cox@ppi.UUCP (10/29/87)
Let me offer an analogy that I find helpful in thinking about the `State
of Software Technology', namely `The State of Woodworking Technology'.
Of course, just like Software Technology, Woodworking Technology is too
broad to generalize about. For example, consider these three cases
Case Alpha:
I, as a typical a hobby wordworker, am prepared to spend arbitrary
amounts of time and energy to make one-of-a-kind pieces for myself.
To alpha wordworkers, the primary imperative is the personal
gratification from the process of woodworking and secondarily
from the product. Cost is no object, so I'm into carefully hand-fitted
dovetail joints, etc.
Case Beta:
The Germans have come up with a standardized system (`The 32mm System')
for building kitchen cabinets with incredible productivity. The
32mm system is based on standardized dimensions; for example
all holes for hanging shelves, mounting doors, and fastening cabinet
walls to the top and bottom are of standardized sizes and are always
spaced by multiples of 32 mm. A large industry has grown up to supply
hardware (drawer hangers, door hinges, snap-in fixtures, cabinet
assembly hardware) within this system. High cabinet-making productivity
comes from the fact that the cabinet-maker can cut plywood sheets
to precise sizes with computer-controlled saws, drill all mounting
holes with special gang drills, and completely finish the cabinets
without ever assembling them, then ship them as flat panels to
the customer and snap/screw them together FOR THE FIRST TIME
right in the customer's kitchen. The fancy dovetail joints that
Moser and I care so much about have disappeared and replaced by
off-the-shelf hardware components, but quality is good and costs
are in line with what homeowners are prepared to spend for
kitchen cabinets.
Case Gamma:
Visit your local K-Mart or similar discount store and examine what
they're offering for furniture. The last time I looked, what seems
to be wood is really composition board and even plastic covered with
contact paper that simulates