Thursday, May 09, 2013
Stick to the sweet spot
A techy item on 'Marketplace' yesterday discussed Microshit's idiot troubles with Win 8, their remarkable admission that they blew it, and their partial backoff.
At the end, host Ryssdal emphasized the fading market for real computers by asking rhetorically: "What new feature would get you to buy a new and expensive computer?"
Instant non-rhetorical answer! No NEW feature would make me buy, but a guarantee to support OLD software and OLD operating systems FOREVER would bring me into the store with open wallet.
Each major program follows these two curves as it passes through the version parade. Bells and whistles (illustrated here by Happystar) increase exponentially. Usefulness for real work (here by Polistra) gradually increases then falls off. Both curves share the same inflection point. The peak of usefulness passes just as the maker's energy switches to bells and whistles.
For Windows, the useful peak was XP. For each of the major programs I use, I keep updating faithfully until I see that it's passed the peak; then I back off to the peak version and stop buying.
If I could be sure that the peak versions would always be available and supported, I'd pay big money.
¶ 5:47 PM 
Each major program follows these two curves as it passes through the version parade. Bells and whistles (illustrated here by Happystar) increase exponentially. Usefulness for real work (here by Polistra) gradually increases then falls off. Both curves share the same inflection point. The peak of usefulness passes just as the maker's energy switches to bells and whistles.
For Windows, the useful peak was XP. For each of the major programs I use, I keep updating faithfully until I see that it's passed the peak; then I back off to the peak version and stop buying.
If I could be sure that the peak versions would always be available and supported, I'd pay big money.
¶ 5:47 PM
