A TCJ reader asked why I'm designing with discrete logic instead of PALs. On the other hand, my junkbox is well stocked with 7400 series parts and wirewrap sockets. Not everyone is equipped to program PALs. This is especially important for a journal like TCJ, which is trying to make its designs accessible to all readers. It feels like an admission of defeat.
PALs only minimize the number of chips.
On the 6809 board, it wouldn't have saved that many chips. Swapping that for two PALs isn't a great gain. Not all of these reasons would be valid in a commercial project. The one-time cost of PAL programmers is trivial for most companies. The added cost of PAL chips is offset by the reduced cost of assembly.