Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!hsi!stpstn!kermit!andyk
From: andyk@kermit.UUCP (Andy Klapper)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: An unfulfilled promise...
Keywords: shipments problems
Message-ID: <5474@kermit.UUCP>
Date: 21 Aug 90 12:58:24 GMT
References: <1990Aug19.191912.24613@portia.Stanford.EDU> <322@atncpc.UUCP>
Reply-To: andyk@kermit.UUCP (Andy Klapper)
Organization: The Stepstone Corporation, Sandy Hook, CT 06482
Lines: 20

>By the way,  I'd put the number sold to be "over 15,000" 
>personally.  This is because my machine is serial number
>2454, and was purchased 1yr and 5 months ago.  The ones
>we just recently obtained have serial numbers like 16233.
>
>You figure it out.

At my last job for a company that manufactured analytical instruments I
discovered a little secret.  The serial numbers were picked at random from
a list of available numbers.  Each number was unique, but it had nothing
at all to do with when that machine was made, or even how many were made.
(They kept a log so that given any serial number THEY could figure out
when it came off the line).  This trick was done to prevent exactly what
you were doing, trying to find out how many units were made. 

-- 
The Stepstone Corporation                    Andy Klapper
75 Glen Rd.                                  andyk@stepstone.com
Sandy Hook, CT 06482                         uunet!stpstn!andyk
(203) 426-1875    fax (203)270-0106