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From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: MIPS machine
Message-ID: <915@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: Fri, 25-Jul-86 06:59:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: hoptoad.915
Posted: Fri Jul 25 06:59:36 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Jul-86 20:54:33 EDT
References: <6964@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 21

Henry was noodging DEC for only selling packaged systems while MIPS
would sell chips, boards, or systems.  Maybe the reason is:
I heard a rumor that MIPS does not *build* the development system that
they sell.  It's OEMed from Plexus.

This is an utterly reasonable idea.  Consider how much pain would have
been saved had Motorola sold Suns rather than their odd, slow Versados
systems.  Even a box from one of those fly-by-night companies that were
formed to provide a market for Unisoft would have been better.  How
many people ever want to see an Intel Development System again?

[Of course you need to create the tools needed for cross-development,
but OEM hardware and software, as a base to build development systems
on, seems to follow the leading edge a lot closer than chip-mfrs'
hardware and software.]

I'm curious why MIPS hasn't made this rumor public knowledge.  Perhaps
Plexus is not selling the system through its own sales offices yet?
-- 
John Gilmore  {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu   jgilmore@lll-crg.arpa
		     May the Source be with you!