Re: Way OT: Adam Smith and Software Markets

[Dmitry A. Kazakov <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

On Tue, 04 Mar 2003 15:40:09 GMT, "Frank J. Lhota"
<NOSPAM.lhota.adarose@verizon.net> wrote:

>"Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de> wrote in message
>news:3vo86vk60e69shjgqdbpp6e5pb8qfop3hr@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 03 Mar 2003 15:53:54 GMT, "Frank J. Lhota"
>> <NOSPAM.lhota.adarose@verizon.net> wrote:
>> What does your example show? That technological progress does exist?
>> How does this reveal the efficiency of free (is it?) market for
>> choosing best software and hardware solutions? You have compared old
>> computers with new ones, apples and oranges instead of comparing, for
>> instance, 32- vs. 64-bit processors, Pentium  vs. Alpha, C++ vs. Ada
>> 95. Should you do that, probably, the result would be not so exciting.
>
>Of course, progress takes place in all fields, but I defy you to identify
>another industry where we have seen so many dramatic improvements in such a
>short period of time.

Changes are dramatic, but I would not identify most of them as
improvements. Maybe because there is actually no free market here, it
does not work.

Recent developments look like the evolution of tropical birds on
isolated ocean islands. With no cats present they invest in feather
colors.

>Granted, it is hard to quantify how "exciting" certain
>changes are, but the pace at which these enhancements have been made suggest
>a very efficient market indeed.

I would not be so sure, if we would consider how much was invested in
software and hardware. It would be not a big exaggeration to say that
humankind has in fact dropped space exploration, fusion energy
research to develop ... well, MS-Windows!

---
Regards,
Dmitry Kazakov
www.dmitry-kazakov.de