Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site wateng.UUCP 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