nixCraft 🐧1d ago
the IBM ThinkPad 235, a cult classic subnotebook released in late 90s. IBM engineering made incredibly compact machines like this one, which was exclusive to the Japanese market. There was time when IBM and many consumer products were made with industrial design teams and user replaceable parts. Sadly that era is gone now. Anyway, i am sharing this for nostalgic reasons.
Show threadFrobnitz Coil Oil22h ago
@nixCraft I'd be happy if they'd just start including 9 pin serial ports, again. I buy about 5 replacement USB to serial dongles a year.
Show threadChewie

@frobozz @nixCraft military ones still do, but they are serious cash ☚ī¸đŸ’°

I could have specced 4 on mine, but I thought 2 was ample 😁

"Have you actually ever used 2 serial ports at once??"...... erm once or twice..... 😒

9:14amWeb
Show threadFrobnitz Coil Oil2h ago
@chewie @nixCraft At one point in the '90s, I had a 486 with 8 serial ports, running, of all things, SCO's SysV. Two modems (Telebit PEP and USR Courier), three glass TTYs, a grungy old DOS laptop with Procomm, a serial line printer, and eventually, a serial cable to a newer 486 running Slackware. Probably never used more than 3 devices at once, unless I was using the laptop to transfer files while printing and syncing mail upstream.
Show threadFrobnitz Coil Oil2h ago
@chewie @nixCraft Just realized that 486 technically had 10 serial ports, though I had the two on the motherboard disabled to save IRQs.
Show threadChewie1h ago
@frobozz @nixCraft đŸ˜ĩ
Show threadChewie1h ago
@frobozz @nixCraft crikey!