Re: Computer time - Developer time - User time?

From: Beth (BethStone21_at_hotmail.NOSPICEDHAM.com)
Date: 01/24/05 

Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:17:17 GMT

Frankie say:
> It would not surprise me to learn that some part on a modern
> automobile - lug nuts or something - is still produced by a
> machine running CPM - 8-bit CPM. Same reason - a business
> needs a "business reason" to upgrade - they're not going to
> do it just to be on the "bleeding edge" (as some of us
> might).

Totally; Also remembering that _really big_ businesses would have to
upgrade many, many machines...if they are multi-national, then they also
have to co-ordinate that across many countries...to "upgrade" is a massive
expense for some...not just money: They can't afford for their systems to
ever "go down" at all...again, if "multi-national", there's "time zones"
and, hence, possibly no "safe time" to make the "upgrade" (a business
located in just one country that doesn't trade over weekends or in the
evenings or something could possibly try to "rush" an "upgrade" overnight
or over a weekend...but if "multi-national" and all the computers
communicate with each other all the time...then it's "24/7" stuff and there
is no "rest" periods at all :)...

The really big multi-national businesses can have a _major_ headache with
"upgrading"...for instance, if they can't ever have the systems "go down"
for even a second...think, for example, the really large world
banks...indeed, it's a _legal requirement_ on such banks that their systems
cannot go off for longer than a rather short and strict period, for obvious
reasons...if they screw up, then they could bring down entire
economies...hence, the laws they must abide by are, in fact, highly strict
and highly harsh...basically, if they exceed the very strict period placed
on them, then that's it...end of...they are put out of business instantly,
permanently...no excuses, no appeals, nothing...they would be put up on
_criminal_ charges and the amount they could be sued or fined would
undoubtedly be the largest sums ever in the whole of history...it simply
just _AIN'T_ permitted to happen...these banks realise their responsibility
so there are "backup systems" on "backup systems" on "backup
systems"...every purchase is made in triplicate...old systems are NOT
retired but sit there as "emergency systems"...

"Upgrades" have to be made through "parallel running" (that is, they bring
up the new system alongside the old system...both are then synchronised to
deal with the same input data...they are literally both running at the same
time...then, everyone crosses their fingers and the switch is hit...the new
system takes over...if there's even the slightest problem with the new
system, then they hit the switch and go back to the old
system...remembering that, for a large world bank, that error which just
happened could be worth _millions_...they'll now have to go off and pay
"compensation", get things running properly as fast as possible and do a
lot of _grovelling_...and this "error" might only have been one
transaction, a fraction of a second in passing)...the whole thing is
"staged"...country by country...office by office...

An "upgrade" is completely _NON-TRIVIAL_ for companies like this...it's
planned and implemented with military precision and the "mission to
upgrade" could take 5 to 10 years to fully implement right around the
world...yes, _that_ long...so, as you can imagine, if it takes that long to
change things, then they _can't_ be "bleeding edge"...nowhere near...

Another thing large banks have to deal with is security and
robustness...that can't be compromised for a split-second either...hence,
they actually delibrately use as many different types of system as
possible..."biodiversity"...simple, really...if all your machines are
running Windows and some "cracker" finds a way to take out all Windows
systems...then, oh crap...they can take out the entire business...hence, if
the sheer size and complexity of such an "upgrade" wasn't enough, they
actually have to delibrately plan "biodiversity" into it (and plan it to
make sure that if such-and-such a system were to be "compromised" then the
other systems couldn't be and would be able to "pick up" where the others
left off, at the flick of an automatic switch ;)...

When you're this big, then, yup, you don't "upgrade" at the drop of a hat
or "on a whim"...waging war is probably _less complicated_ than this...100
of countries, thousands upon thousands of machines...all permanently
working 24/7...you can't "drop" a single bit of data passing through yours
systems...you can't leave any hole in "security" either, not even for a
split-second...blah-blah-blah...if you screw up, then you're out of
business permanently...no excuses, no appeals, no forgiveness...and you
could owe millions, if not billions, if not trillions, to companies and
individuals right around the world...such a screw up could take out an
economy or two, perhaps...certainly go a long way to dropping the world
economy towards recession...you have to consider whether any job - even
being the head of the armed forces or something - is as "high pressure" as
this...after all, you screw up in Vietnam, you just pull out...soldiers
sign up knowing they are "expendable"...you try not to get them killed but,
well, at the same time, in this "life or death", death is sometimes the
option they choose...on the other hand, the banks and the economy...no,
they aren't permitted to screw up even for a split-second...you can't "give
up" at any point...

It's very, very "non-trivial" indeed..."upgrading" is not done at all
"lightly"...it takes years and millions upon millions to
implement...basically, they don't budge a millimetre unless there's a damn
good reason to do so (unfortunately, at the same time, people keep making
more and more demands of their systems so they _do_ need to "upgrade" from
time to time...indeed, "upgrades" are not about what they need now...they
are about what will be needed many years in the future...they must always
"outpace" the demands placed upon them)...

In short, it's a total nightmare...

Hence, if DOS or CP/M does the job, then they don't touch it at all...so
long as it keeps doing what it's supposed to do, they'll happily leave it
that way _FOREVER_...they, indeed, probably have contracts with hardware
manufacturers to keep on building the hardware they need for this and not
changing it or "upgrading" it in any way whatsoever for as long as they
need it...they do have the money for such "cosy" relationships and the
crucial need to make sure that no manufacturer has any "funny ideas" that
could totally screw them up...

They have a "contingency plan" for everything...when any system goes down,
there's another waiting in the wings...they plan for what to do if Intel's
factories were blown up tomorrow...yes, even what to do if an asteroid is
heading towards the Earth...I kid thee not...

Because you know that Cheyenee Military base? The one built inside a
mountain, to protect it from nuclear attack (also, the location used in the
"Stargate" TV show, as where the "secret project" to travel to other worlds
is operating from ;)...the banks and such have exactly something similar
for their "records" (well, supposedly...this could be delibrate
"misinformation", of course...to make people look in the wrong places
;)...indeed, it's _HARDER_ to get into these than those military bases, I
bet...after all, this is _money_ here...nations rise and nations fall but
they wouldn't let their money disappear under any circumstances at all
;)...

Beth :)

Loading