Talk:Digital access and cross-connect system

Untitled
Rings 12,13,and 14 are in the same terminal and connect to DACs at the far end. These terminals are 48 ring terminals. Hence the DACs can handle SONET LEVEL SPEEDS.

Yes, "DACS" is listed in the referenced dictionary, but it's actually an incorrect term. "DACS" is a brand name for devices of this type manufactured by Lucent; the correct generic term is "DCS" (Digital Cross-connect System). People sometimes use the term "DACS" because of two reasons:
 * 1) DCS units were pretty-much invented by Western Electric (the manufacturing arm of AT&T), and for a long time the "Baby Bells" only bought equipment like this from Western Electric, now Lucent.  "DACS" became a quasi-generic term, much as "Kleenex" did.
 * 2) The abbreviation "DCS" doesn't have any vowels, so pronouncing it as "dacs" feels natural (and is probably better that "dics" or any of the other alternatives!)

Nonetheless, DCS is the correct term, not DACS. I suggest that this article should be moved and DACS should redirect to DCS. --Fthiess 16:47, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

I don't see anything in this article that isn't well handled in Digital cross connect system, and that article uses the industry--standard term. I agree that this article should be replaced with a redirect to Digital cross connect system. I would agree that when "DCS" is spoken as a word rather than a sequence of letters it is invariably pronounced like "DACS", but when asked to spell it out, the speaker will almost always spell it "DCS" anyway. Mmccalpin 12:28, 29 November 2006 (UTC)