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Re: The Airplane Example (was Re: Streaming XML)

• To: Rick Marshall <rjm@z...>
• Subject: Re: The Airplane Example (was Re: Streaming XML)
• From: Elliotte Harold <elharo@m...>
• Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2005 06:40:08 -0500
• Cc: Benjamin Franz <snowhare@n...>, XML Developers List <xml-dev@l...>
• In-reply-to: <41DB10C4.4060801@z...>
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Rick Marshall wrote:


> 2) software systems do degrade, as mentioned by 
> changing external systems. but with modern hardware reliability i think 
> hardware now has more in common that software in this respect. eg most 
> of the hardware upgrades we complete are now due to obsolesence rather 
> than failure 

In computers, perhaps. But in airplanes, automobiles, lawnmowers, 
microwave ovens, refrigerators, and many other forms of hardware, no. 
The fact is a modern computer doesn't have all that many moving parts, 
which is what leads to parts wearing out. (There's the hard drive, the 
fan, the CD-tray, maybe a button or two, anything else?) However, even 
well-lubricated, well-maintained motor based hardware experiences 
significant friction that will degrade parts over time. Off the top of 
my head I don't know why microwave ovens wear out, but they certainly do 
as well. There's just no equivalent to friction-driven wear-and-tear on 
software.

-- 
Elliotte Rusty Harold  elharo@m...
XML in a Nutshell 3rd Edition Just Published!
http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/xian3/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0596007647/cafeaulaitA/ref=nosim

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  • Re: The Airplane Example (was Re: Streaming XML)
    • From: Rick Marshall <rjm@z...>
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    • From: Benjamin Franz <snowhare@n...>

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  • Re: The Airplane Example (was Re: StreamingXML)
    • From: Elliotte Rusty Harold <elharo@m...>
  • Re: The Airplane Example (was Re: Streaming XML)
    • From: Rick Marshall <rjm@z...>

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