[244] in resnet
Re: AT1700 Cards
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (fihsu@MIT.EDU)
Thu Mar 10 05:05:10 1994
From: fihsu@MIT.EDU
To: andy_roo@MIT.EDU
Cc: resnet@MIT.EDU
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 05:04:25 EST
>on the cards even before they were out...anyways, whatever, I wonder what
>MCC thought about in choosing the card anyways...?
Unofficial comment from the perspective of a student who works at the MCC...
The MCC does not simply pick and choose whatever products it wants to carry.
And there are alot of great hardware/software products that we don't stock,
along with ones that we do. Call it beauacracy or whatever, but whether we
carry a certain product often depends on the recommendations/evaluations of
a committee or other group in MIT. I think the MCC's contribution to this
process is in determining whether we can meet the demand for a certain
product (which means being able to get that product in decent quantity and
relatively quickly) and whether we can offer that product at a competetive
price. Other factors, such as evaluating performance, reliability, ease of
use, vendor support, making sure it works with the other products supported
at MIT, feasibility of being able to provide support within MIT (ala
Microcomputer Help Line, etc.) are much in the hands of other groups
(although there is a certain amount of overlap).
As you may already know, the MCC has carried the 3Com cards. But we
were not able to offer a card like the 3C509 at a competitive price (I think
our price is $140.) One of the major goals of picking THE resnet card
was to be able to offer it for less than $100, for instance.
Regrettably, the best performing/rated/designed product is not always the best
choice from the standpoint of a reseller.
>Andy
Francis
RCC for 620 Huntington Ave.
also working for (but that's it) the MIT Computer Connection, x3-7686
