3Com Corp has announced a new adaptor that interfaces to the Micro Channel bus and allows IBM Personal System/2 Models 50, 60 and 80 to be connected to Ethernet networks. The EtherLink/MC features an onboard Ethernet transceiver which the Santa Clara, California company claims makes the Ethernet connection less costly, more reliable and easier to install than adaptors requiring an external transceiver. The product also includes 3Com’s standard Link Level Library interface allowing third party developers to easily port software. According to president Bill Krause, the EtherLink/MC is an eagerly-awaited product which we believe will improve the market acceptance of PS/2s. He says that the onboard transceiver alone reduces the cost per connection by $200 to $300 compared with products which require an external transceiver and transceiver drop cable. And, he claims further savings are easily obtainable as less labour is involved in the in-stallation, and the reduction in the number of components per connection leads to greater reliability. EtherLink/MC, available from 3Com authorised resellers and distributors worldwide from October, will retail for $595.
