[rescue] Perverse Question

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Mon, 9 Jun 2003, Francisco Javier Mesa-Martinez wrote:

> One word: GAMES. Maybe some multimedia stuff too.

Okay, that's something new that we do.  We didn't have 3d games years
ago, aside from Wolfenstein and Doom.

> All that eye candy takes its toll on computer resources.

True.  It's also mostly unnecessary.  WinXP has animated cartoon
characters during curtain routine system operations (like searching for
a file).

> You can sure still do the same things that you were able to do 6
> years ago with a 6 year old computer, as long as you freeze your
> environmet to the OS and applications that you were using then.
> Nobody is really forcing you to upgrade :).

That's exactly my point.  WHY are newer versions of software so much
more bloated?  Look at the difference between Microsoft Word 97 and Word
2000.  Not a whole lot.  Look at the difference in footprint!  The same
holds true for recent versions of Photoshop, Excel, Visio, and even
XEmacs!

> Times change, and there is a need to justify sales.

I have a feeling that's more to it than any amount of technical advance.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke   )  "Leave your lawsuits at home.  I have guns."
Elgin, TX          (                      --"Kountry" Mike Lundgren