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by cguess 1187 days ago
Have no doubt, we will find new places to put computers. In the 80's and even the 90's everyone said the same thing, "Why do I need a computer? I can do everything I do already without a problem?" Well, turns out with computers you could do 12 more things you can never considered. Consider the interoffice memo: it'd take what, 1-2 hours to get a document from one floor to another through the system? Cool, you can work on 2-3 projects at a time maybe, because that's all the bandwidth allowed. Along comes email and ups that to 5-6 because now the communications can be pretty consistent. It's still not perfect, because what if you're at lunch or the gym? Then came Blackberries and all of a sudden its 12-15 projects at once. Then Slack because you don't even have to think. Now add this.

Notice that during that time there weren't all of a sudden less programmers, or managers or sysadmins, if anything there's more. If anything everyone is even more stressed with more to do because of the context switching and 24/7. That's why this will do, I'd bet money on it.

2 comments

I dunno, I feel like we've been trying to find new places to put computers for a couple decades now, and the effort is kind of losing steam. Every week there are threads about how useless a lot of these efforts are.
You just don't hear about all the computers, that's all. There's one on your car's key fob, and likely 100 more in the car. Your coffee grinder has one. So does your dishwasher. And your electric blanket.
There are 100-150 CPUs in a modern car.

...And also over 100 bugs in the spec that governs communication between car systems: https://youtu.be/hXnS_Xjwk2Y?t=899 (around 15 minute mark)

>In the 80's and even the 90's everyone said the same thing, "Why do I need a computer? I can do everything I do already without a problem?" Well, turns out with computers you could do 12 more things you can never considered

Yeah. Also, unfortunately, it turns out those people in the 80s and 90s got it right. They didn't really need a computer - they'd better off without one. But as soon as we got them, we'd find some things to use them for - mostly detrimental to our lives!