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From: andy@Gang-of-Four.Stanford.EDU (Andy Freeman)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Ethics of crippler circuitry
Message-ID: <6898@polya.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 15 Feb 89 18:57:54 GMT
References: <7143@pyr.gatech.EDU> <11630010@hpsmtc1.HP.COM> <25740@apple.Apple.COM> <3088@ficc.uu.net>
Sender: news@polya.Stanford.EDU
Reply-To: andy@Gang-of-Four.Stanford.EDU (Andy Freeman)
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Lines: 21

In article <3088@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
>At one point the top-end engine in the Chevy Camaro was just a bit too
>powerful... it put the car in a very expensive bracket for most of the
>major insurance companies.

>So Chevy simply published lower specs on the engine and let the word leak
>out what a sleeper it was...

I love urban myths.  Insurance companies hear everything that the
enthusiast hears.  If the engine made a significant difference,
or the IC even thought it did, the IC will charge more, no matter
what the specs say.  If you're lucky, they'd test it first.

On the other hand, this is the kind of publicity that sells cars.
Other myths have similar motivations, and they aren't always to sell
something; often they're intended to hurt a company.

-andy
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