K S wrote: >> Isn't Farnell a distributor? Maybe a better one than the other one you were > > Yes, strictly speaking, but they provide a service: speed, stock, > one-stop shopping. That is value adding and that value needs to be > paid for. > > If your distributor provides a service worth paying for then you > should use them if you need that service. My experience here tells me > that there are not many such distributors left. I think it's just that they're separating out into two types: comprehensive (Mouser, Digi-Key, Farnell), and specialized (shorter, more specialized list of manufacturers). The specialized ones are obsolescent, because of the Internet. But the comprehensive ones are now better than ever, because of the Internet. And, there may not be very many comprehensive distributors... but you only need one (or a few) - your favorite, and possibly a few others that meet different needs some of the time. -- Timothy J. Weber http://timothyweber.org -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist