Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!jarthur!bridge2!3comvax!tymix!tardis!jms
From: jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: RS232 gender
Message-ID: <845@tardis.Tymnet.COM>
Date: 6 Dec 89 01:16:05 GMT
References: <845@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca> <503@shodha.dec.com>
Reply-To: jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith)
Organization: BT Tymnet, San Jose, CA
Lines: 19

In article <503@shodha.dec.com> ridder@elvira.cxo3.dec.com (Hans Ridder) writes:
>RS-232 (now EIA-232) has, for quite a while specified the gender of
>connectors.  My copy of the standard, dated August 1969, says it on
>page 7 section 3.1.  The language is a bit difficult, but is basically
>gets around to saying that female connectors are for DCE's (modems),
>and male connectors are for DTE's (terminals and to most people,
>computers).  So, IBM followed the standard, not the bandwagon.

Yes.  It was really simple back then.  All terminals had male connectors
at the end of permanently attached 6-foot cables, and all modems have
female connectors mounted on the box.  We had plenty of hassles when our
computing center upgraded to terminals came without cables attached.
Too many people assumed the standard was "male on cables, female on chassis"
instead of "male on terminals, female on whatever the terminal plugs in to".
-- 
Joe Smith (408)922-6220 | SMTP: JMS@F74.TYMNET.COM or jms@gemini.tymnet.com
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