On Mon, 07 Dec 1998 16:17:24 -0600 
 seebs@plethora.net wrote:

 > I had assumed it was a completely unrelated and dissimilar chip; is there
 > reason to suspect the tulip driver would make a reasonable basis for it?

The PNIC is a Tulip clone chip.  They just botched a few things, is all :-)

 > Don't forget to write Netgear and tell them that, as a system integrator,
 > you cannot possibly recommend their cards, because it's impossible to tell
 > from the model number what hardware you're buying.  All they had to do was
 > make it a *new model*.

People like Bay Networks (the people who make the NetGear line) didn't have
much of a choice.  Intel cancelled the Tulip chips after picking up
Digital Semiconductor, to avoid competition with its own EtherExpress line
of chips.  So, all the vendors that used those chips in their boards were
forced to use "compatible" chips, or redesign the boards.  Unfortunately,
the "compatibles" aren't always 100% compatible :-/

Jason R. Thorpe                                       thorpej@nas.nasa.gov
NASA Ames Research Center                            Home: +1 408 866 1912
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