To clarify that particular product (the internal USB card reader) a bit further (and answer Jon's concerns about it's quality) - I use one myself, at least once or twice a week. I've had it since we first started carrying them (probably close to a year ago), and I think they're great devices. The reason that it's an exposed PCB is it's 3.5" floppy-bay sized, and the plastic shell simply provides minimal protection on the bottom, and a plastic front that is exposed to the outside of the case. There is little to no heat produced by the device - I've never noticed one to be warm, even under use (I just verified this with mine copying 750Megs of Photos off a 1Gig CF Card). The exposed PCB is simply a inexpensive way to make an easily accessible internal mini-usb (usb a) connector, and keep the cost of the box down (it is a 3.5" internal 6n1 card reader with changeable colored face plates, two usb cables - usb b as well as headers, etc, for $20 after all). There really is very little danger of doing any damage to the components, in my opinion. I stated it before in the interest of explaining all the angles associated with diagnostics and return - not that I thought Dave might have actually damaged it, as I attempted to make clear.
As for the particular products we carry, I find that we carry quite a diverse range of parts, from the really-cheap stuff, to the rather nice components that actually sell. You must remember, this is a business. It's not my personal geek warehouse. :) We'd carry all kinds of random and obscure low-volume stuff if I ran the shop. :) We'd probably also go under in short order. Fortunately though, the show is run by some very knowledgeable people who try very hard to isolate what our customers want and actually will buy. As Justin pointed out, Intrex has been around for an awful long time, they have to be doing something right. I've been thoroughly impressed (both inside and outside of the company) that Intrex ha been able to weather the storms of the market so effectively. With all that said...
We'd LOVE to hear what products you'd like us to stock. What you think is good to have, Linux-friendly, or Linux-specific even. There really isn't much in the hardware arena that's Linux specific, but think about particular things that we may not carry, and let us know. General non-Linux related things are great too. Bring a list with you to the next TriLUG meeting. We'll be there, with real decision makers present, who want your feedback. We're even buying the pizza. :) Keep in mind, I can't promise that we'll carry the particular widget that you need (for that matter I can't promise much with any weight :) ), but if there's a reasonable demand for a product or type of products, I'm sure we'll be glad to meet it.
Well that only took 30 mins. :) Time for sleep!
Good night TriLUG, Aaron S. Joyner -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ TriLUG PGP Keyring : http://trilug.org/~chrish/trilug.asc
