||| ROUGH GUIDE for Linux ||||||||||| http://www.o2.net/~gromitkc/rg/ |||
||| usual disclaimers apply -- everyone makes mistakes ||| 2000-03-20 |||
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Life is rough enough without having to shop for modems at....
  ____   __  __ _            __  __ 
 / __ \ / _|/ _(_)          |  \/  |             REVIEW OF AVAILABLE
| |  | | |_| |_ _  ___ ___  | \  / | __ ___  __  HARDWARE AT A PARTICULAR
| |  | |  _|  _| |/ __/ _ \ | |\/| |/ _` \ \/ /  STORE ON A PARTICULAR
| |__| | | | | | | (_|  __/ | |  | | (_| |>  <   DAY-YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY
 \____/|_| |_| |_|\___\___| |_|  |_|\__,_/_/\_\(R)

THE NICEST THING about Office Max is that they have a large selection of
blank media and accessories for fairly reasonable prices.  Let's face it--
if you're buying computer supplies at an office supply store, you're
usually in dire need and facing a deadline.  OM stores stock the cheaper
items from their catalog as well as the gold-plated items.

Now that's out of the way; it's time to point out the WORST things about
Office Max.  First of all, the shelves are usually in a state of disarray,
so you have to match the SKU on the box to the SKU on the price sticker on
the shelf, if it hasn't fallen off and been swept away.  Secondly, if the
item is worth anything at all, it ain't gonna be on that shelf, buster.
You have to take a ticket and get it pulled from the stockroom.  Which
brings us to three: waiting for the assistant to find someone whose voice
has changed so they can get a key to the stockroom.  Plan on 2-3 trips to
find where the modems are stored and then to find the correct box.

So which is the correct box?  Like its doppelganger, Office Depot, "the
Max" carries just a few brand names and some cheap off-brand models to
keep the cheapskates happy.  The Windows cheapskates, that is.

WINMODEMS TO AVOID FOR SURE:
3COM/U.S. ROBOTICS PCI WINMODEM MODEL 5699        -- $119.99
(BEST DATA) MACH 2              MODEL G56FW-PCI   --  CHEAP?
BEST DATA                       MODEL A56FW-PCI   -- $ 24.99
BEST DATA PCI WINMODEM          MODEL 56VW-PCI    -- $ 49.99

Office Max has a smattering of USB modems.  Unfortunately USB support is
fairly new to Linux, so you're really taking a risk with any of the Best
Data USB modems.

In the PCMCIA/PC Card arena, this Office Max stocks the MEGAHERTZ
3CCFEM556B ETHERNET/56K MODEM COMBO for $279.99. Ouch!  Too rich for my
blood, and still officially unconfirmed on the Knowledge Base.  Likewise
the BEST DATA 56SPC is cheaper at $99.99, but is untested with Linux.

For RS-232 fans, one option is the ubiquitous 3COM/U.S. ROBOTICS 5686 for
$149.99.  Since this is a stockroom item, you'll have to make sure you get
the most current revision, 5686-03.  Ask for the box with the least dust
on it. :)  Another option is the Best Data 56SX for $99.99.  Both are
                              confirmed "OK" for use with Linux.
   .-""-.            .-""-.
  /    ,.`.  ____  .' _    \  I didn't see any good PCI modems, so on to
  \   /  \ `"    "' ,' \   /  ISA.  For $119.99, you can pick up a 3COM/
   `-'    Y        Y    `-'   U.S. ROBOTICS 5687.  Again, the most recent
          |  _  _  |          version is 5687-03.  You do NOT want a
          | (O)(O) |          5687-02!!  For $69.99, the BEST DATA 56SF
          /   __   \          is the ISA, PnP/jumpers version of the 56SX.
         |   /# \   |         Both of these modems are confirmed "OK" for
         |   \__/   |         Linux.
          \        /
           `.____.'           BOTTOM LINE: No bargains here; prices are
           --"  "--     hjw   reasonable; next time try a computer store.