David, at 17:48 on Jun 16 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> I actually feel a bit sorry for them, as it wasn't really their fault.

db> That's like saying it's not NetComm's fault for problems with Rockwell 
db> chipsets.  Sure, Bill.  ;-)

"Not their fault", insofar as the faulty FROM (do you like the
new acronym which I've just invented?) was actually manufactured by AMD.

BG> It's not an SDL problem though.

db> That's just avoiding the question, Bill - who's at fault, who covers the 
db> cost?  USR didn't force users to flash the new firmware into their modems, 
db> so they're just as likely to disclaim all responsibility, which means it 
db> becomes an expensive little episode for the poor users.

Dunno, much of the Courier's appeal lies in its ability to permit field
upgrades via FROM, and indeed it's even advertised as such, so on that
particular basis, USR should ultimately be held reponsible, even though
they didn't actually make the dodgy component themselves.

BG> It's not the sort of problem which would show up in normal testing with
BG> normal SDLs either.

db> It's bad hardware QA, IMHO.

Sure, I agree, but by the same token, one could also point the finger in
AMD's direction too (and quite rightly, IMO).  Shouldn't they also be
performing random QA checks on their ICs as they come off the line?

Regards, Bill
@EOT:

--- MsgedSQ/2 3.30