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

[Mouse]

> We're talking about putting in a rather complex computer to generate
> a baud rate.  Are people really that handicapped when it comes to
> building hardware nowadays?

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.

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