Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 10:05:41 -0700 From: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@FreeBSD.org> To: dennis <dennis@etinc.com> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Bragging rights.. Message-ID: <308A79E5.64A99F5A@FreeBSD.org> References: <199510221638.MAA07304@etinc.com>
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dennis wrote: > I really can't believe you guys are bragging about the widespread > utilization of souped-up async. You still don't get the fact that you're losing several > hundred dollars worth of machine (which brings the cost in-line with sync) to save a few > hundred on cards for a less-efficient solution. I think your view in these matters may be a little too narrow (which is probably fine, given the market you have your eye on - one man's narrow vision is another man's intense product focus :-). What we're talking about is *incremental* cost, which is very important to the low-budget folks. We're not talking about what we'd build if we had all the money up front to implement whatever solution would be most optimum - we're talking about how to get one's feet wet without going all the way in up to the neck on the first step. In my case, I had a pair of TAs readily available (did I mention that I haven't actually *purchased* these TAs yet? These two are loaners, pending me somehow getting the P.O. pushed through WC for the real ones) and 2 PCs just sitting there. I already had a PC dedicated to being a gateway anyway, so sparing the performance hit on that little 486 wasn't a consideration. If I'd had a 386 sitting in the corner, that would have done the job instead. So my only incremental cost were the TAs which, as I mention, haven't even technically become a cost yet. The rest was accomplished with a couple of standard serial cards and some cables. That's it. I didn't have to load any special drivers and I didn't have to buy any other hardware. Now that's just me, but I don't think that my situation is that unique. Let's assume I'm Joe Sixpack and even more budget constrained (all those cases of Miller High Life in the garage aren't cheap!). In that case I can go for a pair of the cheaper TAs out there (I think that even the async capable Bitsurfers are going down to around $450) in a month or two (about how long it will take PacBell to install my line) and try to scrounge a couple of PCs that nobody wants anymore anymore over at corporate (read: anything less woofy than a 486DX). That's called low incremental cost, and for many many home users that pretty much makes the difference between the "right" solution and the "right now" solution. Sure, I know I'm not getting my full pipe and that the async overhead is high, but do I care? Heck no! I'm still over the moon at being able to go substantially faster than V.34, and I suspect that Joe Sixpack would be too. That's why I asked about the cheapo version of a sync serial card. Let's talk 3 more months down the line and Joe has managed to raise a few more pennies by recycling all the aluminum beer cans from the back seat of his car.. All that money is burning a hole in his pocket and he's thinking "Hmmmm. If I could find a pair of cards for $200 or so that would let me get my last little 38.9%, I could definitely drink "lite" for another couple of weeks to make up for it." Again, incremental cost. You, as a marketing person, must surely appreciate that! "Suck 'em in cheap and keep 'em paying" must be one of the first lessons they teach at the P.T. Barnum Memorial University and I think it applies pretty squarely to this whole Internet fracas. The regional bells are pushing ISDN in a big way, and I think that's the next "upgrade" that all those legions of Internet addicts will next be contemplating. When they do, you may rest assured that they won't flock to the most expensive solutions available. I know, you've said that a cheap sync serial card is the least of your plans and you wouldn't touch ISDN with a stick. I'm not suggesting that YOU do this, merely that someone do. When they do, be it a cheap ISDN card or sync serial upgrade, Joe and I will probably be there with our checkbooks. -- Jordan
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