pjd@cwruecmp.UUCP (dr. funk) (01/14/87)
[I'm so anxious.] A few observations on getting stuck with old technology when the latest and greatest comes out. * I guess I'm used to it. I've had to refresh my musical instruments every few years, too. Might as well lay down (bend over?) and enjoy it. * The problem is not that a manufacturer brings out new machines -- it is the rate at which they are periodically introduced! As someone who tracks the base technology that goes into a machine and the computing market, I'm not surprised that the "refresh rate" in computing is high. It is simply a matter of competition and in some cases corporate survival. * What can a manufacturer do to keep friends (customers?) 1 Provide EARLY for upgrades. 2 Supply upgrades at a reasonable cost. 3 Encourage competent third party suppliers. * Points 1 and 2 above are not necessarily compatible with low cost. This is where Atari 520 and 1040 owners are hurting due to the "Power without the price" maxim. * If I can take my 520 up to 1Mb (reliably which means no piggy-backing and power flakies) and add a blitter, I won't be horribly bummed. This is sufficient for MY needs. Make your own judgements. -- paul drongowski decvax!cwruecmp!pjd case western reserve university pjd%Case@CSNet-relay
bzs@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Barry Shein) (01/15/87)
Here's a wierd idealistic idea... Let's face it, in the micro world we are destined to "get stuck" with aging technology (ie. anything more than 6 months old.) The worst thing is to create a back pressure on innovative vendors to hold back things so old boxes (which may contain honest errors of design) might be upgraded or kept compatible. So we need a solution that can be applied successfully over and over again (other than whining every time :-) Here's mine: 1. Offer a trade-in on the last model as a substantial discount against the new model. 2. Sell these used systems at their steeply discounted price back to schools who can (should be able to...) make good use of them. 3. Get the tax boys (and girls) to maximize that spread by having the government kick in in the form of a tax deduction to the company (who, more than likely, is incurring at least an operating cost for managing the program.) There is little doubt in my mind that this would *not* be a "tax scam", schools are spending on computers, this reduces the govt's bills (or tuition on campuses, etc) and should be compensated. 4. Have a lottery or something simple like that to distribute the used systems (I don't care, just keep it simple.) 5. Let the various vendors play one-upsmanship (one-upspersonship?) on how far they can push such programs, ahh, competition at its altruistic best! Am I only a dreamer? A fool in love? So shoot me. -Barry Shein, Boston University Fellow Americans, it may be ugly to think about, but there are places in America where children go for days without hacking...