Re: Thanks all!

On 10 Jun 2008 23:54:05 GMT, Chris Malcolm <cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Michelle C <bookbug_35@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Trinkwasser" <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:gjgt445rcnrurdp538a2uvk8kg8pha8ns7@xxxxxxxxxx

One of my interests is industrial history, especially relating to
trucks and agricultural machinery. In Victorian times here, mechanical
engineering was a bit like the internet of recent years, led by young
lions and innovators. I don't know how much it differs between here
and the US but I see the likes of Harry Ferguson and Cyrus McCormick
rotating in their graves considering what has happened to "their"
companies in recent times. John Deere and the Claas family would be
some of the few exceptions where the business still has most of the
original aims and spirit.

Yes, the "corporate culture" often seems to dampen success and innovation.
It's a continuing issue in regard to the big resort casinos in Las Vegas (I
live 60 miles from Vegas). Back when the mob ran Vegas (yes, some people
hold up the mob as better managers than the corporate types), the house
always had the advantage in all the games, but the food and accomodations
were cheap. Now, the corporate types run Vegas in a very short-sighted
manner: the accomodations are too expensive for much of the middle class,
the food is expensive, and the house has increased their advantage so there
are fewer winners. Many local economists are saying the corporations have
thrown out the methods that made Vegas such a popular tourist destination
and eventually it will affect their bottom line. In fact, Vegas is seeing
signs of it already. It used to be the convention capital of the USA, but
recently convention bookings are down because they are looking for cheaper
places to hold them.

The history of the generations of computer technology is interesting
because it seems to suggest there is an inherent serious flaw in our
management culture.

The first generation was valve (vacuum tube) computers.

The second generation was discrete transistor logic. This was the
first generation to be reliable enough for general commercial use.

The third generation was LSI (large scale integration) which put
various elementary logical units such as gates and adders onto
chips. This opened two different windows of commercial opportunity in
computer manufacture. They could use the new cheaper smaller
technology to make much more powerful computers at the same sort of
price as the old so-called mainframe computers. Or they could
translate the designs of their current mainframe computers into the
new technology to make very much smaller cheaper computers of the
same power. This new kind of computer was dubbed the minicomputer.

What was interesting was that in the engineering depts of the
mainframe computer manufacturers there were lots of teams very excited
by the possibilities of minicomputers, and doing their best to
persuade their managers to let them work on minicomputers. Without
exception all the mainframe company managers sneered at the idea of
minicomputers. So entire teams of demoralised engineers left the
mainframe companies, set up their own companies, and started
minicomputer companies. Which were a roaring success.

Ten years later something very interesting happened. Exactly the same
thing again! VLSI technology arrived (very large scale integration)
allowing an entire small computer porcessor to be put on one chip. As
before the new technology opened two different windows of commercial
opportunity in computer manufacture. They could use the new cheaper
smaller technology to make much more powerful computers at the same
sort of price as their minicomputers. Or they could translate the
designs of their current minicomputers into the new technology
to make very much smaller cheaper computers of the same power. This
new kind of computer was dubbed the microcomputer.

In the engineering depts of the mainframe computer manufacturers there
were lots of teams very excited by the possibilities of microcomputers
and doing their best to persuade their managers to let them work on
microcomputers. Without exception all the minicomputer company
managers sneered at the idea of microcomputers. Yet these were
sometimes the very same people who ten years earlier had been excited
by the possibilities of minicomputers which their mainframe computer
managers had been blind to. It was as though the problem wasn't one of
intelligence or expertise or vision, it was as though becoming
managers had somehow turned these once radical visionaries into
blinkered conservatives.

So entire teams of demoralised engineers left the minicomputer
companies, set up their own companies, and started microcomputer
companies. Which were a roaring success.

What is fascinating is the exact duplication of the technological
opportunies offered by a new cheaper and smaller technology only ten
years later. And the same men who had seen the possibilities of going
the cheaper higher volume route, risked their careers on their
vision, and been proved right, ten years later were unable to see the
same situation arising again. All that had changed in those ten years
was that they were ten years older and had become managers. That had
turned them from natural pioneers into the natural enemies of
pioneers.

Here come the new boss, same as the old boss

Yes pretty much the same as in mechanical engineering where the
innovations become mainstream and allergic to further innovations.
Except that in the computer field the system turns over that much
faster.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Thanks all!
    ... The history of the generations of computer technology is interesting ... What was interesting was that in the engineering depts of the ... persuade their managers to let them work on minicomputers. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Thanks all!
    ... The history of the generations of computer technology is interesting ... What was interesting was that in the engineering depts of the ... persuade their managers to let them work on minicomputers. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • ebooks share list 26
    ... Implementation Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Processing; ... of Fruit Science and Technology: ... Analysis of Materials Materials Engineering (Marcel Dekker, ... for Analyzing Food Aroma Food Science and Technology (Marcel Dekker, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • 2008 ebooks share viewer
    ... Trade and Technology Policies: ... Engineering for Concrete Dams: Design, Performance, and Research ... Science in the Twenty-first Century. ... Statistics for Health Policy ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Re: Barack Obama Pits Space Explorers Against School Children
    ... The ancient world achieved a fair degree of technology. ... concrete and built aquaducts and many impressive buildings. ... knowledge and engineering. ... While we are on the subject of innovation there is one fact about the ...
    (sci.space.policy)