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Path: utzoo!watmath!watdaisy!wateng!padpowell
From: padpowell@wateng.UUCP (PAD Powell[Admin])
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Artificially Different Products
Message-ID: <127@wateng.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Jul-83 21:53:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: wateng.127
Posted: Tue Jul  5 21:53:43 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Jul-83 23:56:38 EDT
References: utcsrgv.1663, <5068@cca.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 14

Well, I have had the interesting experience of having a customer request
a "slower" product.  On a single board system under developement, it was
neccessary to build a lot of effort into the IO stuff.  Basically the
silly users wanted a FIFO on input and output.  The chip level design
was horrible.  But it turns out that a 6809 with a 256 byte ROM and
a couple of jelly-beans (strawberry of course) does it quite nicely.
When the design was presented to the managment of the company who was paying
for this little gem,  they refused it on the grounds that they were paying
for a "Single Processor System".   I refuse to describe the comedy that then
took place as the cost/benefits of the thing were explained.  Of course,
it is now a major selling point...  A Multiple Processor Control Board!!!

Patrick ("Never give a gift to an accounant, he will want to know if
		it is tax deductable") Powell