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From a philosophical standpoint, I am very disappointed with NI's ruling; I would fully agree if NI went as far as to request that the discounted cRIOs only be used for education purposes. From a business standpoint, NI has every right to deny the sale. From a good-will standpoint, not good at all; especially when trying to fill the shoes that IFI left behind.
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Can you please elaborate on how a discount program for FRC supplies has become a disappointment to you? How do other supplier discount programs work?
As for comparisons to IFI, the article at
http://digital.ni.com/worldwide/bwco...25742B00737DF5 explains NIs motivations and involvement. Basically, a donation of lots of cRIOs, SW, support, and development. Additionally, there are two different discount programs directly to teams. I don't know enough about previous suppliers to make comparisons.
If your motivation was to aid other teams, I'm not sure why this focusses on a specific supply item. If your team can loan or grant money to other teams, I suspect some will choose to purchase a cRIO, but others would instead buy tools or pay for hotel rooms. If the motivation is to use up all of the discount coupons before they expire, don't worry about it. They don't go sour like cartons of milk, and I'm sure that a cRIO-FRC model controller will find a good home.
Greg McKaskle