1. A method for operating forward and feedback filters in a communications receiver having a decision feedback equalizer, said communications receiver having a decision feedback equalizer, said communications receiver responsive to a received signal to form slicer input samples and hard decision samples corresponding to said slicer output samples, said method comprising: non-linearly combining said slicer input samples and said hard decision samples to form a soft decision samples in a soft decision device; and the said soft decision device being adaptively adjusted to control contributions of said slicer input samples and said hard decision samples to form said soft decision samples; and said soft decision device generating error signals to adjust said forward and feedback filters; and operating said forward and feedback filters by coupling a composite decision samples to said feedback filter and by adapting said forward and feedback filters with said error signals.