Ethernet capable

J

James Ingraham

> What does an Ethernet capable PC mean?<

Absolutely nothing. I would be extremely wary of someone selling a PC as "Ethernet capable." Sounds like marketing at its worst.

Possibility 1: You can add an Ethernet card to the PC. Duh. Just about EVERY PC is "Ethernet capable" by this definition. If you've got PCI, ISA, PCMCIA, PC/104, VME, cPCI, or USB, adding Ethernet is a no-brainer. So saying "Ethernet capable" just means there's an expansion slot. So what? That's not a selling point; it's a
requirement.

Possibility 2: The PC has an Ethernet card, but obviously you will need to supply the network for it to attach to. Fine, but why didn't they just say, "includes Ethernet port? Do they not understand what they are talking about? For that
matter, they've left off the technical specs: 10-Base/2, 10-Base/T, 100-Base/TX, 10-Base/FL, 100-Base/FX, Thick, Thin, RJ-45, ST, SC? There's a lot of flavors of Ethernet. Tell me what it's got, not that it's "capable."

I would say anyone who says "Ethernet capable" is either clueless or trying to snow you.

-James Ingraham
Sage Automation, Inc.
 
M

Michael Blaschke

Last time I check it means that the computer vendor was too cheap to include an Ethernet card, and that you had to pay extra to have one added.
 
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