From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: fdb77,c9f2b97a84c48976 X-Google-Attributes: gidfdb77,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 1158e3,c9f2b97a84c48976 X-Google-Attributes: gid1158e3,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-20 10:24:49 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news2.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!freenix!grolier!nerim.net!isdnet!psinet-france!psiuk-f4!psiuk-p4!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,ccomp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml,comp.lang.java.advocacy Subject: Re: Market pressures for more reliable software Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 12:55:09 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9gqkhf$c10$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <9folnd$1t8$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B1FE1FE.B49AE27F@noaa.gov> <9fotpi$4k6$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b24dc21$1@news.tce.com> <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com> <9g5as6$hbq$1@magnum.mmm.com> <9g5ipg$roq$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9g614i$at4$1@magnum.mmm.com> <9g7r02$mni$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9g840k$qjt$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <40gfitgrvd8cgu27r3vfib6eptmapb3pfl@4ax.com> <9g8lrk$37c$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B2B6D5E.F9AE7CAB@mail.com> <9gl0sh$9gq$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b2f40fc$7$fuzhry$mr2ice@va.news.verio.net> <9gnn8m$979$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B30C75D.2020507@earthlink.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 993056111 12320 136.170.200.133 (20 Jun 2001 16:55:11 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 20 Jun 2001 16:55:11 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8925 comp.lang.java.programmer:77606 comp.lang.pl1:1104 comp.lang.vrml:3891 comp.lang.java.advocacy:21506 Date: 2001-06-20T16:55:11+00:00 List-Id: Well, the point was, at one time lots (if not most or all) of the computing was done in some centralized manner. You had a mainframe to which you connected and on that mainframe was where you had your data and programs. That had the advantage (as Micro$oft will tell you) that you could access your data from anywhere on any piece of equipment (a dumb terminal at the time) and if some piece of software you used was supported by the central location, you instantly got updates as they were made. Eventually, this model began to wane because of the prevalence of mini and microcomputers. People now had their software stored on their *own* personal machine. You didn't need to ask permission of some central DP organization to get something done (change software, update data, make backups, get more disk quota, etc.) You just up and did it - including deciding if you wanted to buy a new version of some software product or just live with what you have. Now Bill Gates, et alia, are suggesting that you go back to the old model because this way, they can keep charging you every day for the storage of your data and the execution of your programs. (That's basically what you had in the old days, right? Or is the suggestion that somehow it wasn't this way or that B.G., et al., are offering you something fundamentally different? Or maybe it is just unclear what I meant when I said "Centralized"?) I suppose you are free to do that if you like, but personally, I would rather have all that stuff sitting on my desk at home & not keep buying Micro$oft Word every time I want to execute it. (Nor trusting Micro$oft not to go "data mining" through my private files. Assuming they aren't doing that already every time I connect to the Internet... :-) MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com Web: http://www.mcondic.com/ "Charles Hixson" wrote in message news:3B30C75D.2020507@earthlink.net... > Marin David Condic wrote: > > > How far back can you remember? :-) > > > > Seriously. I worked in a datacenter where the programming for the whole > > organization was done in a central location by an MIS department and batch > > jobs were run by the computer operators and all anybody had was dumb > > ... > > > > Well, back in 1960-64 I was in several different places. Some were > centralized and some weren't. The keypunching was centrallized. The > computers were centralized. But we did all the coding on paper or > coding sheets. And those were decentrallized. > > Some people only created data, and a few others only created programs, > and several did both, and most did neither. But though the machinery > was centrallized, in most of the places that I was the coding wasn't. > There were exceptions. OTOH, much (not all) of this experience was > around a university, so that might skew things. > > -- > Charles Hixson > > Copy software legally, the GNU way! > Use GNU software, and legally make and share copies of software. > See http://www.gnu.org > http://www.redhat.com > http://www.linux-mandrake.com > http://www.calderasystems.com/ > http://www.linuxapps.com/ >