I'm looking for an ethernet card I can use in my Mac 8500 that will work under
both Mac OS 9.1 and Linux. Linux will be my main use for the card but I want
it to still work when I'm running the Mac OS so I don't have to reconfigure my
network when I'm under the other operating system.
Quite a few ethernet cards that are made for Windows will work under Linux,
even PowerPC linux, but they don't have classic Mac OS drivers.
I just checked Apple's website and the only ethernet card they offer is a fiber
optic gigabit model for US$749. A little fancier than what I need.
I know all Macs come with ethernet these days but I find it hard to understand
that people who use Macintoshes don't ever need a second ethernet card.
There's lots of reasons one might want one.
The Asante EtherFAST 690 card looks like what I want:
http://www.asante.com/products/adapters/690/index.html
However, my local Apple dealer claims they are discontinued even though Asante
says I can order one online from their web store. My problem is that I am in
Canada and Asante will only ship to the US. Asante's website doesn't list any
resellers in Canada.
There are lots of Windows computer dealers around here. Are there any common
Windows ethernet cards for which classic (9.1) Mac OS drivers are available?
Do you know of any online computer retailers who ship from within Canada? I
could probably locate the Asante card from another eCommerce site in the US,
but the cost of the shipping and import duties to Canada will probably total
more than the cost of the card itself.
I once paid US$30 to FedEx a $5 serial cable to Newfoundland, because as far as
I was able to tell there are no Apple dealers in the entire province. I'm in
Nova Scotia now, and have found an authorized Apple VAR, but he doesn't keep
stuff like ethernet cards in stock.
Thanks for your help,
Mike
--
Michael D. Crawford
GoingWare Inc. - Expert Software Development and Consulting
http://www.goingware.com/
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tilting at Windmills for a Better Tomorrow.
