Have computers stopped getting faster?

quidsinquentin

Nada666 wrote: »

Don't be tiresome. That's about as interesting as asking why they're using a raincoat as a computer.

Vocabulary is interpreted in context. You no more need to qualify and specify Microsoft Windows personal computer than you do Hoover vacuum cleaner.

Don't be a pratt then.

There's a presumption there that I don't already use Macs, and that I only use an MS platform PC.

The PC's I use are always much higher spec than the average iMac.

And as for, 'That's about as interesting as asking why they're using a raincoat as a computer' ... I don't even know where to start on that one.

snowcat75

IronWolf wrote: »

Yeah but a good computer will give you years of pleasure (well, will help avoid years of aggravation)

One thing I've learnt is that you shouldn't be cheap with things you will be using on a daily basis like a computer or phone, you'll regret it for years!

manage to run a business on £20 phone from Tesco's and a 15 year old dell running XP.


Have CNC machines running windows 2000, and there cut me metal out all day.


Cant really see how having a new phone, or computer is going to make me a penny more.

antrobus

Here's an interesting piece from Slate magazine detailing some of the previous predictions of the end of Moore's so-called law.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/05/03/michio_kako_and_a_brief_history_of_warnings_about_the_end_of_moore_s_law_.html

IronWolf

snowcat75 wrote: »

manage to run a business on £20 phone from Tesco's and a 15 year old dell running XP.


Have CNC machines running windows 2000, and there cut me metal out all day.


Cant really see how having a new phone, or computer is going to make me a penny more.

Depends what business you're in. If you have any online or PC presence then you need up to date software which usually requires at least decent hardware.

Little things add up, taking 10 seconds to respond to an email is better than spending 60 seconds on an old crappy phone, or worse having to go on a computer and type out a response. Customers these days expect rapid response and a delay can cost you some business.

And when you want to do something off the fly like design flyers or logos, you can get and use the latest software which is often easier and more user friendly than older versions, which you may not even be able to buy anymore.

Plus outside of business it is just so convenient having Google Maps, Citymapper, Uber, Wikipedia, all my documents accessible through mobile on the cloud, being able to contact people overseas for free. I always know which buses/tubes are running, what the weather is going to be like, how to get to places I haven't been before, all in my pocket without any effort. Saves so much time.

wongataa

thescouselander wrote: »

The hardware is undoubtedly faster however the code that runs on it is getting more and more bloated and the user sees little gain. I'm always staggered then a simple smartphone app runs to several tens of megabytes.

Often a lot of that is due to the artwork. There may need to be several different versions of each piece to give pleasing results on various different screen sizes. All those files take up space that isn't actual code.

jaydeeuk1

skivenov wrote: »

That's about it, Conrad, hardware's faster, but software's less efficient.

I did Computing at uni (15 years ago) and one of our lecturers couldn't see why I re-wrote a piece of code to do in 3 steps what it had been doing in 6. Apparently "computers are that powerful, it doesn't matter".

This. As a developer i could spend months making code more efficient so it takes up a small memory footprint or will happily trundle along on one core.


Or i could get it out the door and begin next project to get more money in, knowing it will run 'good enough'


Browsing, office etc run about as well now on an i5 as the old win 98 and office did on an old athlon. The only bit of software that has seemed to become more efficient over the last 5 or 6 years is windows itself.
Everything else has more and more crap stuffed in to it, so while hardware capability has increased, so has software complexity. Which is why in 5 years time we'll be moaning how slow notepad is running on our 5th gen core i7.

tavernman

One thing that has not been mentioned , are you "geeks" or whatever you term yourselves, getting faster every year...thought not, it is all relative.
Programs(apps) and their [STRIKE]Extras[/STRIKE]Features(90% of which you never need) are bloated, use too much memory, nobody releases unused memory anymore, it's as cheap as chips(sic). I remember writing programs on 64KB machines and had to use overlays and home made swapping algorithms, which were faster than the ones supplied by HP, and sort algorithms which were specific and not jack of all trades ones supplied.
It is a sign of the times that we live in a disposable society, not an efficient one.

Edited again: for 64KB above read 22KB for the micro computers, 64KB was for minis

Geodark

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

This. As a developer i could spend months making code more efficient so it takes up a small memory footprint or will happily trundle along on one core.


Or i could get it out the door and begin next project to get more money in, knowing it will run 'good enough'


Browsing, office etc run about as well now on an i5 as the old win 98 and office did on an old athlon. The only bit of software that has seemed to become more efficient over the last 5 or 6 years is windows itself.
Everything else has more and more crap stuffed in to it, so while hardware capability has increased, so has software complexity. Which is why in 5 years time we'll be moaning how slow notepad is running on our 5th gen core i7.

Totally disagree, I am a test automation developer, and am currently working with developers working on node based applications working in cloud environments and one of the key KPI's we are implementing is speed. No serious developer should be using "Good enough" as a KPI unless all they are interested in is now an don't care that in a few years down the line their software will be obsolete and their customers will have ran off to their competitors.

snowcat75

IronWolf wrote: »

Depends what business you're in. If you have any online or PC presence then you need up to date software which usually requires at least decent hardware.

Little things add up, taking 10 seconds to respond to an email is better than spending 60 seconds on an old crappy phone, or worse having to go on a computer and type out a response. Customers these days expect rapid response and a delay can cost you some business.

And when you want to do something off the fly like design flyers or logos, you can get and use the latest software which is often easier and more user friendly than older versions, which you may not even be able to buy anymore.

Plus outside of business it is just so convenient having Google Maps, Citymapper, Uber, Wikipedia, all my documents accessible through mobile on the cloud, being able to contact people overseas for free. I always know which buses/tubes are running, what the weather is going to be like, how to get to places I haven't been before, all in my pocket without any effort. Saves so much time.

Convenient maybe (although id take some convincing) but hardly life changing stuff is it.


I cant get a mobile phone provider that can allow me to make phone calls, as a lead lined bunker would get better reception than the 20 miles of my house. again 25 years ago we were using 2 way radios and analogue mobiles, they worked better.

jaydeeuk1

Geodark wrote: »

Totally disagree, I am a test automation developer, and am currently working with developers working on node based applications working in cloud environments and one of the key KPI's we are implementing is speed. No serious developer should be using "Good enough" as a KPI unless all they are interested in is now an don't care that in a few years down the line their software will be obsolete and their customers will have ran off to their competitors.

My comp develops for the govt, getting something out the door on time but perhaps buggy and/or unoptimised is preferable to over budget and over deadline, can then tender for next project and more oftenthan not get it awarded, and i insert a clause so it costs them more money than it worth to cancel. Its completely different to the private sector where every penmy and hour has to be accounted for. They only upgraded from IE6 to IE9 last year!