Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!sgi!silvlis.com!jimb
From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: NuBus/030-Direct cards for IIsi
Message-ID: <1990Oct25.013909.7331@silvlis.com>
Date: 25 Oct 90 01:39:09 GMT
References: <329@ub.d.umn.edu> <90296.165727CXT105@psuvm.psu.edu>
Sender: usenet@silvlis.com (USENET news maint)
Reply-To: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler)
Organization: Silvar-Lisco,Inc. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 65

In article <90296.165727CXT105@psuvm.psu.edu> CXT105@psuvm.psu.edu (Christopher Tate) writes:
>In article <329@ub.d.umn.edu>, halam1@ub.d.umn.edu (Haseen I. Alam) says:

>> I was looking at the spec sheets for a Mac IIsi, and saw that you can buy
>> EITHER an "030 Direct Slot Adapter Card" OR a "NuBus Adapter Card" for the
>> IIsi.  Both of these adapters come with a 68882 FPU.  [stuff deleted]

>First, a question:  from what I've seen of the spec sheets, it seems that
>in order to expand your IIsi, you MUST purchase one or the other of these
>adapter cards -- you can't plug anything into the IIsi directly.  Is
>this really true?

Yes

>Now, the complaint:  why has Apple gone and forced its customers to make
>such a decision?

To give them a choice of the cards available for the SE/30 or the MacII,
maybe.

>                  It can't be that difficult to build an adapter that
>would allow *either* a NuBus card or an 030-Direct card, depending on
>(for example) a switch setting on the adapter.  You might need more than
>one card socket, one for each type of card, but how hard is that?

Sure you probably could do it for $500 list or so.

>By arranging things this way, Apple forces people who buy IIsi's to
>decide whether they want NuBus or 030-Direct, but not both, as soon
>as they decide they need a coprocessor!  Why can't the coprocessor fit
>into a drop-in socket on the motherboard, for instance?  Why do you
>need a slot adapter just to have a coprocessor?

No room.

How many people really are likely to need both types? The idea was
that the IIsi was for people who only need one add-in card.

>IMHO, this is one of the stupider design choices Apple has ever made.
>It cripples the IIsi market by inflicting indecision on customers.  In
>words often quoted, "there's got to be a better way."  But no, IIsi
>owners are forced to decide in advance whether they would rather have
>NuBus or 030-Direct technology.  And if they want both, they have to
>buy TWO coprocessors!!  Stupid, stupid, stupid....

Most people are going to buy *zero* or *one* card to put in their
IIsi. Most people are going to buy neither adapter, since most
people can get by quite happily without an FPU.

IMHO Apple made a reasonable decision. Instead of offering only
a Nubus slot, or only a 30PDS slot they offered a choice. Some
of the space constraints may have encouraged it, but it's
here now.

If you want more than one card get a IIci.

>-------
>Christopher Tate                      |                      etaT rehpotsirhC

jim
--
     __           __
     /  o         /      Jim Budler      jimb@silvlis.com      |  Proud
    /  /  /\/\   /__    Silvar-Lisco, Inc.  +1.408.991.6115    | MacIIsi
/__/  /  /   /  /__/   703 E. Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086 |  owner