Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!rosin From: rosin@hogpc.UUCP Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Artificially Different Products Message-ID: <208@hogpc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Jul-83 09:28:52 EDT Article-I.D.: hogpc.208 Posted: Tue Jul 5 09:28:52 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 7-Jul-83 04:09:10 EDT References: utcsrgv.1663 Lines: 15 IBM once marketed a "thrifty fifty" series of tab machines, including a 407 'tabulating printer' (used by most universities as a way to list a deck of punched cards without tying up a CPU). This equipment was actually factory reconditioned and rented for considerably less than (supposedly) new facilities. The 407, however, ran 2/3 the speed of the higher priced model becuase 3 relays were ADDED to the machine to slow it down - printing only two out of every three cycles, thus allowing for a reduced rental!! (I also recall that some adders were removed/disabled as well.) While on a lecture/visit to Tuskegee Institute in 1965 I constructed a jumper to circumvent these relays on their printer. It was probably the most valuable outcome of the trip from their point of view. Bob Rosin, Ameican Bell, houx_!hogpc!rosin, 201-576-3549