Re: 1571/1581 Sources: Macro WDTEST inserting NOP before reading WD177x status register / writing command register

On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 9:35 PM smf <smf_at_null.net> wrote:
>
> The xor patent killed commodore, along with top level management
> decisions unrelated to using software to save money on manufacturing costs.

I don't agree. No innovation killed Commodore and MOS.
The 16 bit variant of the 6502 was developed outside MOS.
All successful engineers that made C64 had left by the start of 1984,
Jack Tramiel (after PET, VIC-20 anc C64 success) was
forced to leave by 1984.
If it wasn't for the acquisition of the project Amiga, it would never
make in the '90s.

> Cost reduction like this is the only reason that commodore even made it
> into the 90's.

Apple was lucky to make till today with no cost reduction then :)

>
> I suppose you could have gotten a job at olivetti, they didn't survive
> because they were too expensive.

You don't have a clue about italian situation, do you? Olivetti didn't
survive for two reasons:
1)
the son of the original founder, Adiano Olivetti, died at age 59 in
1960, the best engineer Olivetti had, Mario Tchou, died
at age 37 in 1961, and Federico Faggin (yes the intel 4004 designer,
Zilog founder) left Olivetti too after 1961, so by the late 1970s
already the company was drifting away from leading edge innovation.
Don't forget that HP had to pay $900.000 worth of royalties to
Olivetti for solutions used in their 1968 HP-9100A.

2) Italian political class never regarded the electronic business as a
major one, instead they always favoured the automobile manufacturers.

And by the way, when a company tries to survive by ignoring innovation
and focusing on product's cheapness it's already dead.

Anyway, I don't want to steal this thread with off topic content. So,
if you're interested in more details, you can write privately.
Thank you.
Frank