Your reply to Paul S. Reyes in the November 1984 "Readers' Feedback" column does not appear to be very timely or accurate. The modem currently offered by Atari is the model 1030 direct-connect, autodial, autoanswer modem. If your statement "the Atari modem comes with its own software, but is not compatible with other modem software" is about the 1030, you are incorrect.
Versions of Jim Steinbrecher's AMODEM 4.8, a public domain program, have been specifically written for use with the Atari 835 and 1030 modems, as well as modems connected through the Atari 850 Interface Module. The version I have is called RMODEM and is available on many bulletin boards and from the CompuServe Information Service. RMODEM can be compiled, and it provides a 22K buffer that can be dumped to your disk drive or printer.
The Atari 1030 modem has been advertised by a national chain store on sale at $69.96. At that price it is certainly a best buy.
Note that the Atari 1030 modem uses the T: handler as opposed to the R: handler for the 850 Interface Module. Both handlers are supported by RMODEM.
Howard Stebbins
Thanks for this additional information. COMPUTE! stands by its answer, though, since many Atari owners may lack the programming skill to modify modem programs using the R: device that were written before the introduction of the 1030. In fact, the JTERM Atari terminal program published in last month's issue of COMPUTE! was written for modems which use the R: device, not the T: device.