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From: amos@instable.UUCP (Amos Shapir)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Architecture upgrade
Message-ID: <653@instable.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Dec-86 03:44:34 EST
Article-I.D.: instable.653
Posted: Sun Dec 21 03:44:34 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Dec-86 09:35:32 EST
References: <112@bnr-vpa.UUCP> <9200002@rmi.UUCP> <193@drilex.UUCP> <7426@utzoo.UUCP>
Reply-To: amos%nsta@nsc
Organization: National Semiconductor (Israel) Ltd.
Lines: 21

In article <7426@utzoo.UUCP> henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) writes:
[under the original Subject Re: what's a word]
>The only reason it's called a longword is because of all the semi-subliminal 
>it's-really-just-a-big-pdp11-so-don't-worry-about-incompatibility marketing
>horseshit that surrounded the vax in its early days.  Remember when a 780's
>official designation was a "VAX-11/780"?

Actually, DEC had made a brilliant (may be unintentional) upgrade,
changing architecture while keeping the customers, doing it both radically
and gradually at the same time. There are very few cases (that I know of)
in which an architecture upgrade had managed to keep all the good parts
and leave out all the bad parts - the hardest part is convincing the users
that it won't hurt; providing 'compatibility mode' is an excellent cushion,
and, unlike other vendors' upgrades, you dont need to know about it
if you dont use it.

-- 
	Amos Shapir
National Semiconductor (Israel)
6 Maskit st. P.O.B. 3007, Herzlia 46104, Israel
(011-972) 52-522261  amos%nsta@nsc 34.48'E 32.10'N