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From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: A2000 serial port != A1000 (ackkkk!)(and 500 || <> 1000 ||)
Message-ID: <2604@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 25-Oct-87 03:08:42 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.2604
Posted: Sun Oct 25 03:08:42 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Oct-87 02:12:08 EST
References: <1962@ucbcad.berkeley.edu> <610@louie.udel.EDU> <2548@cbmvax.UUCP> <1903@crash.CTS.COM>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 35

In article <1903@crash.CTS.COM> ford@crash.CTS.COM (Michael Ditto) writes:
> In article <2548@cbmvax.UUCP> <someone who I won't name because it's
> 				probably not his fault> writes:
> >The serial cable is now in reasonable confomance with EIA RS232 standards
> >and should cause no major problems with any normal piece of data communications
> >equipment, even when using the dreaded 25-conductor cable!
> 
> This is an improvement.  Since all A1000 cables should only have had a few
> pins connected anyway, this is well worth the changes to the pin assignments
> of the non-standard signals.  But there was *NO* reason to change the gender
> of the connector [except that that's the way ibm-pcs have them].
> 
> 
> >Seriously, we agonized over this quite a bit, but decided that using standard
> >cables that would be readily available would be of benefit to the users in
> >the long run.
> 
> Anyone who thinks that (IBM == STANDARD) doesn't deserve to be working with
> modern technology like Amigas.  When IBM made the PC they didn't know
> anything about microcomputers.  Commodore engineers do.  If there ever is
> a time to succumb to IBM-"compatibility", this isn't it.

The standard is that used by IBM PC's, DEC mainframes, DEC and DEC compatible
terminals, and maybe half the rest of the universe.  Admittedly, the sex of
the RS232 connector is pretty much arbitrary, but the we *did*not* want the
sex of the RS232 connector to be the same as that of the printer connector,
which is generally perceived to be female.  Note that we don't really care
about IBM as an industry standard, rather the concern is that the cables be
readily available, in plug-in-and-go form at the place where the customer buys
their Amiga.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: out to lunch...
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)