Posts by smart4ss

War of the workstations: How the lowest bidders shaped today's tech landscape

The desire for "fungible cogs" is a strong business motivator. The linked essay blames "deskilling", which is a derogatory term for "innovation". Innovations are disruptive, and those disrupted usually don't like it. But using computers in business has been quite disruptive to other industries. Before the 90's, most workers wouldn't have touched a computer. Today most jobs require computer interaction at some point. The newspaper printing industry has been decimated, and the retail industry is still being disrupted. Anybody who points out that the changes aren't all good is usually dismissed as stuck in the past. It's kinda silly for an IT worker to complain about being disrupted, considering the IT's ongoing disruption

Except that now IT is disrupting more than industries or shifting the job skill landscape. It is disrupting our socialization. It is disrupting our thinking. It is disrupting our systems of trust. It is disrupting our political institutions. It is just beginning to disrupt our biology.

Re: Correctness and Simplicity

"...pretends to be making a wider point that I don't think it does."

I think it does make a wider point, but maybe you missed it?

"...and unfortunately others have used it more..."

The simple fact that others use an IT technology more gives it an advantage, and the first-mover principle means the advantage will likely be insurmountable. That is "unfortunate" if you champion the also-ran. Proven's article takes a long way around but gets there in the end with the "fungible cog" reference, and that essay blames "deskilling", which is a derogatory term for innovation. Innovations are never universally haled as good, because they disrupt, and the disrupted don't like it.

The most ridiculous thing, though, is that using computers in business is an innovation that disrupted a lot. So complaining about disruption within the computing industry is myopic.

Re: What Is A “Workstation”?

"They gave up their higher-function Unix workstations in favour of the less-capable Windows variety. Why?"

NT Admin ----------> $$ less functional, easier training, larger worker pool

Unix Admin---------> $$$ more functional, long training, small worker pool

I used to be a Unix Admin and it was like Varsity while NT was like Junior Varsity. A Unix Admin could enable more computing power for more people, but managers felt NT would give them more business options. These days a start-up can get quite far with Cloud Computing. No need to hire expensive Admins.

Re: Survival characteristics

They kinda have though...if you had a business you wanted a web presence... they certainly put the target there."

Even if you had no choice of implementation, nobody can force you to have a business. As for the tools and technologies required to run the business, those that provide them aren't forcing you to use them. An economy when one is truly "forced" is more like communism.

Re: Survival characteristics

"...decades of illegal business practices....documented fact."

Where can I read up on that?

Re: Survival characteristics

"....and no very successful pathogens"

Is this a ChatGPT fact?