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To: Henry Spencer <henry@zoo.toronto.edu>
cc: hardware@freebsd.org, bsdi-users@bsdi.com
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Subject: Re: muliport boards - building a PPP dialup server 
In-reply-to: Your message of Sat, 29 Jun 1996 14:38:32 EDT.
             <Pine.3.89.9606291453.C10167-0100000@zoo.toronto.edu> 
Date: Fri, 05 Jul 1996 16:24:49 -0400
From: "Jacob M. Parnas" <jparnas@jparnas.cybercom.net>
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In message <Pine.3.89.9606291453.C10167-0100000@zoo.toronto.edu>you write:
>> Also, why add an ethernet to the home system, when really you usually just
>> want a point to point connection from your house to the ISP, a route from 
>> your home computer to the ISP and a route from the ISP to any default request,
>> and don't have any need for a local LAN?
>
>Why *not* add an Ethernet to the home system?  It's a cheap and simple way
>to get an efficient high-speed connection into your machine.  The key is
>to stop thinking of Ethernet as an expensive LAN, and start thinking of it
>as a fast alternative to RS232.  A 10BaseT Ethernet card and a crossover
>cable is a cheap and easy way to connect *even* *just* *one* high-speed
>device to your PC.  Would you add a serial port for such a purpose?  If
>not, then why not add an Ethernet port instead?  It's a lot better and not 
>much more expensive.
>
>                                                           Henry Spencer
>                                                       henry@zoo.toronto.edu

Well, for instance, the ethernet <-> ethernet connections cost about $1000
vs. $400 or so for the ISA card.  Please tell me a solution that will go
up to 512 Kbaud/sec with standard BSDI and compression for $400.  Ascend,
Cisco, etc cards cost $1000+ by themselves, from what I've seen. 

Jacob