From: John Kim (kim_at_stormhaven.org)
Date: Wed Apr 21 1999 - 10:43:28 EDT
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Randal Whittle wrote:
> At 11:07 PM 4/20/99 -0500, you wrote:
> > Speaking of cables, I like all my cables to go out the back of the
> >laptop. Please put the most commonly used cables out the back. At home I
> >use my laptop on my lap. I'm usually in a reclining chair. For me the most
> >common cables (besides power) are modem and ethernet. For me these are PC
> >Card devices so they come out on the right side and have fragile, touchy
>
> Such preferences are extremely personal. You don't want them coming out
> of the sides because it conflicts with your chair.
>
>Well guess what--I don't like them coming out of the back because I often
> sit back on the couch and prop the PC on my lap. Stuff coming out of the
> back would just hit my knees and be interfered with that way.
The thing is, with modem and ethernet (twisted pair)
connectors, if the plugs were built right into the notebook,
there would be no clumsy dongles hanging off the sides or
back.
A long time ago, about the time the 2nd generation Thinkpads
were due out, there were rumors of an RJ-11 jack being built
directly into the notebook. It would be functionless, but you
could plug in a PCMCIA modem card, which would use this jack
instead of requiring a dongle. The same could now go for
ethernet jacks. I don't know why the notebook manufacturers
haven't done anything with this idea.
-- John H. Kim kim_at_stormhaven.org
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