Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!yale-com!leichter From: leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Touch-Tone Pads (with "sidebar" abou - (nf) Message-ID: <1704@yale-com.UUCP> Date: Sun, 3-Jul-83 08:53:57 EDT Article-I.D.: yale-com.1704 Posted: Sun Jul 3 08:53:57 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 4-Jul-83 07:23:24 EDT References: fortune.1225 Lines: 17 TRUE story about Amdahl 470's: They came in two versions, with a significant difference in speed. You could upgrade to the fast version, then flip a switch and have it go back to the slow one. So Amdahl came up with the rather interesting idea that you paid, essentially, for CPU cycles used when you leased such a machine. Separate timers kept track of time in "fast" and "slow" modes and you were charged different rates. The idea was that you would run in "slow" mode most of the time, and, when that "end of the quarter" crunch came, switch to fast mode to get the work done. I have no idea whether there was any difference in expected time to system problems in fast rather than slow mode - about the only thing that would make a difference in Amdahl's costs; I find it hard to believe there would be. As far as I know, this policy is still in effect, and the companies liking the \\\\\\[companies] using the machines like it. -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale