Here's one for the DEC engineers

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Wed Nov 8 09:49:04 2000

At 09:08 AM 11/8/00 -0500, Bill wrote:
>> From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis_at_mcmanis.com>
>>
>>
>> >Well, I've got to give a toast to the folks in DEC Engineering, it may
>> be
>> >that they had to deal with Field Circus screwing things up, but I for
>> one
>> >really appreciate that DEC used keyed connectors, and appropriate
>> cables,
>> >and sturdy hardware. I'm also glad that whomever designed the TQK70 did
>> so
>> >such that plugging it in backwards in the Q-bus does it no apparent
>> harm. I
>>
>>
>> Thank you from myself and all the other CSSE engineers. Those little
>> details
>> were part of requirements for serviceability that came from the Field
>> Service
>> side of the house and implemented in best technology by engineering.
>>
>> Allison
>
>The only problem with CSSE is they made it so easy to work on the DEC
>stuff Field Service management began hiring the clueless to work cheap
>and they lost a lot of the clued folks to people who changed the board
>with the RED led lit. One day they worked on VT220's the next they
>were promoted to your VAX cluster!
>
>DEC's designs were among the most maintainable and reliable.
>Of all the companies I've worked for, only IBM had stuff as well
>designed for maintainance and with reliable, well designed, field
>modifyable diagnostis.
>
>

   I used to work for Burroughs and I wish I could say that their stuff was
built as well but I can't. IMO IBM and DEC put a lot of extra effort into
making their systems easy to work on because most systems weren't sold but
only leased to the user's and most user's had maintenance contracts on them
so it was in IBM's and DEC's best interest to make the stuff fast and easy
to repair since it had a direct effect on their profit.

   You're right about working on VAX clusters one day and VT-220 the next.
Burroughs, and presumably the others, assigned personel to geogrphic areas
and you were expected to fix everything in that area regardless of what it
was. I worked for Borroughs for two years and worked on everything from
mechanical 100 key adders to some of the first electronic calculators to
B1700s and everything in between.

   Joe
Received on Wed Nov 08 2000 - 09:49:04 GMT