Now some folks may say: "Why don't you just get a regular-ass #AUI like a #NormalPerson?"

1. Simply because noone but the most tech-masochistic folks want to deal with like #coax cables, #VampireTaps, huge #MAUI boxes and rare vintage stuff + overhead to get a slow & underwhelming network experience. Pretty shure neither @ncommander nor @TechTangents would either.

2. The few late-era #10BaseT-based AUIs do exist but they are long out of production and thus quite expensive. And if you are on #10Base2 or even #10Base5 good luck finding a still working #switch that isn't sold by a #scalper like #ersazza way above #MSRP+#inflation!

3 An AUI is just an Interface port / media converter similar to #SFP & GBIC and necessitates a NIC already inside the machine.

4. AUIs are not just long outdated but also way more inflexible, whereas basically anything from an #Apple2 up to the latest #Android-#Tablet can be adapted cheaply to do #RS232 #serial and send AT commands to a #Modem.

5. Twisted-Pair Ethernet is cheap, commonplace and still supported and pretty much forwards- and backwards compatible. 10BaseT will run on Cat.3 but also on Cat.5 and even Cat.8 cables (In case one wants to hookup a vintage computer on a 40GBase-T port for no reason but to see if the switch does negotiate proper 10Base-T.

6. Because it's useful...

7. as said before: AUI port would be nice to have but not necessary...

8. it would allow Network access similar to #dialup abeit without the need for existing #PSTN infrastructure like @c3isdn has...

@foone well, @stman is working on a #10BaseT - #Ethernet "'modem" that connects via #RS232 #serial, which IMHO is a needed necessity given not everyone wants to setup #WiFi and that the #WiFi232 by @paulrickards seems to be constantly sold out...

As LGR and MVG showcased it...

Also such a "modem" can be powered via #PoE since there are ample of PoE splitters, making this even better...

@polpo potentially...

I really want to get my hands on the #Hand386 amd #Book8088 simply because they are nifty machines...

All I need for those would be an #ISA-based dock with stuff like the #TexElec #QuadFlop and ISA #XTIDE controller and some #Ethernet card that does at least #10BaseT...

@JohannessNilsson but #i486 should be possible.

Tho I'm convinced that a #boot-#floppy for #network-#boot (via #PXE) would be an acceptable alternative given that #10BaseT will be faster than the theoretical maximum of your 8x CD-ROM by quite a margin.

Also it would allow you to have actual local computing capabilities and only outsorce storage if there is no space or option to hook up some flash drive via adaptor polonaise (M.2 B-Key->SATA->IDE)...