From: eps@futon.SFSU.EDU (Eric P. Scott)
Subject: Re: Ethernet?
Reply-To: eps@cs.sfsu.edu
Organization: San Francisco State University
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 09:04:40 GMT

In article <1992Oct13.211857.26003@midway.uchicago.edu>
	fo6r@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>I wish NeXT offered a machine without ethernet.  My NeXTstation lives at
>home, far away from the prying eyes of my boss and the ethernet.  I suspect 
>that a significant portion of NeXTs end up never being connected to the 
>ethernet, which is a travesty but definitely a reality.

An INsignificant portion.  NeXTs really aren't marketed as
standalone machines.  A reasonable standalone configuration is
quite pricey; it costs quite a bit for large disks, a backup
device, printer, etc. ... and a terminal (or the equivalent) to
rescue the machine when the console locks up.  In a networked
environment, disks and peripherals can be shared, and the
marginal cost of adding another machine is quite low.

>                                                         Why not sell some 
>NeXTs with a fast FAXmodem/ISDN built in instead of the ethernet card?  

Built-in Ethernet is *dirt cheap*.  There is no "card"--just a
few standard components.  Most of what's on an Ethernet card
has nothing to do with Ethernet specifically.  (And it's
certainly cheaper for NeXT to build machines that are all the
same, rather than multiple motherboards, or worse, multiple
daughterboards.)

On-board modems are a total lose; what's "in" changes every two
years or so, upgrading is damn near impossible, standards are
different in every country, and the approval process
("homologation") is unbelievably painful--and slow--in some
places.  U.S.  residents have it easy.  That's not the way it is
overseas.

Ethernet is universal and stable.  The parts count is low, it
doesn't take up much real estate, it costs next to nothing, and
PTTs don't harrass you for having it.  Besides, "every"
workstation has Ethernet as a *standard* feature.  For that
matter, "toy" computers like Mac Quadras have it.  PeeCee
manufacturers are seriously considering it.  It may surprise you
to learn that one of the reasons NeXT consistently loses sales to
Sun is that NeXT doesn't support *multiple* ethernets per
machine.  Those that complain about Ethernet being there at all
are generally regarded as Truly Unclear On The Concept.* **

*In less enlightened times, they would simply be branded
"cretins" and dismissed forthwith.  But we're kinder and gentler
and more politically correct, so we'll just send you to your room
to play with your Windoze companions and virus accelerators
until you're sufficiently mature to participate in polite
society.

**Of course, Ethernet pales in comparison with fiber-to-the-
desktop.

>If it were possible I'd cut the ethernet off of my NeXT's board and sell it to 
>pay for my Supra.

It would hardly make a dent.  [Supras--yuck!]

>                  Dropping the ethernet (and therefore the price)

It won't drop the price.  It would *raise* the price.  See above.

>                                                                  on some 
>low-end stations

NeXT isn't in the business of selling low-end stations.

>                 would help sales, especially to students.

NeXT doesn't give a shit about students.  NeXT wants to sell to
people with *money*--students are assumed to be disqualified
unless they can prove otherwise--in which case, they're probably
not complaining, anyway.  Students also tend to be looking for
"home computers"--NeXT isn't in the business of selling "home
computers"--they're not FCC certified for use as home computers,
and priced such that the FCC won't administratively declare them
intended for residential use.

>                                                            Perhaps NS486 will 
>fill this gap, or is NeXT going to require that all of the NeXTstep PC's have 
>ethernet cards?

NeXT has explicitly stated that networking cards are optional in
486 machines.

Then again, outstanding PeeCee Ethernet cards sell for about half
the cost of mediocre V.32bis modems, (and far less than ISDN
interfaces).

					-=EPS=-
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.hardware