It turns out that my PPP problem is sometimes reproducible under
Windows NT. I don't think it's the fault of the Linux kernel, but
rather my ISP who sometimes wants to disconnect me from the network
anywhere from 2 seconds to about half an hour.
<sigh> You know what they say about Netcom's NetCruiser.
In any rate, I'll report any more PPP problems that I might have.
Thanks.
--Arthur