The Relative Effectiveness of Internally Programmed and Sequentially Programmed Machines for Automatic Checkout

An increasing body of evidence suggests the desirability of internally programmed equipment as contrasted with sequentially programmed machines for automatic checkout of large systems in the field. After defining internal and sequential programmed machines the fundamental advantages of the former in the areas of speed and random and repetitive access are reviewed. The specific capabilities and system test techniques resulting from these advantages are developed in detail, examples are given, and the results evaluated. The aggregate of these techniques applied by an internally programmed ACOE to a prime system designed for testability produces an efficient test program different in kind and depth from that implementable by a sequential machine. The value of increments in test efficiency are large and are translated into dollars through their effect on system availability and reliability. Such quantitative data as are available today are cited to support the validity of the conclusion.