[Tfug] Cheap Memory

[Jeffry Johnston]

I'd probably have tried DSL, but they chose a stupid name.
Jeff

On Dec 21, 2007 10:51 PM, johngalt1 <johngalt1 at uswest.net> wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Claude Rubinson" <rubinson>
> To: <tfug at tfug.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 7:44 PM
> Subject: Re: [Tfug] Cheap Memory
>
>
> > On Mon, Dec 17, 2007 at 07:18:07PM -0700, johngalt1 wrote:
> >> I'd say that coder was lazy, incompetent, or incredibly
> >> self-centered. The jist of it is that the coder can crap
> >> out
> >> an un-optimized POS. Then, if the user has a problem
> >> running
> >> the app, their hardware needs upgrading. (they need to
> >> pay
> >> more money to make the app work)
> >>
> >> In economics class they called that an externalized cost
> >>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marginal_cost#Negative_externalities_of_production
> >
> > It's not actually that simple.  The company is going to
> > need to pay
> > more money to make the app work either way.  Remember:
> > "good, fast,
> > cheap: pick 2."  It's all a cost/benefit analysis.  Good,
> > well-designed and coded software costs more money to
> > produce.  There
> > may be times when it's cheaper to throw hardware at the
> > problem rather
> > than pay for good software.
>
> What is this "the company" reference. This thread started
> out using Windows as an example. When MS sells crappy
> bloatware that I must pay extra for RAM to make it work, (eg
> Vista) it is an externalized cost: that simple.
>
> > If I recall correctly, Google simply
> > replaces bad servers rather than fixing them because the
> > hardware is
> > cheaper than the man-power.  I'm not saying that's right
> > or wrong but
> > it is rational from a cost/benefit analysis.
>
> I don't follow how this example relates to the
> hardware-software tradeoff.
> (BTW) does anyone know how one could buy these servers where
> Google's labor costs make them too expensive to repair?
>
> If Google replaces servers instead of fixing them, that
> sounds eco-foolish.
>
> > Externalized costs are only a problem when they're
> > externalized.  That
> > is to say, party A is able to put its costs onto part B.
> > That's not
> > what's happening in the above example.
>
> What above example? After reviewing the previous posts in
> the thread, that comment sounds nonsequitur.
>
> > In the above example, the
> > company is making a informed, rational choice and all the
> > costs are
> > internal.  (I'm assuming here that the software was
> > developed in-house
> > OR that the purchased software lived up to expectations.)
>
> That's my issue. At this point, it looks like the arguement
> changed .
>
> > The
> > conditions that promote negative externalities are things
> > such as weak
> > gov't regulation (think pollution), monopoly (PC users
> > have no choice
> > but to upgrade their systems in order to run the latest
> > version of
> > Windows), deception, etc (basically, what economists refer
> > to as
> > "market imperfections.")
>
> Even if you use the app written-in-house premise, there are
> external costs when viewed in terms department budgets for
> the "throw some RAM at it" scenario. Example: engineering
> wrote a POS (fast, cheap) app, so the production division
> budget takes a hit for all the PC upgrades that must occur.
>
> If anyone thinks lots of RAM is necessary in this age,
> consider distros like Damn Small Linux (sorry Kieth) or
> Puppy Linux. In these optimalized distros, the bloatware
> libraries and unnecessary code has been stripped off .
>
> I have a P1-133 laptop with 48MB of RAM. It is still usable
> with DSL.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Claude
> >
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>
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