Xref: utzoo comp.sys.att:7305 unix-pc.general:3564
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ukma!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att,unix-pc.general
Subject: Re: WD2010 group buy, call for ORDER and $$$
Message-ID: <21242@cup.portal.com>
Date: 13 Aug 89 07:01:24 GMT
References: <20511@cup.portal.com> <21166@cup.portal.com> <275@bilver.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 45

In article <275@bilver.UUCP>, bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion) writes:

"
The packages Tad shipped should be a model for many commercial establishments.

Tad's documentation is excellent.  The graphics illustrations were better than
virtually all commercial manuals I have seen.
"

Glad to hear the package(s) arrived safely!  Shipping safety and clear
instructions were both top priority.  There are only two things I would have
done differently, given more time and resources:

1) shrink-wrapping the anti-static tube(s) to a cardboard carrier instead of
   taping the tube(s) to the paper carrier as I did; this was done to assure
   the tube(s) remained centered in the bubble-envelope, and
2) building a bracket for the "hot knife" I built; this would have guaranteed
   every cut (of the anti-static tubes) to be a "clean" one (also assuming a
   better method of regulating the current through the nichrome wire could have
   been cobbled-up quickly; as it was, I held the "knife" in my hand, and moved
   an alligator clip along a steel spring until the nichrome would just glow
   along its entire length).
  
Also, the line drawings of the UNIXPC and the motherboard are reproductions from
various UNIXPC manuals (I've bought numerous packages for the system, so I have
a wide selection of material from which to choose).  I really agonized over
using those drawings, however, because some artist(s) at AT&T really did a
first-class job and I didn't know whom to credit.  The arrows pointing to the
items of interest are mine, though!  :-)

Seriously, I did do some simpler drawings as HPGL (Hewlett-Packard Graphics
Language) objects, and they plotted-out nicely and clearly, but time was running
out (delays cutting the anti-static tubes) and the software I was doing to
"wrap" text around the plotted images simply wasn't (and isn't) ready, which is
why I cut and pasted (using scissors and rubber cement) photocopies of the
drawings from some UNIXPC documentation. 

In any event, I am sincerely happy to hear that people are pleased with how the
WD2010 chip group buy worked out.  I looked at this as one way of repaying, in
spirit, the people who selflessly helped me some 20+ years ago when I was
getting started with computers.  And you wouldn't believe how far MY jaw dropped
when I discovered that one of those people, Syd Reid, is now assigned to our
Users' Group as an AT&T Technical Consultant.  Small world!

Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]