gary@dgcad.SV.DG.COM (Gary Bridgewater) (04/07/90)
In article <2208@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> davidsen@crdos1.crd.ge.com (bill davidsen) writes: >aglew@dwarfs.csg.uiuc.edu (Andy Glew) says: > >|When I said the M88K was a "skunk works" project I meant nothing >|derogatory. > The term "skunk works" comes from _Li'l Abner_, a comic strip later Iterative refinement... _Barney Google_ , "skonk works" in the vernacular. Where they worked on the Polecats. Not sure what they did with them. A skunk works project is one that is allegedly done on the sly or has some non-mainstream quality about it. DG seems to specialize in this (ref. _Soul of a New Machine_). The self-congratulatory aspect of the term seems to be a new interpretation. Anyone who thinks the resources necessary to produce a product like the 88k without management approval (or the DG MV series) should avoid realtors from swampy or mountainous areas. The 'realest' skunk works project I know of is probably Unix itself - and it went on to become a registered trademark of AT&T. Strangely, we never seem to hear of failed skunk works projects. Do we? -- Gary Bridgewater, Data General Corporation, Sunnyvale California gary@sv.dg.com or {amdahl,aeras,amdcad}!dgcad!gary The impossible we understand right away - the obvious takes a little longer.