[BC] Sta-Level

[Charles Ring W3NU]

Alan Kline wrote:
> But that's not answering the question.  Why does it inspire such hostility
> if someone else suggests that something other than the latest, greatest
> whiz-bang tech will serve their purpose?
>
> I must be way out of my mind in your view, because I believe that my
> needs for home phone service are well-met by Western Electric phones plugged
> into a POTS line.  That doesn't mean that I don't use new tech where it's
> appropriate, but in this case, IMHO, older is better.
>
>   

Another variation on this attitude: a while ago I got Vonage VOIP 
service at home (yes I do use new things) but wanted to use a W.E. 2500 
phone on it. The manual said in more than one place "any standard 
touchtone phone" and in the specs "R.E.N. up to 5.0". The 2500 is THE 
standard touchtone phone and 5.0 says it could ring FIVE of them. 
Instead when the line rang the phone's ringer only weakly tapped. Same 
phone worked great on a standard line. I complained to/ /Vonage and got 
told something like well of course you have to use a phone with a modern 
electronic ringer, as if that was a given, despite the manual saying 
several times it isn't so. After several frustrating email exchanges I 
asked to be turned over to someone who has real knowledge of how wired 
telephones work. That earned me a "case closed" email and further emails 
from me were ignored. I had earned a label of cranky old man to be 
ignored, I guess. Months later I was startled by that phone ringing 
loudly. Seems they had done an unannounced firmware upgrade which made 
it work as the manual said it should. It's been fine since.

If it's been around a while, it has to be junk

If a person has been around a while, he has to be behind the times and 
is to be disregarded except as the butt of jokes.

The errors of the past are to be exaggerated but not learned from, the 
successes of the past are to be forgotten and never built upon, and the 
dignity earned by the past is to be laughed out of existence.

It worked well for Chairman Mao in the Cultural Revolution.