I learned today what a jellybean part was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%E2%80%93Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%E2%80%93Machine "cheap and multitudin

I learned today what a jellybean part was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%E2%80%93Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%E2%80%93Machine "cheap and multitudinous commodity parts, each with a processor, memory, and a fast communication interface" This reminds me of when I first went into business and bought some machinery. It actually surprised me (at that young age) to learn that the production machine I bought used standard parts that I could buy anywhere (bolts, screws and the like) and that if I needed one I didn't have to order it from the company that I bought the machine from. That seems obvious to me today but it wasn't obvious back then ("back then" was way before the web of course where info was not readily available)