Cheap, good tulips...

[Bob Drzyzgula]

On Thu, Jan 07, 1999 at 05:13:50PM -0600, alex wrote:
> I also wrote to Wisecom, and I got a response.  Unfortunately, I think
> they answered me because they thought I was building a cluster.  

Has anyone contacted Intel and/or Dig^M^M^MCompaq?
I seem to recall those companies having at least a passing
interest in Linux.  It seems to me that we would have a
few facts to present to them:

  * The 21140A is one of the best, if not the best 10/100
    chip for Linux. The reasons for this include the
    excellent design and the availability of good
    programming information.

  * The 21140A is commonly used, when available, in the
    construction of Beowulf clusters; thus customers who
    buy them often purchase dozens at a time.

  * While the i82558 is a strong alternative to the 21140A
    for Linux applications, a variety of factors
    (lacking Don's perspective, I hesitate to enumerate...)
    have resulted in the 21140A remaining the superior
    100Mbps Ethernet solution for Linux clusters.

  * In the months following Intel's acquisition of Digital's
    Semiconductor operations, a number of popular 21140A-based
    cards have been redesigned with alternative chips, often
    clones of or workalikes to the 21140A. The results in
    Linux have been mixed, but generally most designers of
    Linux systems and clusters would much prefer to have
    a genuine 21140A in their systems. Nevertheless, good,
    inexpensive, generic 21140A-based cards are becoming
    increasingly difficult to obtain.

It seems to me that it might possibly be worth the effort
to contact Intel and Compaq directly with this background,
and to respectfully suggest that we could use a little help
here. We are, after all, just trying to purchase their product,
and are having a difficult time doing so. Things that they
could do to help might include:

  * Release of a Compaq- or Intel-branded 21140A-based
    PCI 10/100 Ethernet card, hopefully at a low  to
    moderate price point ($25-40). Possibly doing so
    for sale by brand houses (like Hi-Val, for example...
    companies that don't make anything but packaging)
    would be an OK way to do this.

  * Inclusion of the 21140A chip on select Intel and
    Alpha motherboards. (Alphas may already have this,
    I wouldn't know).

  * Giving someone like Jaton (who never saw a video
    chipset they didn't like and who can probably
    design a PCI card in their sleep) a reason to build a 
    straightforward 21140A-based card.
    
I wouldn't think that any of these actions would cost 
those two companies all that much, and it could result
in quite a popular product.

We could perhaps all do this individually, or alternatively
we could send a jointly-signed letter making such a request.
It would be great if we could collect data from everyone
on the list regarding the volume of such product they
would be likely to purchase on an annual basis, along with
statements regarding sucess or lack of sucess with Tulip
clone chips as well as the 82558/82557.

I would be happy to draft such a letter, especially if
interested parties were to give me input on what they
would like it to say.

Opinions/Thoughts/Comments/Fla^H^H^H^H?

--Bob

-- 
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Bob Drzyzgula                             It's not a problem
bob@drzyzgula.org                until something bad happens
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