Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!sunybcs!canisius!elgie
From: elgie@canisius.UUCP (Bill Elgie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: What cost, serial I/O ports at 19.2kbps?
Message-ID: <2555@canisius.UUCP>
Date: 30 Oct 89 02:14:10 GMT
References: <12098@watcgl.waterloo.edu>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo N.Y. 14208
Lines: 21

In article <12098@watcgl.waterloo.edu>, idallen@watcgl.waterloo.edu writes:
> From: "Ian! D. Allen [CGL]" <idallen>
> 
> I went DEC catalogue (catalog) shopping for serial lines for the
> replacement DECsystem 5810 we are considering (VAXBI bus), and was amazed
> at how expensive things are -- about three times the price-per-port of a
> Q-bus serial controller....
> Why are these VAXBI serial controllers so expensive?

  EVERYTHING is more expensive for the VAXBI.  Why ?  Best guess is because 
  DEC has no competition for add-ons to the bus.   

  While the 5810 is a system with significant longterm potential for growth
  and upgradeability, it remains to be seen  whether DEC will follow through.
  I (a "veteran" of DEC-20, DEC Professional, and MicroVAX, among others) have
  my suspicions and reservations....  

  In the meantime, the 5810 is an expensive machine to own and operate, parti-
  cularly when compared to the 5400 (we ordered one of each).

  greg pavlov (under borrowed account), fstrf, amherst, ny