CompuServe Messages

What modern technological industry accepts a one percent failure rate? US integrated circuit manufacturers had AQLs around that level in the mid 1970's, until the Japanese vendors entered the market with ten times better quality levels. AQLs for ICs are now in the parts-per-million level. US car manufacturers had a similar lackadaisical attitude towards quality until Japanese companies starting eating their metaphorical lunch. Now, according to "Consumer Reports," US cars are about as good as Japanese cars were ten years ago. Meanwhile, the Japanese companies have improved their product by about a factor of ten. One percent bad floppies? If I were running a duplicator house, I would (a) Shoot my floppy supplier (b) Shoot my duplicator supplier (c) Flee to some country without U.S. extradition. (Shooting people is considered in poor taste in much of the USA, unless said person has done something really annoying, like driving slow in the fast lane.) And we aren't even talking 1.4 MB or 2.8 MB floppies; just old, 720 kB discs. This isn't rocket science. (It isn't science and it doesn't involve rockets. QED.) On the other hand, as I mentioned in a previous note, Newtek is being very nice and offering to load the software directly onto my hard disk, so I can't complain too much. It's inconvenient, but it's not like Fred Phelps is going to show up on my doorstep.