Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!labrea!aurora!eos!ames!pasteur!agate!saturn!ucscc.UCSC.EDU!haynes
From: haynes@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (99700000)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Marketing MIPS
Message-ID: <2115@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 88 04:26:32 GMT
References: <175121@<1988Feb18> <165100013@uiucdcsb>
Sender: usenet@saturn.ucsc.edu
Reply-To: haynes@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (Jim Haynes)
Organization: California State Home for the Weird
Lines: 24

And then there was the predecessor GE 625/635 line which originally
was to have been built with 2usec memory for the 625 and much more
expensive 1usec memory for the 635.  But by the time the machine
really started selling the cost of 1usec memory had come down and
2usec memory was essentially obsolete.  So in the interests of
standardization they were all built with 1usec memory and the 625s
had a time delay to slow it down to 2usec.  These machines were
followed by a 615 which had quite a number of internal timers juggled
to slow it down specifically to compete with the IBM 360/50.

At least Amdahl was completely out in the open with their models
where you could throw a switch and turn the overlap off and pay
less, or turn it on when you wanted more speed and were willing to
pay more.

Such is the way of marketing-driven business.  Seems like DEC used
to be technology-driven rather than marketing-driven, but that
lately they have changed to marketing orientation also - there was
the Microvax that sold for a reduced price and had epoxy poured into
some of the backpanel slots so you couldn't expand it.

haynes@ucscc.ucsc.edu
haynes@ucscc.bitnet
..ucbvax!ucscc!haynes