On Jun 24, 2:47*pm, msg wrote:

Every chip that isn't a gate array in this machine has been assigned
a (mu)PD number, which suggests to me some intention of standardization,
but I may be dreaming.

Wishful thinking, more like. I would say the appliance is based on a
reference design from NEC and hence the plethora of NEC parts; they're
all part of a single chipset. In fact I'd say the single-vendor
approach indicates more likely a /lack/ of standardization - it was
easier to get an all-NEC design working than to hybridize it