Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:9076 comp.unix.i386:1826
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!comcon!tim
From: tim@comcon.UUCP (Tim Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Looking for smart serial ports for Unix
Summary: Consensys
Keywords: Consensys Powerports Powerstor
Message-ID: <186@comcon.UUCP>
Date: 18 Dec 89 07:22:45 GMT
References: <8912140021.AA00205@decwrl.dec.com> <2848@infmx.UUCP>
Followup-To: comp.unix.i386
Organization: Computer Connection - Anchorage, Alaska
Lines: 30


I have a couple clients using them now for about a year.  They are nice,
a little pricey compared to some others, but very good boards.  Their
*only* weak point is thier handling of eight bit dependant software.  For
example I use a computone inteliport on my system and can run vpix from a
televideo 965 in wyse60 mode.  This is not possible on the system running
consensys.  In all fairness however, if I run vpix on a *real* wyse60 all
works very well.  In my experience, consensys boards are very fussy in
there handling of eight bit data, more so than need be.  

The multiple sessions are *nice*, best implementation of it I have used.
I had a lot of difficulty a year ago debugging/working around eight bit
defiencies (uucp would not work at first) but their tech support stuck
with me and all my installations are working fine in *all* respects, with
the sole exception of the wyse60/vpix problem I mentioned already.  

My basic advice is, if you want to put a cheaper system together, use
computone.  On the other hand if money is no object and you have
sophisticated users who appreciate multiple sessions or require them, go
with consensys.

I have never used X, so can't comment on that at all.

Transparent print works very slowly out of the box.  The manual claims
you can tweak this, but thank god my client went with some more spool
printers before I had to try that!

Tim Brown                           |
Computer Connection                 |
(attmail or uunet)!comcon!tim       |