Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 07:56:15 +1030 From: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.com> To: freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: SCSI card to choose Message-ID: <19971215075615.27493@lemis.com> In-Reply-To: <199712142004.VAA28683@dorifer.heim3.tu-clausthal.de>; from Oliver Fromme on Sun, Dec 14, 1997 at 09:04:28PM %2B0100 References: <199712142004.VAA28683@dorifer.heim3.tu-clausthal.de>
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On Sun, Dec 14, 1997 at 09:04:28PM +0100, Oliver Fromme wrote: > Nate Williams <nate@mt.sri.com> wrote in list.freebsd-hardware: >> [...] >>> My Adaptecs (1542, 2940) came with those drivers (HD, CD-ROM, >>> even for removable media such as MO drives) and a bunch of >>> tools for partitioning, formatting and verifying drives, a >>> simple CD audio player, and other stuff I never needed. >> >> Mind didn't. Which version did you buy, cause the 1542B did *NOT* come >> with them by default, since you had to buy EZ-SCSI separately. :( > > I bought the 1542C and the 2940. > >>> Of course, the bulk versions of the adapters don't come with >>> those drivers -- that's why they're called "bulk". >> >> This wasn't a 'bulk driver', but the 'standard' retail package for the >> card that I bought. You *can* buy the card with drivers, but as stated >> Adaptec charges more for the card with the drivers than w/out, hence >> proving the original assertion that Adaptec does indeed charge for their >> drivers. > > Yes, but that's normal. Adaptec's SCSI adapters have always > been available as "bulk" and "kit" versions. The kits come > with a bunch of manuals, drivers and cables. > > By the way, other vendors do the same. It is especially common > for network interface cards, but also soundcards and > controllers are often available both as "bulk" and "kit". > > IMHO this is a good thing, because you pay only for what you > actually need. For example, if you have to equip a pool with > cards, you don't need 50 copies of the manuals and driver CDs > -- so why pay for them 50 times? > > It's similar to many commercial software packages: You can > chose between online manuals on the CD and printed manuals. > If you don't need the printed ones, you can save a considerable > amount of money. I think the real question here is: "What is the reason for the higher price of the \"kit\" packaging?". Some people contend that it's the drivers, which ignores the cables and manuals. Admittedly, the price differential is significant, but it's similar to the pricing of processors: you can buy the chip, or you can buy it in a box big enough for 500 chips, containing a manual telling you how to open your computer and insert the processor. In other words, one's for people who have a minimal understanding of the concepts, and one's for people who have none. Obviously the drivers aren't part of the price, though the media probably are (after all, WC charges $25 for the FreeBSD CD-ROMs). You can get the drivers free from the web, even if you'd think that they'd made it as difficult as possible with the URL (http://www.adaptec.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/adaptec.woa/4405000000314130000000751000000423/Main.wo/94270000007423/0/2/web-obj?PAGEID=support/overview/ezscsi4x) > Nevertheless, I agree that Adaptec's SCSI adapters are over- > priced (at least the "consumer line", i.e. 1542, 2840, 2940), > no matter whether manuals/drivers are included. Their only > advantage (again: IMHO) is their on-board BIOS and their > great configurability. I wouldn't want to miss Adaptec's > set-up and configuration firmware. You would have done on the 154x. Greg
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