Comments on: Actual drop in computer productivity from 1986 to Today http://helpmerick.com/actual-drop-in-computer-productivity-from-1986-to-today.htm Easy to understand computer help Tue, 22 May 2012 00:04:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rick http://helpmerick.com/actual-drop-in-computer-productivity-from-1986-to-today.htm/comment-page-#comment-1974 Rick Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://helpmerick.com/wordpr/?p=1484#comment-1974 <p>I agree with Adam's comments regarding the article and my Shotgun for today, BUT... I think the point to be made here is that most of Adam's functions required the Internet and a fast web connection. Putting the power and speed on servers is something Sun Microsystems has been preaching about for years and it is finally coming to fruition. Programmers and operating systems have gotten to carried away with the extra power we have available to us today and no longer write programs that are lean and mean. Instead, they tend to be bloated, slow loading, behemoths that become horribly underutilized by the computer user.</p><p>I truly think that a computer with a lean profile and operating system hooked to a high speed Internet connection is all about 80-90% of the computing population needs and desires. For the other 10% of so of users who need the extra power and features, they can have it. </p> I agree with Adam's comments regarding the article and my Shotgun for today, BUT… I think the point to be made here is that most of Adam's functions required the Internet and a fast web connection. Putting the power and speed on servers is something Sun Microsystems has been preaching about for years and it is finally coming to fruition. Programmers and operating systems have gotten to carried away with the extra power we have available to us today and no longer write programs that are lean and mean. Instead, they tend to be bloated, slow loading, behemoths that become horribly underutilized by the computer user.

I truly think that a computer with a lean profile and operating system hooked to a high speed Internet connection is all about 80-90% of the computing population needs and desires. For the other 10% of so of users who need the extra power and features, they can have it.

]]> By: Adam http://helpmerick.com/actual-drop-in-computer-productivity-from-1986-to-today.htm/comment-page-#comment-1975 Adam Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://helpmerick.com/wordpr/?p=1484#comment-1975 <p>I must issue my own side of the argument. I read the article Rick mentioned before I saw that he posted it but I think that the logic is a little flawed. They did not test how long it took to download a six megapixel picture, how long it took to open an MP3 file, they didn't test video editing, skype, broadband, CAD drawing, greeting card creation, iPod sync, Google Earth, etc.</p><p>Computer's don't run any faster as for time allowed to boot up, open programs or create a document, but they are immeasurably faster working and more powerful.</p><p>I agree that computers can be simpler than they are today, but I also feel that most users want to use their computer for something that requires at least a Ghz processor and 512 MB of RAM. Even basic uses like digital photography, opening email attachments, YouTube, are too complex to run reliably on a pre-XP or OS X computer.</p><p>Simplifying computers shouldn't have to mean dumbing them down. </p> I must issue my own side of the argument. I read the article Rick mentioned before I saw that he posted it but I think that the logic is a little flawed. They did not test how long it took to download a six megapixel picture, how long it took to open an MP3 file, they didn't test video editing, skype, broadband, CAD drawing, greeting card creation, iPod sync, Google Earth, etc.

Computer's don't run any faster as for time allowed to boot up, open programs or create a document, but they are immeasurably faster working and more powerful.

I agree that computers can be simpler than they are today, but I also feel that most users want to use their computer for something that requires at least a Ghz processor and 512 MB of RAM. Even basic uses like digital photography, opening email attachments, YouTube, are too complex to run reliably on a pre-XP or OS X computer.

Simplifying computers shouldn't have to mean dumbing them down.

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