Having a chip
with an embedded IP stack is useful for a lot of things; 
 Yes. But this has its own set of problems and limitations. It can be a
 good tool, but only for its special set of applications. 
 
That said, this is clearly the future for small microcomputers, offloading
the TCP overhead to a separate dedicated device. Commodore NICs are moving
 from Crystal 8900-type (RRNet) to Wiznet-type devices,
for example. 
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http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
  Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * 
www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at 
floodgap.com
-- Don't be humble ... you're not that great. -- Golda Meir -------------------