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 AUIs are not just long outdated but also way more inflexible, whereas basically anything from an #Apple2 up to the latest #Android-#Tablet can be adapted cheaply to do #RS232 #serial and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

@arstechnica it's still an ugly, obcenely obese #SuperUselessVehicle and noone will get the #Tiguan or any #car in #base configuration at #MSRP - at least not in the #USA!

#VW #Cars #PersonalLightVehicles #SUV #PLV

I'd rather want a #honest #MSRP than a effectivley unavailable one.

• OFC I don't expect a board partner to accept a margin of just $4, but it would be easier to accept a 5% higher MSRP than having no stock at MSRP.

And yes, I blame #AMD, #nvidia and #intel doing #Greedflation against #consumers because I'm very certain they don't sell #silicon at cost for a fixed price per unit depending on the order size, but rather charge a cut of the sold model (similar to #ARM does nowadays for their #licensing)...

• People, #StopBuyingAboveMSRP!

Whilst @heiseonlineenglish has reduced in #quality and isn't doing extensive reviews on #GPU|s anymore, they at least show #StreetPricing when available!

• Seriously, #MSRP should be legally binding!

This isn't normal.

• We used to get #MSRP WITH #VAT in #Germany despite having a 19% VAT rate (tho even Belgium git stuff at VAT despite having 32% VAT).

Cards get sold for € 1.100 when their MSRP is€ 600

• THIS IS #PriceGouging!

I've yet to see any #GPU at #MSRP in #Germany!

• They all are #overpriced for no valid reason whatsoever and it pisses me off, because I didn't buy a #GTX1050 or #Vega64 as an #invsstment, but right now both cards.that I was able to snipe at €100 each are actually rising in value because #AMD, #nvidia & #intel only shit out expensive stuff and don't even have MSRP-priced merch available.

Worse there ain't even #LowEnd [< €100] or actual #MidRange [€250 - €500] cards available at MSRP!

As #GamersNexus pointed out: This is #Greedflation!

There is no other explaination re: 42% above #MSRP for #GPU|s that ain't having hands-on customer support for extreme overclocking!

• Like those were absurd but one could at least justify the price with the added cost of having to basically pre-pay at least 1 hour (if not multiple hours) of labour for a spechalized technician that walks people through on #extreme #overclocking!