[aclug-L] Re: Microsoft's best move

["Jonathan Hall" <flimzy@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Many years ago, computers needed people to type commands.

Changes in technology and reliability are not the same thing.

People STILL say FORD means Fix-Or-Repair-Daily... or Found-On-Road-Dead.
People have silly acronyms for every brand of car... PONTIAC...
Poor-Ol'-N****r-Thinks-It's-A-Cadallac... blah blah blah.  That's hardly a
technical argument for the overall reliablity of vehicles.

There are an astonishing number of old cars that still run very well
compared with those made in the last 2-3 decades.

Cars, overall, have become less reliable.  Unless, of course, you're willing
to buy a Rolls Royce, for example.  They still make cars today like they did
in the 1950s.  Everyone else has decided to make cheaper, less reliable cars
that people replace more often, because in the long run, it makes them more
money.

Computers are the same way.  You _can_ get computers that don't crash...
they (traditionally) cost tens of thousands or millions of dollars.

Thanks to open-source software, it's becoming (and largely has become) much
more possible to use cheap computers reliably.  Of course, for
ultra-reliable hardware, you still spend big bucks.


-- Jonathan





----- Original Message -----
From: "bruce bales" <bbales@xxxxxxx>
To: <discussion@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 3:46 PM
Subject: [aclug-L] Re: Microsoft's best move


Jonathan Hall wrote:

>Car manufacturers do the exact same thing.  Sell "defective" products, I
>mean.  Most cars made today are not nearly as reliable as the ones made 50
>years ago.  And it's not because cars are more complex now.  It's because
>car manufacturers have realized that they make more money if they sell a
car
>that will wear out in 5 years instead of in 20.
>
>
I can't believe you said that.  Fifty years ago many cars needed a valve
job after 20 to 40 thousand miles and most needed a ring job after
75,000.  Tires lasted 20,000 miles tops.  You changed the oil every
2,000 miles and you had to go all over it with  a grease gun that often.
Carburetors needed constant retouching and still flooded at the worst
times.  Points lasted 10,000 miles at best.  Generators had low output
and the brushes wore out regularly.  Chevy was still using "point and
squirt" to lubricate rod bearings and replacing a rod was a common
occurrence.  Most everyone knew how to adjust the valve clearance and
had a pair of 9/16 wrenches to do it.  Brakes lasted 15,000 miles before
replacing the shoes.

Ford owners thought F-O-R-D stood for Fix Or Repair Daily.  Very few
cars got better than 15 miles per gallon.

The Japanese started flooding us with reliable cars in the 70s and the
American manufacturers eventually got the message.  While American cars
are not as reliable as the Japanese, they are much improved.  Many last
150,000 miles with little or no maintenance.

There are still a few lemons sold, but they are few.

bruce



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