Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uwm.edu!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod From: zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Mass produced custom chips Summary: Old cars and old computers Message-ID: <1835@madnix.UUCP> Date: 3 May 91 10:29:16 GMT References: <2548@spim.mips.COM> Organization: MADNIX, operated by: ARP Software Madison WI Lines: 28 In Article , peter@ficc.ferranti.com (peter da silva) writes: >> And there are still a number of companies which build small runs... > >> If I hit the lottery one of my cars will be an Avanti... > >You mean a Corvette or Trans Am with a fiberglass shell based on an >old Studebaker? ^^^^^^^^ Try "built with Studebaker's original tooling". And that includes the chassis; only the engine and transmission come from Chevrolet. They've updated the design a bit in recent years, so I don't know how much of the old tooling remains, but they still build it from the ground up (Avantis have always had fiberglass bodies). A few years ago it was said that there were enough companies making replacement parts for Ford Model-A's that you could build a brand-new one, with no original parts (I suppose the same could be said of the IBM-PC :-). Perhaps the most likely motivation for a small-run custom CPU would be for nostalgic reasons (ie, PDP-10 on-a-chip). That way, you don't need a rational reason to do it. ================== zaphod@madnix.UUCP (Ron Bean) {harvard|rutgers|ucbvax}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!madnix!zaphod