using new technology on old machines. Was: PDP-12 Restoration at the RICM

Speaking as someone who didn't do that, but might well have - it's not a question of "handicapped"; it's a question of convenience, ease of use, and suchlike. Yes, I know how to build a BRG in hardware. I've even done it, more or less. But if I want something fast, and I have a small SOC handy, I may well use it: it's a lot easier to change the generated frequency in more-or-less arbitrary ways (ie, other than just picking a different tap off a divider chain), and it's quite possible the SOC is at readier hand than the oscillator and divider. Of course, if it's going to be there for more than the short term, I probably will replace it once I've settled on a frequency. But initially? Sure, I'll go with the "complex" way, for convenience and flexibility. I'm also likely to fire up a calculator program on a desktop computer to add two five-digit numbers rather than reaching for pencil and paper or a dedicated calculator. Even though I'm hardly incapable of using either of the latter. When the more powerful tool is handy and its use carries no sigificant downside, I see nothing wrong with overkill. /~\ The ASCII Mouse \ / Ribbon Campaign X Against HTML mouse at rodents-montreal.org / \ Email! 7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39 4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B