Author Topic: Change as it applies to the computer world (Read 935 times)

Matthew · « **on:** January 13, 2011, 05:42:33 PM »

I was reading an article about how Microsoft won't bring their latest browser to Windows XP, which is still used by a majority of computer users.

Many people were saying, "Yeah, but it's 10 years old. It had its day. Time to get with the times..." etc.

People assume everything has to radically change every 2 or 3 years...

...why?

WHY is that so?

Tell me why we must have dramatic change in the computer world every couple years. Is the industry that infantile? My 4 day old daughter changes every couple of days -- my 5 year old, not so much so. A sign of true maturity is STABILITY and a shallower change/learning curve.

When computers were a curiosity, something not very useful, fascinating only for geeks with poor hygiene, they NEEDED to be upgraded as often as possible because even the upgraded models couldn't do much!

But around 2000, they started to mature, to the point that "every 2 year" upgrades became unnecessary.

Windows XP is a very complete, stable, well designed OS. It's hard to top that, unless you're going to voice control or making some other radical change. Really, what are they adding to Windows 7? A bunch of eye candy. You can keep it.

Dulcamara · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2011, 08:22:04 PM »

When they finally create a computer that lasts, for people with a very low budget... then they can stop changing. Till then, we're not there yet.

I can't believe we've had computers as long as we have, and nobody has created a decent, tough (meant to be used to death) computer for poor people.

CathMomof7 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2011, 10:24:10 AM »

Quote from: Bazz

I believe they do this to spur the economy, primarily.

Bingo!

This model is not only applied to electronics but appliances as well. In 1974, when my parents bought their first house, the also bought a Frigidaire refrigerator. It was yellow. That refrigerator sat in my parents kitchen until 1995 when my step mother requested a stainless steel variety. My father moved it to the garage to keep his beer cold. I don't believe it ever quit working. They moved in 1996 and I think they actually left that refrigerator in the garage because my father was too sick to move it.

In contrast, we bought a refrigerator in 1999. The compressor went out in 2002. We replaced it for about $300. It went out again in 2007. We bought a new refrigerator. We have replaced a washing machine 3 times since we've been married, a dryer twice. I can't even tell you how much living room furniture we have been through.

I won't even mention automobiles.

I believe until Walmart came to be, the idea was to provide consumers with big ticket items they would only need to purchase once and maintain them with minor repairs and inexpensive parts.

In 2007, when we needed a bigger kitchen table, we went to the Amish. We bought a table that fits 8 easily. It's solid and sturdy and amazingly well made. Hopefully we won't have to buy another and we can pass it on so one of our children won't have to buy one either.

We live in a consumer society. Consumerism is the value that most Americans have and they don't even think about it. They'd rather buy a new car than drive one for 20 years.

ora pro me · « **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2011, 04:26:52 PM »

One of the reasons, or perhaps the main reason, that appliances no longer last as long, is that modern "energy efficient" appliances are made with smaller compressors in order to be more, "energy efficient" and so they do not handle the electric load as well, so the motors or compressors, burn out sooner. Once again our governement hoodwinks us, or I should say twice or thrice or even more, since you may need to buy 2, 3 or more appliances in the same amount of time as before. Quite a way to make our dying economy look like it is still sputtering along, isn't it?

DoubtingThomas · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2011, 01:03:20 AM »

What about Linux (Ubuntu)?

What about UNIX (PC-BSD)?

What about HaikuOS?

Whoever is suffering with Bill Gates, is doing it out of choice.

Instead of re-learning everything every four years, learn another OS just once.

Set yourself free from MS!

PartyIsOver221 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2011, 05:33:49 AM »

Actually Windows 7 has a lot of new features, mainly geared to the corporate/government environment.

Full IPv6 support(very important for future as all IPv4 addresses are pretty much DEPLETED ; go look it up and you'll see what I mean and how everyone in IT is aware of this and the implications), features like BranchCache (to cache files used on a network often rather than use bandwidth to draw them over a VPN or the LAN over and over), and the desktop OS that will match with the new 64-bit servers that will be coming out... do you know what 64-bit technology means over 32-bit? Look it up if you dont... it means 20 computers put into 1 through virtualization. Imagine the efficiency of putting 20 separate servers into 1 box (and there are ways to mitigate the risk of putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak... the servers can "morph" to other physical computers whenever they sense trouble... how intelligent is that)

Yeah yeah, this is a probably a bunch of techno gooblygook and to an outsider it means nothing, but the recent changes in the past 2-3 years have been massive in the world of computers. IPv6 alone can change the face of communication, hacking, networking, and everything mobile related as we know it. Whats easier to remember in a pinch... 192.168.1.1 or fe80:8374:0000:3747:bd37:ba03:f9ff:ffff ... yeah thats what I thought too.

To reiterate what DoubtingThomas said... go check out Linux and all the distros that go with it. 1. They're free, 2. They do everything and more that all not-free operating systems do, and 3. Less tracking from whoever wants your information!!!!!!!!!! WHICH IS YOU KNOW WHO!

So don't be intimidated. There are actually Traditional Catholics in the computer world (its my job), and God will be with us always to the end of times, the end of computer times, the end of the worlds time too.