Where Are The Founders Of The Dial-Up Revolution?

RIMBoy writes "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently tracked down the founders behind the dial-up modem revolution. The founders of Hayes Micromodem set the standard with their AT Command set. While Dennis Hayes finds himself inducted into the Computer Industry Hall of Fame, at the same time he is broke (with a stop as a bar owner) and trying to find the next big thing. Dale Heatherington cashed out early and has dedicated himself to several projects, including ham radio."

think about it....

[neo8750]

what would our world be like this technology wouldn't of been explored and helped along the way. i highly doubt the internet would be where it is today let alone any other form of technology.

well duh

[rootofevil]

the revolutionaries never make any money. they care too much about their ideas to be hardassed enough to profit. its always the people who come around later that just see a business opportunity.

sounds kinda sad

[digitalsushi]

at least at first, but then we remember stories like this one [slashdot.org] and realize maybe it ain't as bad as it could be.

56K limit...

[dameron]

Why 56k seems to be the limit on dialup speeds. I remember a good deal of speed ramping in the late 80s early 90s having used everything from a 300 baud KayPro modem to 1200 baud, 2400, 9600, 14.4, 28.8 and 56k but then nothing much since then. Diamond MM had a "shotgun" modem with two 56k connections, but that wasn't practical.

So, if anyone knows, why 56k and not more, and is there any research into anything beyond 56K for dialup?

-dameron

Re:well duh

[kisrael]

the revolutionaries never make any money. they care too much about their ideas to be hardassed enough to profit. its always the people who come around later that just see a business opportunity.

Yeah, but it's those hardassed people seeing a business opportunity that bring the technology to the masses, away from ivory towers and geek playgrounds. And when you have competition, that's what makes things affordable. That's what capitalism does well. It's not always free from problems, what with monopolies and a shortage of long-term thinking, but it is why I had a 9600 baud modem in 1994 and a direct connection to the whole damn Internet in my study today.

Re:think about it....

[tomhudson]

poster wrote:

what would our world be like this technology wouldn't of been explored and helped along the way. i highly doubt the internet would be where it is today let alone any other form of technology.

Ah-ha - now we know who to blame!!! Seriously, it didn't have THAT much of an impact on other technologies. Not all technology is internet-related, not even most computer technology. Sheesh~

Re:well duh

[RealProgrammer]

For years and years, Hayes defined modem technology. Far from being "too hardassed to profit", they were too profit-oriented to meet the market. They failed to make their products cheap enough for the home user, so USRobotics and other clonemakers won the modem wars.

Re:think about it....

[keester]

Any other form of technology?

Where would the wheel be without modems? 'Technology' has got to be the ultimate buzz-word.

Manager: Let's through technology at it.

Programmer: Can we hit the manager with a hammer? That's throwing technology at the problem as far as I'm concerned.

In other news...

[MindSlap]

The inventers of the Buggy whip are also looking for the next 'big thing'

Granted... this statement is not to belittle those that created the AT command set and Modulation/demoduation protocols, but rather to illustrate that technology marches on....

Re:well duh

[Elwood P Dowd]

It's not always free from problems, what with monopolies and a shortage of long-term thinking, but it is why I had a 9600 baud modem in 1994 and a direct connection to the whole damn Internet in my study today.

Um. I'd attribute that to legislation. Sure, it might have happened if we didn't regulate telecom the way we do, but... as it happened, it doesn't feel like capitalism to me.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Dale Heatherington

[chroma]

I've met him a few times at Robot Battles [robotbattles.com], where we both compete. Dale is the only guy I know of who not only builds robots, but also:

1. makes his own radio control system
   
2. builds his own motor controllers
   
3. winds his own motors
   

Re:Funny how these people go in pairs...

[Tackhead]

> The story was meant to be a sad reflection on Hayes-the-man, ended up making me feel good about being a geek.

Hear, hear.

Don't get me wrong, they're both hackers, and I'd be honored to buy either of 'em a beer. But the most inspirational thing of that article was seeing that Heatherington didn't just get out with the cash -- but that because he took the money and ran, and lived within his means, he's still hacking hardware for the sheer fun of it.

Before I grow up, I wanna be like Heatherington.

And for all the college boys

[Anonymous Coward]

After reading some of the pompous replies in the recent Linux Certification topic, it's worth pointing out that Heatherington was not a 4-year CS major:

The company was recruiting people with master's degrees and Ph.D.s. Heatherington had a two-year degree from a technical college. "I think he felt funny having that kind of horsepower looking to him for guidance," Hayes says.

Keep that in mind when you sit there complaining about all us 'pseudo-engineers' that didn't have the cash to get a degree, but had the brains to make a difference in computing.

Re:I'm more Heatherington than Hayes

[jazman_777]

Its ironic that people who have the motivation and ambition to earn $20 million will probably not stop there, but people who would stop at $20 million will never earn that much.

In other words, the rich keep doing what made them rich, the poor keep doing what made them poor.

Marriage is killing the guy

[zymano]

He's not a millionaire anymore with ex-wives taking most of his income. Kind of sad. No wonder people aren't getting married anymore.

Re:I'm more Heatherington than Hayes

[fafaforza]

I think that people who would stop at a certain level, and instead focus on activities rewarding in other ways than money are the more frugal and humble ones. The ones you never read about in Forbes, or watch on tv. The ones that never see a limit are the money-, power-hungry and attention-starved monsters that will do anything to prove they are better than you.

Re:Funny how these people go in pairs...

[hondo77]

Agreed. Heatherington has now become my idol:

While Hayes dreamed of empire, Heatherington dreamed of quitting.

It's one of life's paradoxes that those who are most able to accumulate lots of $$ are those who are least able to enjoy it. It's nice to find someone who can enjoy it.

As they say...

[arashiakari]

The pioneers get the arrows, the settlers get the corn.

Re:Funny how these people go in pairs...

[GoofyBoy]

>but that because he took the money and ran, and lived within his means, he's still hacking hardware for the sheer fun of it.

Its not that hard to live within your means with $20 million.

Re:Marriage is killing the guy

[Oliver Defacszio]

It hardly matters, when even living with someone for a few months gives them the same "rights" as a married spouse.

The wise man in the 21st Century gets good and used to living as a bachelor and never, ever enjoying sex without a metaphorical garbage bag tied around his sex organ.

What a time to be alive.

Hayes is overrated

[argent]

The hayes command set is like the Windows API, an accidental and hardly optimal interface that succeeded out of sheer chance, and which used creative and new (at the time) interpretations of intellectual proprty law to try to skewer their opponents.

The Hayes patent was, eventually, rendered obsolete. It can't happen too soon for Microsoft either.