LM394 (old news?)

Thanks.

Also I object to semiconductor manufacturers using the word "obsolete" for a product when what they really mean is "we are no longer capable of making anything that solves that problem". I find it a bit like how flash websites say that "my software is out of date" because I deliberately deleted flash. No, their website is out of date and nobody wants flash.

Bingo.

A lot of older semiconductor products require fab processes from fabs that no longer exist except in places like Russia or India who purchased complete obsolete fabs.

I recall when I worked for National Semi and a customer wanted some RS-232 transceivers with very high ESD protection to go with the SuperIO they were buying from us. We didn't have a product like that anymore because it required a large geometry old fab to make the part. So they used a part from a company that still was cranking out parts in their ancient fab. And 16 years later that high ESD part is still being made.

But they should not use the word "obsolete" they should use "discontinued," especially if there is no replacement part.

No one may want it, but there are still a great many sites that use it. I have Flash enabled on my Android phones and tablets as well. A few years ago a tenant of a rental I own wanted to show me a video of laminate flooring installation and he grabbed his iPad (he works for Apple) and he couldn't show me the video. I grabbed my Android Nexus 7 and played the flash video.