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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Maybe so.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>But for us, Hams, is this important?</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Do most Hams run out and buy a new $2000
laptop just to play APRS?</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>No.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Do most Hams, tens of thousands, have
laptops 3-5 yrs old?</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Probably.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>So do most Ham laptops have the ability to
utilize a PC-Card device.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Yes.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I haven’t been paying attention to
the laptops sold in the last 6 months.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I honestly don’t know what an
Express Card is.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I don’t have a laptop with one, so I
don’t need to care what it is, yet.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>To me, it means replacing all the existing
PC card hardware I have, in</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Favor for shortsighted marketing of gadgets
and whizmo’s I don’t need.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I still have computers that have ISA and
EISA slots.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I still use serial ports regularly. Even tho
there are still NEW laptops sold with serial,</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>We continue to have folks lamenting the
demise of the RS-232 port, let’s throw all our </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Serial devices away. I’ll go
pry the DCD and DTE ports off my H-89 CP/M machine now…</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I’ll continue to as long as they do
what I need them to and the peripherals work.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>There will never be an Express Card device
produced for the Amateur market, IMHO.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>So why do I care as long as my current
cards still work and do all I need them to.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Why do MOST Ham peripherals still have
serial connectivity?<br>
Because that’s what most Hams’ computers have, and PCMCIA too.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I don’t live my life based on the
marketing strategy of some corporate bean counter.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b>
aprssig-bounces@lists.tapr.org [mailto:aprssig-bounces@lists.tapr.org] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Mark Fellhauer<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, February 27, 2007
22:21<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> TAPR APRS Mailing List<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [aprssig] RE: PC Card,
barcodes, etc.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>At 08:55 PM 2/27/2007, Ray McKnight wrote:<br>
<br>
<br>
</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Anyone out there
considered a Type-II PC Card TNC?<br>
</span></font><br>
<font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>There used to be a 1 and 4-port ISA TNC card, but it never
really<br>
</span></font><br>
<font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'>Caught on because it was introduced just about the time PCI
showed up.<br>
</span></font><br>
<font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><br>
<br>
Almost all manufacturers have abandoned the PCMCIA standard. AFAIK, only
three laptop makers are including PC Card support in current models - those
are: Sony, Fujitsu, and Toshiba on selected models.<br>
<br>
I just purchased a Fujitsu Lifebook A6020 for Vista development at work as I
have a need for PC Card support<br>
<br>
PC cards have been replaced by the Express Card standard.<br>
<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/about.jsp" eudora=autourl>http://www.expresscard.org/web/site/about.jsp</a><br>
<br>
73,<br>
<br>
Mark</span></font></p>
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