| I decided to make a number of comments on the subject of 'futureproofing', which was introduced as an 'off topic' subject in another thread, which is why I have addressed it here. I'm not intending to preach to anybody, nor am I going to tell people anything that they don't already know. There is a lot of cynicism and despair out there, and I just want to 'package' an explanation of the modern value of the concept and put things in context. The term 'futureproofing' is around as long as I can remember being involved in computer usage. The initial concept was simple. Spend in excess of the cost of 'entry level' kit now, in the hope that it will keep your kit meeting your needs for longer, and thus minimizing your overall cost of computing over time. Think about your current needs and your computing skills level. Ask yourself what you need a computer for right now, and what uses your skill will allow. Try to take a guess at what 'extra things' you might want it for in the future, and be honest with yourself about how your skill level is likely to improve and broaden. Now, decide how much you can afford to spend, and draft a spec. that meets all your current needs first. Look at your list of 'extra things'. Prioritize them [honesty time again!]. Shop around and cost them all. Add to/modify the spec. according to the priority order, and buy up to your spending limit. Job done! Most MM readers are familiar with the development path of the PC processor, from the humble 086 to quad core, the progress made in hardware features, the evolution of various operating systems, application, utility and entertainment software, and the advent of mass available, affordable internet. Over time, developments in computer products, particularly hardware, has accellerated to the point where the 'generation gap' between successive PC 'incarnations', and the associated hardware available to them, graphics cards, hard drives, input devices, communication devices etc, has contracted to a degree where 'futureproofing' in the old sense of the word, may seem meaningless to some people. There always seems to be some brave new world of computing potential right around the corner, and it appears impossible to predict. There always seems to be a new leap in computing power and speed, that opens the gateway to hitherto unknown software authoring possibilities. Futureproofing may have over time, become a bit of a misnomer, but nothing really has changed. Most of us, whether buying a complete off the shelf system, or building our own from components, go through the same considerations I already outlined - we first focus on what we need to achieve with the machine for now - and then we prioritize our predictions about what we may like to do with it in the future, until our available budget runs out. Many of us will be on a subsequent, rather than a first computer. So as a minimum, our 'next gen' computer will have to do what the existing one does, but faster, better, more user friendlier, and then we will have new expectations based on the limitations we increasingly experienced on the old one, as it became eclipsed by the onward march of technology, and the ever increasing resourse demands of newer software. But for many of us, and more of us, as time marches on, a lot HAS and WILL CONTINUE to change. As home networks continue to become more extensive, and the things we want them to do, continues to expand, not to mention, the increasing enthusiasm with which 'ordinary' 'joe publics' are becoming willing to experiment with Linux, the rise of online phenomenon like Facebook and MySpace, and increasing bandwidth of home broadband allowing us to do more, I can see 'Advanced Networking', 'Operating System [and application] Interoperability' and 'Home Web Serving' as the three biggest growth areas for Comsumer Advice Demand from domestic computer owners. Simple linear networks offered out an IP address by for instance, a broadband router, by DHCP, are barely adequate for some of the home networks of today, and certainly not of the future. The domestic housing market, and the inability for many first time buyers to get their foot on the property market means extended families in one home longer than anticipated. This means computer users with vastly different demands, often spanning three or four generations in age, occupying the same property, and sharing a pooled network of computing resources, may become increasingly more common. Pressure on living spaces continues to increase, and the above, is by no means the only model of increasingly more widespread 'homes in multiple occupation'. Privacy, Accessibility, Security, Maintenance Overhead, Physical Durability, Power Consumption, Recyclability, Procurement Overhead,..[this is not an exhaustive list!].... are all in the mix, and what happens to be 'under the hood' in one computing 'unit' is now almost looking like a distraction... a 'red herring'! The complexity of future home networks, and the collapsing ratio between how much we pay for hardware, and what they are increasingly capable of delivering, means that one comodity, above all, is emerging supreme in the whole equation of pursuing best value for the computer consumer. This is the value of users time. We want solutions that allow us to achieve what we need, with great simplicity and speed... We want new technology available to us as it emerges.... but.. we want none of the following: waiting on customer service lines; doing manual backups; waiting on installing software; waiting on downloads; waiting on technicians to attend; waiting on deliveries; waiting on security software;..... [another on exhaustive list!] Futureproofing is a redundant phrase because the way we need to approach ongoing home computing provision has changed. It's no longer one unit in isolation, like a car, or a refrigerator, or a TV, which will have a lifetime, and at some point, due to failure or obsolecence, or both will need replacing. The future of home computing ownership will involve a continuous process of assessment, with no clear starting or end-point, in order to achieve best value. Managing this requires the casting aside of the dated concept of futureproofing and the adoption of an alternative phrase whose focus, in the pursuit of 'best value' above all other consideration, is the minimizing of people's wasted time. It's not a new phrase, and has been the bane and holy grail of commerical information systems management for quite a long time. That is 'Total Cost of Ownership' or 'TCO' for short. But in principle, the concept is the same. It's all about just getting the best deal you can, and in the long run, not having to waste money. But now, more than ever, the phrase 'time is money' rings true. So, just as P4 gave way to C2D and then C2Q, just as Socket A gave way to 754, then 939, and then AM, just as Win 2K gave way to XP and then... err... well!.... Welcome to Futureproofing 2.0 - TCO! Many Thanks John
Rig # 965467 Summary: Stuff that's not as impressive as Rigs # 1-965466
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