18 Jan
2004
18 Jan
'04
8:32 p.m.
Antonio Carlini wrote:
I think if you wait long enough all ICs will fail,
through solid-state diffusion if nothing else. At
least with the off-the-shelf parts it will be possible
(in principle) to remanufacture a facsimile. With
modern ASICs (and probably FPGAs) this will be pretty
hard to achieve.
Antonio
But with TUBE computers you just fix the broken part.:)
That is the major difference between IC's and the earlier
generations of computers. That is part of the reason
real classic computers have a better chance of sticking
around, as you can still make parts like core memory
for a modest amount of $ compared to anything with a IC
in it.
Ben.