[comp.newprod] NCD X TERMINALS GET TWISTED PAIR ETHERNET CONNECTION

mikeh@lupine.ncd.com (Mike Harrigan) (11/03/90)

NCD X TERMINALS GET ON-BOARD TWISTED-PAIR ETHERNET CONNECTION

	MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, October 10, 1990 -- The ability to
connect directly to twisted-pair wiring systems without the use of a
costly external transceiver has been added to Network Computing
Devices' family of X Window System terminals.

	NCD's new Twisted Pair Ethernet Card, offered as an option
with all NCD color and monochrome X terminals, contains one
twisted-pair (IEEE 802.3 10BaseT) interface and one thick Ethernet
(AUI, or IEEE 802.3 10Base5) interface. THe Twisted Pair card is
available, at no extra cost with newly purchased units, as an
alternative to NCD's standard network interface card, which has one
thick and one thin (IEEE 802.3 10Base2) Ethernet interface.

	The NCD units are the first X terminals to offer integral
twisted-pair connectivity, eliminating the need for an external
transceiver that can cost up to $300 per terminal. X terminals
equipped with the Twisted Pair Ethernet Card can connect directly into
twisted-pair wiring systems such as those made by SynOptics
Communications, ODS, Hewlett-Packard and David Systems.

	A unique "auto-detection" feature on the card tells the X
terminal which connection method has been selected -- thick Ethernet
or twisted pair -- without the user's having to activate a special
switch.

	NCD Executive Vice President Judy Estrin said that "twisted
pair is becoming the connection medium of choice as many large
commercial enterprises move away from coaxial cable-based systems to
adopt wiring schemes that use a fiber-optic backbone with twisted-pair
wires to the desktop. As X terminals increase their presence in such
environments, a $300-per-seat cost reduction for twisted-pair
connectivity will become a key competitive factor."

	If selected as an option with a new NCD X terminal, the
Twisted Pair Ethernet Card is included with the terminal at no extra
charge. As an upgrade to an existing terminal (done via a simple card
exchange in NCD's modular network interface scheme), the card is
priced at $500.  Availability is 30 days after receipt of order.

	Network Computing Devices, Inc., formed in February 1988, is a
leading supplier of network display stations providing users
simultaneous access to multi-vendor computers on a network via the
industry-standard X Window System. The NCD16, NCD16e, NCD19 and NCD19b
monochrome units, and the NCD17c color unit, offer workstation-style
multi-user interfaces for users in the UNIX, VMS and ULTRIX operating
system environments. NCD is privately held.

Company Contact:

Judy Estrin
Network Computing Devices, Inc.
415/694-0650
email: info@ncd.com

Agency Contacts:

William Orrange
Janis Ulevich
Ulevich & Orrange
415/329-1590