4 ms·

Yeah I phrased it poorly, all Macs didn't have it as standard but what I meant to say is they started releasing Macs that had it as standard. The low-cost Macs

Yeah I phrased it poorly, all Macs didn't have it as standard but what I meant to say is they started releasing Macs that had it as standard. The low-cost Macs like the LC didn't have it, but The PowerMac 6100 very much did have Ethernet built-in, in the form of an AAUI port (you needed a transceiver to convert to either BNC or 10Base-T since at the time it wasn't obvious which people wanted)

JustExAWS 2y ago
Saying that the AAUI port meant that Ethernet was included when you needed an adapter that cost $60-$100+ is a stretch isn’t it? I remember even back then you could get an Ethernet card for a PC cheaper than that.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  That looks like an "Apple tax". The principle of the AUI port was that the three Ethernet connections (10Base5, 10Base2, 10BaseT) could all be used with a 'cheap' change of "MAU" adapter. For 10Base5, it would have been impractical to have the thick cable brought right up to the computer. The 10Base5 MAU was relatively expensive, I see a card sold with it costing £50 more than the same card with a 10Base2 interface in a price list from 1993 [1]. I don't see a price for a 10BaseT interface alone, but it should be much cheaper — it's just a couple of low-pass filters and some isolation. Even back then I think these main components were sold as a single package ("chip"), so the 10BaseT MAU is two plugs, one "chip" and a couple of capacitors. Anyway, Acorn¹ computers were sold from around 1991 with an optional Ethernet card. Basic TCP/IP was included in ROM on the card, and it works fine between my Linux and Acorn computers. [1] https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/IntInt/II_PriceListFeb93.pdf https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/IntInt/II_P... ¹ Acorn as in "Acorn RISC Machine" → "Advanced RISC Machine" → the ARM chip in your phone.

JustExAWS 2y ago

Saying that the AAUI port meant that Ethernet was included when you needed an adapter that cost $60-$100+ is a stretch isn’t it? I remember even back then you could get an Ethernet card for a PC cheaper than that.

Symbiote 2y ago
That looks like an "Apple tax". The principle of the AUI port was that the three Ethernet connections (10Base5, 10Base2, 10BaseT) could all be used with a 'cheap' change of "MAU" adapter. For 10Base5, it would have been impractical to have the thick cable brought right up to the computer. The 10Base5 MAU was relatively expensive, I see a card sold with it costing £50 more than the same card with a 10Base2 interface in a price list from 1993 [1]. I don't see a price for a 10BaseT interface alone, but it should be much cheaper — it's just a couple of low-pass filters and some isolation. Even back then I think these main components were sold as a single package ("chip"), so the 10BaseT MAU is two plugs, one "chip" and a couple of capacitors. Anyway, Acorn¹ computers were sold from around 1991 with an optional Ethernet card. Basic TCP/IP was included in ROM on the card, and it works fine between my Linux and Acorn computers. [1] https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/IntInt/II_PriceListFeb93.pdf https://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/IntInt/II_P... ¹ Acorn as in "Acorn RISC Machine" → "Advanced RISC Machine" → the ARM chip in your phone.