stores these configurations and automatically connects to access points upon boot up
# Works with almost all standard 802.11b/g access points
# Offers hassle-free installation and account startup

Technical Information:

General
# Product Type : Wireless VoIP phone

Phone Features
# Cordless Phone Standard : IEEE 802.11g (Wi-Fi)
# VoIP Services : Skype
# Dialer Type : Keypad
# Dialer Location : Handset
# Menu Operation : Yes

IP Telephony
# Security : WPA, WEP, WPA2

Display
# Type : LCD display - color
# Display Location : Handset
# Features : Backlit

Miscellaneous
# Antenna : Integrated

Power
# Type : Power adapter - external

Battery
# Battery : 1 x battery
# Technology : Rechargeable



docooo wrote:
.. so when MJ screws up I just switch over to skype ..


I'm curious as to why you use both Skype and magicJack? Is there something about Skype that does't meet your full telephony needs?

>> I looked at MJ like I do the stock mrkt .. it's up dwn
and I do not knw if there going to be around in a month


docooo wrote:
this wifi is also good as I do not have to fire up the computer


I'm hoping to do something similar by setting up a dedicated Skype telephony server and combining it with the D-Link Skype telephone adapter.

docooo wrote:
and when the pwr goes off my UPS keeps the cable modem and wifi modem going for 5 hr's 1500AH UPS


I have the same setup. Yesterday (New Year's Eve of all days), we had a power outage here in Exton. I couldn't believe it. But, my telephone was up and running and all of my laptops had Internet access thanks to the UPS. I get the same run time; i.e. about five hours.

docooo wrote:
Took 1 day to get a E-Mail from Skype [ there run by EBay]and all was taken care of ..


What does this mean? I don't understand.

Thank you.


>> I had skype points and wanted to extend my skype in/out - but did
not knw how to do this .. E-M told me how

Skype was bought by Ebay and is run by them

I have had no problems with Skype in the past [ only problem has been
my ISP going dwn up here .. Live by Lake Tahoe Ca ]

Doc
>

[davrow]

Thanks for the thorough replies to Lisa, doocoo.

But I'm in the same boat as her, I still don't understand why you would bother with magicJack at all if Skype is working well.

I only have one phone, MJ. If it fails, I'm up a creek. So I am looking into Skype also. But have no intention of keeping two services, it will be one or the other (or something else altogether).

Thanks.

So, after all that, the questions are:
1) why have MJ at all if Skype works?
2) why is MJ primary if Skype works?

[az2008]

(So, after all that, the question is: why have MJ at all if Skype works?)

I opened a pay-as-you-go account with Skype and vbuzzer just as a backup when MJ doesn't work. This was part of my calculation to terminate my landline. I needed options.

These will also be handy if the 60-minute cap remains in effect. I can use either of those alternatives to call 800 numbers for employment-related conference calls. (They don't charge for calls to 800 numbers.).

But, I wouldn't start a monthly subscription with them *and* maintain MagicJack. Except for the fact that I already bought 5 years. In my case, I might as well use it for something even if I chose to replace it with a different service to act as my primary.

Maybe that's what doocoo means.

Mark

[docooo]

I do a LOT of call in for conf calls and thus MJ sucks cuz it cuts
me off after 60 min's max ... this is one reason why I keep
Skype .. also I will not count on any one service .. this is why
I got MJ when it came out ..

For the time I talk on MJ It's a good deal - even with the
60 min "crap" and not able to call several people --

Between Skpye and MJ I pay 90 bucks a year and have
2 numbers -- If I were to use my local AT&T it would be
over 300 just for one number

I also have a cell number and thus ALL calls on weekends are
free out and in

WE are sorta off the subj - but --






Doc

[prberg]

I am having the problem too. got cut off after 60 minutes. I am in Los angeles if it matters. Really unbelievable. These guys can do whatever they want and it really sucks. When I signed up it said unlimited calling. I don't even use the MJ that much!

-peter

[az2008]

I am having the problem too. got cut off after 60 minutes. I am in Los angeles if it matters. Really unbelievable. These guys can do whatever they want and it really sucks. When I signed up it said unlimited calling. I don't even use the MJ that much!

When you began using MJ you supposedly agreed to the Terms of Service. (http://www.magicjack.com/tos/). See section 6 which refers to "excessive use" (which contradicts "unlimited calling.").

However, I agree that 60 minute call caps seems draconian. I think MJ is within their rights to do it. But, I think it will impact them negatively. And, it looks really bad when it's done just 30 days after a huge marketing push to get existing customers to pre-purchase 5 years of service (not realizing the limits that were coming).

Mark

[lcompton]

Good morning, Doc.

If you don't mind my asking, which make/model WiFi telephone did you purchase to use with Skype?

BELKIN wi-fi phone for skype F1PP000GN-SK

Wow! The Belkin F1PP000GN-SK has 2.5 stars on Amazon.com with 92 reviews!. I'm glad it's working out for you though.

I'm hoping that the D-Link thingy I ordered will prevent me from having to purchase anymore telephones. Ideally, I'd like to be able to re-use as much of my existing equipment as possible. I'll already be retiring two magicJacks!

I'm curious as to why you use both Skype and magicJack? Is there something about Skype that does't meet your full telephony needs?

I looked at MJ like I do the stock mrkt .. it's up dwn and I do not knw if there going to be around in a month

Well... Okay. But, why bother with magicJack at all if Skype is working out for you? I don't have the money or the patience to maintain two telephone systems. The way I see it, even if magicJack or Skype functions 90% of the time, I have my wireless telephone as a back-up.

I had skype points and wanted to extend my skype in/out - but did not knw how to do this .. E-M told me how

So, in other words, you're pleased with Skype's customer response?

I have had no problems with Skype in the past [ only problem has been my ISP going dwn up here .. Live by Lake Tahoe Ca ]

Oh my... Lucky you! I've never been to Lake Tahoe, but I am told it's quite lovely.

Thank you.

Lisa

[lcompton]

Good morning, Doc.

I do a LOT of call in for conf calls and thus MJ sucks cuz it cuts me off after 60 min's max ... this is one reason why I keep
Skype .. also I will not count on any one service .. this is why
I got MJ when it came out ..

I get it now. You're using magicJack and Skype as back-ups for one another. Okay, that makes sense.

My approach will be to use Skype as my home telephone service and my wireless telephone as my back-up. This is how I manage today with magicJack as my home telephone service.

For the time I talk on MJ It's a good deal - even with the
60 min "crap" and not able to call several people

This is where my opinion diverges. The 60-minute call cap has taken me out of the "magicJack is still a good deal" camp. I accept that most people on here (who are probably men) don't mind the call caps. But, the call caps kill magicJack as far as I'm concerned. I know my friends (yes, they're women, too) would agree with me.

The funny thing about this is that the reasons the 60-minute call cap are unacceptable to me are legitimate business reasons. It's not so I can have uninterrupted dish time with my girlfriends. I'm not the gossip type. Honest!

Between Skpye and MJ I pay 90 bucks a year and have
2 numbers -- If I were to use my local AT&T it would be over 300 just for one number

So true. I was paying just over USD300.00/annum for my land-line with Verizon and I had only (real) unlimited local service and absolutely nothing else.

I also have a cell number and thus ALL calls on weekends are free out and in

Same.

WE are sorta off the subj

I don't see how. This material is completely relevant as far as I'm concerned.

In other news, I've reduced my magicJack losses by USD59.95. Before my 30 days were up, I requested a refund for the purchase of the five-year extension on one of my magicJacks. The kind folks at magicJack agreed without hesitation. So, my total magicJack losses to date are USD46.90 (including shipping) for my first magicJack and USD40.25 (including shipping) for my second magicJack, which was purchased from QVC.com. Total loss: USD87.15! Hey, it could be worse!

I wish I hadn't purchased the second magicJack. But, how could I have known call caps were in my future? I never saw this coming.

The laptop I picked up off of Craig's List for USD100.00 to use with the second magicJack will work with Skype for sure. If the Thin Client cannot be re-purposed for use with Skype, I'll sell it on eBay. I'm pretty confident that I'll recover my costs on that.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my Skype testing works out.

Thank you.

Lisa

[lcompton]

Good morning!

Performing a search on skype phone as you suggested produced a lot of interesting results -- not the least of which is the GE Skype DECT 6.0 telephone you mentioned. After reading the description and some reviews, I must agree with you that it is a wiser choice than the NetGear model. I just discovered that Amazon has sold out of their supply of the GE DECT 6.0 telephones and the available units that come up in search results are from so-called Amazon.com partners. The prices are slightly higher and the free shipping isn't available. Let's hope Amazon.com restocks in a few weeks.

F.Y.I.... The GE Skype DECT 6.0 cordless telephone systems are back in stock at Amazon.com. This means free shipping! Unfortunately, the meanies raised the price about USD20.00, which means the product is selling pretty well. It's rated four out of five stars with a total of 25 reviews. I'm going to hold off for now to see how my Skype testing goes first. Besides, if that D-Link adapter I purchased functions well, I'll be able to use my existing analog cordless telephones with Skype.

Thank you.

Lisa

[docooo]

I also have a Telbox [ Skype] for my wireless phones and works ok -
but like the wifi much better as I do not have to turn my computer
on and leave it on [ this was 100.00 ] got a heck of a deal , as
some people can not spell right on Ebay

The 60 min cap I get caught just talking to my family or talking
with tech support for some hardware problem - just think if MJ
had a Support line .. Think I was on hold for 15+ min's with MJ
billing before I got a "live" person .. maybe we should all call
them and keep them on the phone for 60 mins until we get droped
281 404 1551

Also with the wifi phone as I can bring it with me to any Hotel that has
wifi and make calls - or even a hot spot .. without turning on my computer

I noticed on the new TV add's there not saying to much about what
you can do and do not even tell people that there is a 60 min cap

Doc
>

[lcompton]

Hi, again, Doc!

The 60 min cap I get caught just talking to my family or talking with tech support for some hardware problem - just think if MJ
had a Support line .. Think I was on hold for 15+ min's with MJ
billing before I got a "live" person .. maybe we should all call
them and keep them on the phone for 60 mins until we get droped
281 404 1551

Do you know what? I'm caring less and less about magicJack and the 60-minute call cap. I just signed up for a Skype account. I can't believe how easy it was. Get this, paying annually, my unlimited outbound plan is USD29.50/annum! I added a local Exton, Pennsylvania telephone number for an additional USD30.00/annum! That's USD59.50/annum for telephone service without call caps! See? I put that USD59.95 credit from magicJack to very good use!

So, I called one of my magicJacks for my first test call. It was unbelievable! The call quality on Skype is excellent.

I'm aching to try the D-Link adapter. If it works out, my magicJack replacement effort is completed.

I hope I can get Skype to run on the Thin Client. Any progress on your testing, George?

Also with the wifi phone as I can bring it with me to any Hotel that has wifi and make calls - or even a hot spot .. without turning on my computer

That is a nice feature. My traveling days are over (I'm a poor girl now.) But, if I ever get back on my feet, I can either buy one of those cool WiFi telephones or just use Skype on my laptop with a headset.

I noticed on the new TV add's there not saying to much about what you can do and do not even tell people that there is a 60 min cap

Not disclosing the 60-minute call caps to new subscribers is the first evidence of unethical behavior that I've seen from magicJack. I'm not disputing that they can implement the call caps. That's a given. Failing to disclose same is unethical, unscrupulous and, I am quite confident, unlawful. Shame on you, magicJack!

Thank you.

Lisa

[docooo]

Lisa

Do not for get you also got skype points when you signed up
for all of this - thus you can extend your skype acct useing
these points .. Bummer knw I got 10 cents less to extend for
another month - but can always buy more points ..

All my travel is payed for by the hospital or other states on a
contract price .. Looking forward to Alasaka this summer and maybe
Hawaii for 2 months in the Winter - beats the 4 ft of snow I got knw
and all the people coming up here to see it

Better go start cleaning the driveway off - 1/4 of a mile to main road

Doc
>

[lcompton]

Good afternoon, Doc.

Do not for get you also got skype points when you signed up for all of this - thus you can extend your skype acct useing these points .. Bummer knw I got 10 cents less to extend for another month - but can always buy more points ..

I was wondering how I ended up with a USD1.36 Skype credit when I didn't actually buy it. I sent the Skype folks a support inquiry on this. I'm not sure how'd I ever use the Skype credit. It seems that everything I needed came included in my subscription. Voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, etc., etc.

I spent about an hour messing around with the Skype user interface. It's pretty neat. At first, I was freaked out when I saw all of my Outlook contacts in Skype. I don't like that, but I haven't figured out how to stop Slype from sharing my Outlook contact data.

All my travel is payed for by the hospital or other states on a contract price .. Looking forward to Alasaka this summer and maybe Hawaii for 2 months in the Winter - beats the 4 ft of snow I got knw and all the people coming up here to see it

Lucky you! (No pun intended.) I miss international travel. I want to go back to New Zealand. In fact, I'd like to move there. Of all of the places I have visited on Earth, New Zealand is my all-time favorite.

Better go start cleaning the driveway off - 1/4 of a mile to main road

Oh my. *shudder* That's a lot of shoveling!

Thank you.

Lisa

[neo1]

Good evening, neo1.

Something else that came up under the skype phone search string is this intriguing little D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter. It's heavily discounted and there is a USD10.00 rebate good on purchases made through 31 December 2008. So, at USD7.99, I simply had to order one. I couldn't resist at that price. It may be junk, but it'll be fun to try it anyway. If it actually does function, I'll be able to use my existing telephones with Skype. The other advantage of this solution is that I can re-use my magicJack laptop telephony server as a Skype server.

I will absolutely report back on how the D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter functions after I try it out.

Thank you.

Lisa

Hi Lisa

I am sorry for the late response. Thanks for the info. I am still trying to sort out what to do with my phones. Another thing I am concerned about is that a lot of companies are supposed to go out of business in 2009. Having both MJ and Skype provides a backup if one does.

Have you had a chance to try the adaptor yet? Does Skype work just as well with a headset?

neo

[lcompton]

Good afternoon, Neo.

I am sorry for the late response. Thanks for the info. I am still trying to sort out what to do with my phones. Another thing I am concerned about is that a lot of companies are supposed to go out of business in 2009. Having both MJ and Skype provides a backup if one does.

I'm not much of a worrier when it comes to things over which I have no control. So, whatever companies go out of business in 2009 is right up there with an asteroid colliding with Earth as far as how much I worry about it (although I would be genuinely disappointed if I didn't have a good view and a very nice Riesling for the latter. )

The important thing to me is that I have affordable and mostly reliable telephony service prior to the asteroid's arrival. (I'm not poking fun at you, I merely wanted to have a little fun with this. )

As I've stated earlier, my back-up plan is my wireless telephone. I don't have the money, time or patience to maintain multiple home VoIP systems. If I go with Skype, my magicJacks will go in my kitchen junk drawer until I figure out what to do with them. My first magicJack expires in April, so it'll be a paper weight soon enough anyway. The second magicJack runs out in September, so that one is a bit of waste, unfortunately.

Have you had a chance to try the adaptor yet? Does Skype work just as well with a headset?

The D-Link telephone adapter should arrive this coming week. It is difficult for me to find play time during weekdays (especially, now that I need to get in some guitar practice each evening) so I don't expect to setup the D-Link until next weekend.

I'm hoping the D-Link functions well. Skype has impressed me thus far today. The D-Link will let me stress test the Skype setup to see if it will work for me as a home telephone service.

One thing that I have not mentioned is that Skype does not offer 911 service. For me, this is a major selling point. But, I recognize that I'm in the minority and that most folks like having access to government three digits away on their telephone. (I bet Hope Steffey agrees with me though.)

Thank you.

Lisa

EDIT: Oops. I just realized that I forgot to answer your last question. My testing with Skype has been with a USD3.00 headset I purchased off of Woot! Skype has functioned flawlessly with my headset during testing today.

[stroths]

This might have been mentioned already, but I was digging through a dump of the magicjack.exe and ran across the data below. I am running the most current version of MJ at this time.

[MagicJackOptions.CallDurationControl]
MaxOutboundCallDuration=3600

This shows that its hard coded to 60 minutes. I haven't read through this whole thread, but it seems like someone could hexedit the magicjack.exe to change the limit.

[HolmanGT]

This might have been mentioned already, but I was digging through a dump of the magicjack.exe and ran across the data below. I am running the most current version of MJ at this time.

[MagicJackOptions.CallDurationControl]
MaxOutboundCallDuration=3600

This shows that its hard coded to 60 minutes. I haven't read through this whole thread, but it seems like someone could hexedit the magicjack.exe to change the limit.

Stroths,

You found the above highlighted text in the file MagicJack.exe?

I searched it and do not come up with anything like that. Can you tell me how you found the limit string?

I also find it hard to believe that if you found it and it can be edited out or just increased that someone like "cough" hasn't tried it already.

[stroths]

This might have been mentioned already, but I was digging through a dump of the magicjack.exe and ran across the data below. I am running the most current version of MJ at this time.

[MagicJackOptions.CallDurationControl]
MaxOutboundCallDuration=3600

This shows that its hard coded to 60 minutes. I haven't read through this whole thread, but it seems like someone could hexedit the magicjack.exe to change the limit.

Stroths,

You found the above highlighted text in the file MagicJack.exe?

I searched it and do not come up with anything like that. Can you tell me how you found the limit string?

I also find it hard to believe that if you found it and it can be edited out or just increased that someone like "cough" hasn't tried it already.

I just used pmdump.exe on the PID Magicjack.exe was using and saved it to magicjack.dat. I then ran strings.exe against magicjack.dat "strings magicjack.dat >magicjack.txt". This gave me a smaller text file of the dump that I could open in notepad and I ran across that section.

[DrStrange]

I had a look at the file in a hex editor. I can certainly see 'CallDurationLimit', but I don't see anything resembling '3600' in decimal or '0E 10' in hex. What tool produced this dump?

I suspect that the limit can be edited, as well as whether or not the limit can be enforced [it looks like there's an on-off switch of sorts ['CanEnforceCallDurationLimit'] in the code].

If someone does edit it, I'll bet there's a checksum set somewhere that they'll have to reset as well, or the file won't execute correctly.

[az2008]

I had a look at the file in a hex editor. I can certainly see 'CallDurationLimit', but I don't see anything resembling '3600' in decimal or '0E 10' in hex.

It seems like the value comes dynamically from MJ. It was 1800 to start with. Then changed to 3600 without any upgrade. It may be stored in the .dll file as a packaged resource. Or, it may come from the ssl connection MJ makes to "softjoys."

I think you'd have to change the actual memory location, not the .exe.

Mark

[HolmanGT]

AZ & the Dr. (Who oh... Strange),

I think you are both correct. I don't think Dan's programmers would be dumb enough to put it in plain (changeable) english. I also saw the "enforce time limit" statements.

I am also sure it is dynamically passed just like they pass the 911 info and here lately they have even recognized me on the "My Account" settings page.

So they are getting more sophisticated by the day. Actually even if you could change the timer value in the code the "Enforce timer" stuff in there says to me they are just waiting for someone to high-jack their code and Oops another user bites the dust.

[stroths]

Does the time limit affect ATA users? If so then we probably can't do much about it.

Otherwise, someone could write an app like a game trainer that would sit in resident memory and patch the memory location needed. By someone, I don't mean me because that is beyond the scope of my expertise.

[LyosNorezel]

Also, is it true that one has to dial the international calling code prefix to make local calls with Skype? I read that to call a local number with Skype I will have to dial 001 + area code + exchange + local extension. The extra 001 is a bit of a pain, but liveable.

Where on earth are ya'll coming up with this nonsense?
I've used skype for the past 2 years... and I've NEVER had to dial '001'.
I use the standard '1-areacode-exchange-number' format... mostly out of habit... but not '001'.
Skype used to ask for the '+' symbol before the '1'... but I thought they'd dropped that awhile back.

Lyos Gemini Norezel

[lcompton]

Good morning, Lyos.

Also, is it true that one has to dial the international calling code prefix to make local calls with Skype? I read that to call a local number with Skype I will have to dial 001 + area code + exchange + local extension. The extra 001 is a bit of a pain, but liveable.

Where on earth are ya'll coming up with this nonsense?
I've used skype for the past 2 years... and I've NEVER had to dial '001'.
I use the standard '1-areacode-exchange-number' format... mostly out of habit... but not '001'.
Skype used to ask for the '+' symbol before the '1'... but I thought they'd dropped that awhile back.

As stated in my original comment quoted by you, I read that local calls must be prefaced by 001 when dialing a telephone connected through the D-Link DPH-50U to Skype. The original source of this information was a recent (16 October 2008) review for the D-Link DPH-50U Skype USB Phone Adapter. You may read the review for yourself here. The relevant text appears in paragraph three of the review. For your convenience I will quote it here:

Worked great (downloaded the drivers per the reviews). Sound is very good. Dialing-out annoying (##001+number+*) but acceptable. Seeing the Skype name on the caller ID of the remote phones was great.

As I do not presently have the DPH-50U in my possession, I do not have any means of actually verifying the validity of this statement. Absent my own experiences with this product, my next best source of this type of information is others' reported experiences.

I am able to confirm that my testing with the Skype client software on a P.C. does not require dialing of a 001 for local calls as you have already pointed out. This leaves open the question of whether or not a 001 prefix is required for Skype when using the DPH-50U. I do not know the answer to this question. Do you?

Incidentally, for anyone who may be interested in this product, Amazon.com raised the price of the D-Link DPH-50U to USD24.81. D-Link has extended the USD10.00 rebate period through 31 January 2009 bringing the final cost to USD14.81, which is nearly double the USD7.99 (after USD10.00 rebate) that I paid last week for this item. Why do I get the feeling that people read my postings and then go buy the stuff about which I write? Too funny.

Time for breakfast. I'm thinking French Toast. Yummy!

Thank you.

Lisa

[grimball]

Where on earth are ya'll coming up with this nonsense?
I've used skype for the past 2 years... and I've NEVER had to dial '001'.

Lyos Gemini Norezel

First hand knowledge.... It is the price to pay to conveniently place the Skpye call from the couch or pool-side without going to the computer and using the on-screen dial pad.....

Spent many "google hours" trying to find a fix....

Again DPH-50U

[docooo]

I do not have to put in 001 -- my WiFI phone puts a +1 in auto and I just
type the number I want to call ..

In some box's like my telebox I hve to put in a number to tell
the box I am dialing out - but not my WiFi ..

Just for the heck of it I made a call useing MJ and then called
the same person with my WiFi phone .. MJ audio sucked and skype
was ok ..

Doc

[lcompton]

Good evening.

Let me begin this post by saying that I like Skype -- a whole lot. I just hung up with a girlfriend after 01:02:36 on the clock. That's one hour, two minutes and 36 seconds. Oh, guess what, I wasn't dropped at 60 minutes! (I wasn't trying to run the clock on purpose, our conversation really did just naturally run that long.) The call quality was flawless. In fact, it was better than magicJack. Sorry, magicJack, but this is really your fault in the first place after implementing the rediculous call caps.

I'm sipping a lovely Australian Riesling while I write this so I simply must apologize in advance if my typing is slurred.

Let's wind the clock back a few hours... My D-Link Skype USB Telephone Adapter (DPH-50U) arrived a few hours ago. I tried to put it aside until this weekend, but it was like a box of fine milk chocolates and wouldn't leave me be. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo...

My curiosity absolutely killing me, I simply had to give it a go. As previously stated, I intended to install the DPH-50U on my laptop dedicated magicJack telephony server. As a refresher, here is the laptop configuration:

• Dell Latitude C800 Laptop (circa 2000),
• Intel Mobile Pentium III 1GHz CPU,
• 512MB RAM,
• 250GB Hard Drive,
• 15" UXGA TFT 1600 x 1200 Active Matrix Display,
• Windows XP Professional w/SP3,
• OpenOffice.org, and
• 802.11b/g Wireless Networking via Linksys WPC54G PCMCIA Card.

NOTE: This laptop has two USB Revision 1.10 ports.

INSTALLING THE D-LINK DPH-50U:
Installation wasn't pretty, but it wasn't horrible either. Here is how I installed the DPH-50U:

DO NOT CONNECT THE DPH-50U TO YOUR COMPUTER YET!

DO NOT USE THE 8 cm. CD-ROM ACCOMPANYING YOUR DPH-50U FOR INSTALLATION!

BE SURE TO HAVE THE MOST RECENT RELEASE OF SKYPE INSTALLED PRIOR TO INSTALLING THE DPH-50U!

1. Unplug magicJack from the USB port and set it aside. (I did not uninstall the magicJack software from the laptop.)
2. Download the Vista 32 Version 1.10 Driver Pack from here. (Yes, it has updated Windows XP drivers even though it says it's for Windows Vista.)
3. Extract the download (it's a *.ZIP file) to a folder (I extracted mine to a folder on my desktop.)
4. Navigate to the folder with the extracted DPH-50U driver files and double-click the setup.exe file.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the driver files. (You will not be prompted to plug in the DPH-50U during the driver installation. Don't panic, everything will be okay. Well, it was for me anyway.)
6. When the installation completes. Connect the DPH-50U to the USB port with the supplied USB cable. The Windows Hardware Installation Wizard will launch. When this happens, select the option in which you tell Windows where to find the files necessary to install the new hardware.
7. When the folder navigation dialog opens, navigate to the folder to which you extracted the DPH-50U driver installation files.
8. The Windows Hardware Installation Wizard will pick and choose the files it wants and complete the hardware installation.
9. Once the first round of the Windows Hardware Installation Wizard completes, it will repeat. This occurs because there are two different VoIP devices being installed for the DPH-50U. Repeat step seven again to tell the Hardware Installation Wizard where to find the DPH-50U drivers.
10. Once the second round of the Windows Hardware Installation Wizard completes, your DPH-50U installation is completed.
11. Sign into Skype!

Connect your favorite analog telephone to the DPH-50U and begin making and receiving calls! It's fun, easy and functions flawlessly!

OBSERVATIONS:
The DPH-50U can be connected concurrently to a plain-old-telephone-service (POTS) line and a VoIP line. I am only using mine with VoIP.

The DPH-50U requires a 001 dialing prefix and an asterisk (*) dialing suffix. So, let's say that I wanted to call the National Security Agency to congratulate them on the fine job they are doing spying on Americans. I would need to dial:

Code: Select all

0013016886311#

The 001 prefix is a combination of the international access code, 00, and the United States country code, 1. The trailing hash (#), is the send command for the DPH-50U. The hash tells the DPH-50U to send the preceding digits to Skype for dialing.

If you plan to use the DPH-50U for dialing both POTS and VoIP calls, then you'll need to preface the 001 with a douple hash, ##, key sequence to switch between POTS and VoIP.

The VoIP dial tone and outbound ringing sound (what you hear in the earpiece when calling another party) does not sound like the typical North American dial tone and outbound ringing sound respectively. The sounds are nearly identical to the dial tone and outbound ringing indicator you would hear when placing a call from within Europe or the Pacific Rim (at least that's what the sounds remind me of.) I'm guessing that D-Link did this on purpose so end-users would know whether they are on the POTS line or the VoIP line. This assumes that the POTS line dial tone and outbound ringing sound are consistent with the North American sounds, which I do not know since I did not connect my DPH-50U to a POTS line.

The DPH-50U has an integrated interactive-voice-response (IVR) system so you can intelligently interact with Skype through the DPH-50U. It's pretty neat. You can listen to your Skype voicemails from your analog telephone. It functions a lot like a typical voicemail system.

Skype does not appear to allow checking voicemail remotely via telephone. The good news is that Skype voicemail can be disabled and if you decide to use Skype voicemail, you can set the number of seconds for calls to be picked up by Skype voicemail. Very nice! In my case, the ability to check voicemails remotely by telephone is important so I will set Skype voicemail to intercept calls after my answering machine catches them at four rings. You're probably wondering why I wouldn't simply disable Skype voicemail. Excellent question. Here's why...

Skype does not appear to have call-waiting. If I am on a call and another call rings in, Skype will tell me that I have another incoming call, but I am not able to switch to it placing the current call on hold. If I don't answer the incoming call, it will simply ring on until the caller gives up. By setting Skype's voicemail to intercept incoming calls at a time longer than it takes my answering machine to intercept incoming calls, I can have Skype intercept incoming calls while I am on an existing call without letting Skype interfere with incoming calls when I am not home.

NEXT STEPS:
Naturally, I will be stress testing the Skype setup for the rest of the week. If things go well, I will begin the transition to the new Skype service as my primary telephony service this weekend. One of my girlfriends has already advised me that the telephone number changes are getting old. Ha! She has more money than me so she can afford the super ultimate Verizon FiOS package!

It is not known whether the Skype/DPH-50U setup can run on a Thin Client. I'm going to split this initiative into two phases. Phase I will involve validating that Skype can be run on a Thin Client. Phase II will involve validating that Skype in conjunction with the DPH-50U can run on the Thin Client. I expect this to be an involved effort and do not anticipate results for a few weeks. However, I would like to have this overall migration effort completed by April (when my primary magicJack expires.)

As things stand right now, the Skype/DPH-50U solution is looking very very good!

Thank you.

Lisa

[HolmanGT]

OK Lisa,

Now there are two things on my to do list.

1. How well does the "want some candy little girl" work on you?

2. How much does Skype out cost.

This one hour cap really haunts me. It hasn't bit me yet like the 30 minutes did but I am like you a 1.nn hour phone conversation is kind of the norm for PC help calls and when I am talking to my daughter. You know how those women are when you get them on a phone.

Also I know the MagicJack Inc. folks reads the mail on this site and your expression of distaste for the time limits may have a big effect on how their management thinks rethinks their strategy.

PS - hope the sexist humor doesn't offend you and if it does just PM me and I will make sure I limit that behavior. At 65 it is nothing but wishful thinking, couldn't live up to my threats if I wanted to. Ouch!

[lcompton]

Good evening, George.

Now there are two things on my to do list.

1. How well does the "want some candy little girl" work on you?

Okay, I just know that you're going to think me daft, but I actually don't understand what you mean with this question. I do like candy -- especially, chocolates -- but I don't know what you mean by how well does it work on me. Right now, my candy jar in the kitchen is filled with Peppermint Patties (the pink Breast Cancer Awareness ones that are really cute! )

2. How much does Skype out cost.

I paid USD29.50 for one year of Skype Out by signing up for one year in advance. Skype In was USD30.00 (with the 50% discount applied for purchasing Skype Out service.)

This one hour cap really haunts me. It hasn't bit me yet like the 30 minutes did but I am like you a 1.nn hour phone conversation is kind of the norm for PC help calls and when I am talking to my daughter. You know how those women are when you get them on a phone.

Oh, I know exactly what you mean! Some women just can't be quiet! Oh, wait, what the heck am I saying?! Never mind...

Seriously though, think of how much more lovely it is to have 1+ hours of conversation with your daughter than none at all. I think you're pretty darn lucky!

As for the call caps, they are simply unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. I also consider it deplorable that magicJack is not disclosing the call caps to new subscribers. That really plucks the ethics string in my soul.

Also I know the MagicJack Inc. folks reads the mail on this site and your expression of distaste for the time limits may have a big effect on how their management thinks rethinks their strategy.

Okay, now this is just funny. Assuming magicJack even knows that I exist, I am quite certain that they don't give a rat's behind what I think. If anything, they're probably saying to themselves, "Good, she's switching to Skype. Now, we won't have to read her idiotic lengthy posts on the magicJack forums anymore." Thanks for the laugh, George!

PS - hope the sexist humor doesn't offend you and if it does just PM me and I will make sure I limit that behavior. At 65 it is nothing but wishful thinking, couldn't live up to my threats if I wanted to. Ouch!

Don't be silly! It's all in good fun. I recall you stating that you earned a B.S.E.E. in your past. I started out as a B.S.E.E. in undergraduate school before I chickened out and switched to mathematics for my degree. Electrical engineers are neat people in my book. So, you can bust on me for being a woman anytime.

It's too bad I can't show you some of the designs I did with digital (TTL) and linear circuits when I was in high school. I think you'd appreciate them.

Have fun!

Thank you.

Lisa

[HolmanGT]

Lisa,

"Okay, I just know that you're going to think me daft, but I actually don't understand what you mean with this question. I do like candy -- especially, chocolates -- but I don't know what you mean by how well does it work on me."

The reference to "Want some candy little girl" is a generic method of how dirty old men lure children into their cars. Actually in explaining it, it doesn't sound too funny.

How well does it work on you - obviously not very well the passenger side of my car is still empty.

Please continue to keep us posted on the skype thing even if it is a pervert asking you for favors. I really have been sitting here on pins and needles waiting to get caught by the 60 minute cap while holding a paid for remote PC Help session. Something like that is going to make me look real professional NOT (Oh the jerk is so professional he can't afford to pay his telephone bill). I hate being embarrassed.

PS - Your a mathematician - God help us dummies. I was going to go for a Degree in Computer Science, but the amount of math they had to take scared me off. The requirements for a Double 'E' were about one year less math than for Computer Science (believe it or not). Plus the programmers had to study way more Computer Mathematical Approximations for Calculus solutions. I had to only take a half semester of that and when I was doing that we still used punch cards with 16 bytes per card... anyway I took the easy way out. OK so my counselor didn't think I could handle the computer science, he did mention something about going for a sure thing".

[Boondocs]

Great writeup icompton! I thought about switching over to Skype with my second phone line but didn't care for all the numbers you have to enter to make a phone call. My wife is having a hard enough time switching overt to the voip line rather then the crooks at verizon. Thanks again and keep up up to date with the install on the TC.
btw the DPH-50U is now 30.00 - 10.00 rebate. Went up again.

[docooo]

The BEST way to get around this "problem" of the extra numbers
is to put all your main contacts in - set up speed dial in skype
and then set your phone up - this is all there is to it .. if
you want to call a number that is not on your Fav list - then
you might hve to put in a few extra numbers

My Telbox has been working just fine for 2 years - no problems ..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... 102&sr=8-1

I use Skype for my call in for conf calls - these sometimes last 2-3 hr's
and never had a problem

Doc
>

[lcompton]

Good evening, George.

The reference to "Want some candy little girl" is a generic method of how dirty old men lure children into their cars. Actually in explaining it, it doesn't sound too funny.

How well does it work on you - obviously not very well the passenger side of my car is still empty.

Awww... I'm sorry. Internet flirting never did catch hold of me. I am flattered though.

Please continue to keep us posted on the skype thing...<snip>

I shall, indeed. But, I was sort of hoping that you would collaborate on this effort since Thin Clients tend to grow on trees for you. Is there any chance you could at least verify that Skype will run on a Thin Client?

The challenge for me is that I have to take down my primary telephone line to test Skype and the DPH-50U on the Thin Client. A head start would certainly help.

PS - Your a mathematician...<snip>

Well, I'm a trained mathematician. But, I only do equations during Full Moon these days. The rest of the time I'm pretty much normal -- well, okay, normal wouldn't be quite the word.

The requirements for a Double 'E' were about one year less math than for Computer Science (believe it or not). Plus the programmers had to study way more Computer Mathematical Approximations for Calculus solutions.

The attraction to electrical engineering for me was a fascination with light and oscilloscopes (I can still breadboard a phase shift oscillator to make Lissajous patterns from memory.) That Wikipedia link shows an oscillator made with an operational amplifier (OpAmp). I used to build mine with an NPN transistor (usually 2N2222). Light emitting diodes were mind-boggling to me as a kid. I absolutely loved playing with them. They made a neat smell as they burned up if I applied too much current, too.

To be fair, my grandfather, who worked on the ENIAC project in the 1940s, used to take me to a memory core production facility when he worked for UNIVAC when I was very young. So, I was exposed to electronics, computers and geeky stuff through much of my early childhood.

I had to only take a half semester of that and when I was doing that we still used punch cards with 16 bytes per card...<snip>

I'm from the 8" floppy disk generation (like the props used by Matthew Broderick in the motion picture War Games.) A couple of years later I was lucky enough to get my first single-sided 160KB 5.25" diskette drive. The first O/S I used back then was C/PM. I threw away a copy of VisiCalc at the beginning of this decade. Looking back, I wish I had listed it on eBay.

[lcompton]

Good evening, Boondocs.

My wife is having a hard enough time switching overt to the voip line rather then the crooks at verizon. Thanks again and keep up up to date with the install on the TC.

This is where I think guys really don't understand how to approach women with their neat ideas. Here's what I mean...

Imagine if you put together a simple little spreadsheet showing how much money would be saved each year using a lower-cost telephony solution. Then, imagine if you went to the local jewelry store and asked the salesman to show you some of the jewelry items that could be purchased with those annual savings. Now, imagine if you presented the idea of using inexpensive telephony service (yes, even with extra dialing digits) and how the annual savings equates to different pieces of lovely jewelry to your wife. It might make the idea of the extra dialing digits more palatable.

I've been wanting a decent pair of one carat diamond stud earrings forever. Maybe, someday...

btw the DPH-50U is now 30.00 - 10.00 rebate. Went up again.

I see that. I'm thinking that I need to be careful about the timing of the things that I write. In other words, if I'm going to order something, it's best to order first and then post.

I wish I could use this kind of influence to find a decent job. Hmmm...

[HolmanGT]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I was trying to tell the story of how M$ came to be and the primary players, the C/PM bunch was out to lunch when IBM came by so they headed off to Bills garage and the rest is history. But to save my soul I could not recall the name "CPM" - can you believe that. It is pretty hard to tell the M$ story when you can't remember the name of all the players.

OK I will fire up Skype on a thin client and see how it goes but I am betting it will run just fine. Give me 24 hours, unless Stroths or AZ beat me to it.

My first transistor was a CK722 and it was about the size of a Vic's cough drop (DC to about 100 kHz operating range). I though I was in heaven when I got my hand on the first 2N2222.

[az2008]

1. How well does the "want some candy little girl" work on you?

(Blink... blink...)

At 65 ....

At that age, shouldn't your pick-up line be "Wanna walnetto?"

Anyone remember where that originates? (Arte Johnson?).

Mark

[stroths]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I was trying to tell the story of how M$ came to be and the primary players, the C/PM bunch was out to lunch when IBM came by so they headed off to Bills garage and the rest is history. But to save my soul I could not recall the name "CPM" - can you believe that. It is pretty hard to tell the M$ story when you can't remember the name of all the players.

OK I will fire up Skype on a thin client and see how it goes but I am betting it will run just fine. Give me 24 hours, unless Stroths or AZ beat me to it.

My first transistor was a CK722 and it was about the size of a Vic's cough drop (DC to about 100 kHz operating range). I though I was in heaven when I got my hand on the first 2N2222.

I won't be trying it anytime soon as I've spent enough time on my SIP info and other apps. However, I agree with you that it shouldn't be a problem at all. A thin client is just a small form factor PC. If Skype will run on a 1GHz PC then it will run on a thin client. The only issue might be the OS (XPe) if its missing anything. However, a regular version of XP can be installed as you know.

[HolmanGT]

lcompton, Stroths,

Lisa, the D'Link goody is on its way.

I read a review that said it will also work with Vonage. If that is true I should think it will work with almost any VOIP package. (???)

Stroths,

The only thing I have run into on HP's XPe that was (is) a problem is an application I installed that wanted OpenGL. I never did figure out how to get that on-board, but I wasn't very motivated. I will give the Skype my best shot. The reason being that it finally happened to me, I got cut off at 01.00.01 on a help call that was about 10" away from being complete. All I could think about was all the folks saying wouldn't it be a real pain to get cut off in a conference of business call... Come to think of it, I said the same thing but under my breath say "but that won't happen to me".

Will post as soon as the new gadget gets here and I figure out how to turn it on.

PS - It also has a switch to select your land-line or VOIP. Which means you could actually use it to switch between MJ and Skype, hassle free.

[docooo]

I donna knw - you all are young - My first program I loaded with
punch cards and worked with the first Unix at Berkeley .. EE there
then to Stanford for my PhD

I learned code at 9 and got my ham lic. -- this was fun
until I found out girls were more fun to "talk" with instead
of a bunch of "OM's"




Doc

[HolmanGT]

I donna knw - you all are young - My first program I loaded with
punch cards and worked with the first Unix at Berkeley .. EE there
then to Stanford for my PhD

I learned code at 9 and got my ham lic. -- this was fun
until I found out girls were more fun to "talk" with instead
of a bunch of "OM's"




Doc

PhD, Unix and Standford - how is a poor little kid that only finished his under graduate work at McNeese State, LA supposed to compete with that.

Excuse me I am going to the garage for a few primal screams and then a moment of severe depression.

[hsweiss]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I was trying to tell the story of how M$ came to be and the primary players, the C/PM bunch was out to lunch when IBM came by so they headed off to Bills garage and the rest is history. But to save my soul I could not recall the name "CPM" - can you believe that. It is pretty hard to tell the M$ story when you can't remember the name of all the players.

OK I will fire up Skype on a thin client and see how it goes but I am betting it will run just fine. Give me 24 hours, unless Stroths or AZ beat me to it.

My first transistor was a CK722 and it was about the size of a Vic's cough drop (DC to about 100 kHz operating range). I though I was in heaven when I got my hand on the first 2N2222.

I won't be trying it anytime soon as I've spent enough time on my SIP info and other apps. However, I agree with you that it shouldn't be a problem at all. A thin client is just a small form factor PC. If Skype will run on a 1GHz PC then it will run on a thin client. The only issue might be the OS (XPe) if its missing anything. However, a regular version of XP can be installed as you know.

It should run. Or if the latest version won't run, you can always go back to an older version. I had Skype v2.x running on a Win98 box with a 600MHz processor and it worked great. You can download old version of Skype from http://www.oldapps.com/skype.htm

[hsweiss]

I donna knw - you all are young - My first program I loaded with
punch cards and worked with the first Unix at Berkeley .. EE there
then to Stanford for my PhD

I learned code at 9 and got my ham lic. -- this was fun
until I found out girls were more fun to "talk" with instead
of a bunch of "OM's"




Doc

Ah, card decks..... IBM 029 punches.... Stupid operators who dropped decks...... 3 hour job turn-around. //SYSIN DD*

Yeah, those weren't the days!

I cut my (proverbial) teeth on Unix V6 and then the Programmer's Workbench (PWB) version. As crude as v6 was, it was so much better than punch cards and JCL.....

[docooo]

Yep - the tech aid dropped mine and several other people's
Master's project - this was a LOT of fun - glad it was him
and not me (

The next triva

Nova
PDP 11

I can rember the first "IDRAW" running on a Nova and when
you booted it - the stupid thing looked for a card reader first
before going to boot strap -- a 80 gig CDC drive was 4 ft tall
and I still got some old 100 gig mem platters - had [ I think 8 ]
in there - called it the washer ..

Boy this is better reading than beating up on MJ


Doc

[hsweiss]

Yep - the tech aid dropped mine and several other people's
Master's project - this was a LOT of fun - glad it was him
and not me (

The next triva

Nova
PDP 11

I can rember the first "IDRAW" running on a Nova and when
you booted it - the stupid thing looked for a card reader first
before going to boot strap -- a 80 gig CDC drive was 4 ft tall
and I still got some old 100 gig mem platters - had [ I think 8 ]
in there - called it the washer ..

Boy this is better reading than beating up on MJ


Doc

No Data General but the full line of PDP-11s (and before that PDP-8s). First UNIX v6 was on a PDP-11/45 and then on 11/70s, 11/40s, 11/34s, and even LSI 11s. And then of course the VAX 11/780. We ran an entire office of 40 people on a 100 MB, 11 platter removable disk - the drive was the size of a washing machine (and often would vibrate like one). It was "luxury" when we moved to 200MB double density drives!

The PDP-8 days were fun. 4K of RAM (yes that was K not M). The "big" PDP-8I had a whopping 12K of RAM....

[HolmanGT]

Yep - the tech aid dropped mine and several other people's
Master's project - this was a LOT of fun - glad it was him
and not me (

The next triva

Nova
PDP 11

I can rember the first "IDRAW" running on a Nova and when
you booted it - the stupid thing looked for a card reader first
before going to boot strap -- a 80 gig CDC drive was 4 ft tall
and I still got some old 100 gig mem platters - had [ I think 8 ]
in there - called it the washer ..

Boy this is better reading than beating up on MJ


Doc

No Data General but the full line of PDP-11s (and before that PDP-8s). First UNIX v6 was on a PDP-11/45 and then on 11/70s, 11/40s, 11/34s, and even LSI 11s. And then of course the VAX 11/780. We ran an entire office of 40 people on a 100 MB, 11 platter removable disk - the drive was the size of a washing machine (and often would vibrate like one). It was "luxury" when we moved to 200MB double density drives!

The PDP-8 days were fun. 4K of RAM (yes that was K not M). The "big" PDP-8I had a whopping 12K of RAM....

Yes this is definitely more fun than beating up on MJ, frankly they have been feeding us so much material to beat on them about it is starting to get boring, except for the poor folks that can't call out after the last upgrade and there appear to be a lot of them out there.

Now with PDP-8s we are talking about real computers, "A man's computer", but you left out the most fun part - "The Boot Loader" which is an alias for you the operator. Do you remember all the toggle switches on the front panel 16 for one word and some incidentals for enter and such. Then you got to spend the next 20 minutes toggling in the boot load code in Octal (base 8 for all you 16 bit "Hexadecimal" youngsters ). And with out saying it everyone already knows how the rest of your morning went because you entered one wrong toggle switch and to steal a phrase from MJ "Lucky You" (pretty clever little statement to create the allusion that I am staying on topic by mentioning MJ) got to do it all over again. That process could at times take you right up to lunch, especially if it was a Monday morning and you were suffer the price of a Party Weekend after all it was the love generation of the seventies and if you had any respect for mankind you had to do your part to keep the Alcohol and Drug scene prosperous. I know I did my part to the best of my ability (I am patriotic after all).

I wonder how much longer the Administrator is going to allow this trip down memory lane? He pretty tolerant but...

[docooo]

I still got books on the 11/780 - I ran across them cleaning
out the shed -- HATED Tape drives !!

I took a look - also got some books on the 11/730 [small fry to 11/780]

Wish I could of got my hands on a Gray ..

I have for gotten all my fortran and Cobalt .. Seems the brain
cells go very fast when you do not use them --

Would be easy to re-do the MJ - but do not have the time and
not worth it ..

Tnx for bringing back the "old days" -- wonder if I can post a .jpg
on this site -- will take a pic of one of the old "platters" - gotta be
2 ft around - 18 heads - .. was a REAL pain to align the heads

Used the 11/70's for ctrl of robots for CNC machines ...

Doc
>

[lcompton]

Good morning, George.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I was trying to tell the story of how M$ came to be and the primary players, the C/PM bunch was out to lunch when IBM came by so they headed off to Bills garage and the rest is history. But to save my soul I could not recall the name "CPM" - can you believe that. It is pretty hard to tell the M$ story when you can't remember the name of all the players.

I watched the Microsoft saga unfold in real time. It was going on during my late teens through my twenties right up to the I.P.O. Mark Stephens (under the pen name Robert X. Cringely) wrote a book that included the Microsoft story entitled Accidental Empires and many years ago Turner Network Television produced a made-for-cable docudrama starring teen-heartthrob Anthony Michael Hall entitled Pirates of the Silicon Valley.

I was definitely an IBM/Microsoft geek -- well, until the two fell out in the late 1980s. Then I became a conflicted IBM/Microsoft geek. Just for fun, here's a photograph (Figure 1) I dug out of one of my old photo albums from 1987. That's a very young Lisa (early 20s) working in my home laboratory. (Don't laugh, I really had one and you guys would have thought it was super cool even if it was built by a chick.)


Figure 1: A Very Young Lisa Performs Hexadecimal Edits on Live
Memory Addresses

So, I have double-decker keyboards there. The two monitors are actually connected to the same computer (yes, we could do that back then), which is the one directly in front of me. The system unit under the amber monitor is an IBM Personal Computer Expansion Unit that I built from parts. It had a 3 cm. diameter trunk cable connecting it to the main system unit. You can't really see them in this photograph (because they're obscured by the upper keyboard), but the main system unit had two full-height 5.25" 360KB Double Density diskette drives and the expansion unit to the right had a half-height 30MB RLL hard disk drive, 5.25" half-height High Density 1.2MB diskette drive and a half-height 3.5" High Density 1.44MB diskette drive. The upper-level keyboard controls another computer to the right (not in the picture). Both computers have 2,400 baud modems. (What can I say? We knew how to live back then. LOL)

Now, here's the hard-to-believe part. I still have most of the stuff in this picture. The computer furniture is what I'm sitting at right now typing this post. I still have the computer, expansion unit and green monitor (of course, they are packed away.) I sold that Thompson EGA monitor and most of my other computer equipment when I moved away from home.

That miniature television/shortwave receiver on the top shelf is gone. That black flat-looking contraption to the right of the miniature television is a PhoneMate answering machine, which died on me back in 1993-ish. To the right of the answering machine is a large (one inch LED digits) digital clock that I designed and built from scratch. That means laying out and etching the circuit board, choosing components, and soldering. I still have that clock and it is sitting in the exact same spot on that shelf to my right even as I type this. It's held up well over the years, but I did have to replace the filter capacitor on the power supply because it popped. You know how those electrolytic capacitors can be as they age.

Oh, and that picture hanging above the shelf is a picture of Space Shuttle Columbia on the launch pad. I still have it and it's hanging here in my home office. It was something that I picked up during a visit to Kennedy.

Now, about that joystick next to my left hand. It's official role was to collect dust. I don't actually play any computer games. It was something that I saw at a computer show and figured I'd buy so the game port on my color graphics interface wouldn't be empty. LOL

OK I will fire up Skype on a thin client and see how it goes but I am betting it will run just fine. Give me 24 hours,...<snip>

I am much obliged. Skype is pleasing me immensely so I can see myself tearing down my primary magicJack installation and getting to work attempting to setup the Skype/DPH-50U on my Thin Client sooner rather than later. I want very much to put this unfortunate magicJack business behind me. It's distracting me from more pressing matters.

Do have a lovely day.