Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

From: Bill Yakowenko <yakowenk_at_cs.unc.edu>
Date: Tue Jan 26 23:33:35 1999

On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Max Eskin wrote:
] On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Bill Yakowenko wrote:
] > 2. Nothing PC- or Mac-compatible can ever be classic. Sorry, that's
] > just an indisputable fact. :-)
]
] How about a VAX emulating a PC?

The Vax is classic. When was the emulator written? :-)


] > 5. The ten year rule should apply to the date when a thing dropped off
] > in popularity; if it was still in common use eight years ago, it is
] > not yet classic. (Justification: if it is still in common use,
] > there will be other places to discuss it.)
]
] How do you define 'common'? What percent of the population must use it?
] What if it's uncommon in my city and common in yours?

I intentionally left that undefined. If we disagree about when
something passed its prime, then we may also disagree about it
being classic.

Do you think there are any great geographic differences in computer
usage? It may not be a practical issue, but it is an interesting
question anyway.

I suppose these things should also be settled by concensus. If
enough vocal subscribers are from Outer Sluterpia, where Univacs
still rule, and the Outer Sluterpian branch of Univac is still in
business, then we might have to stop calling Univacs classic (and
visit there with big U-haul trucks!) (But don't announce it on this
list, or Doug will be upset! :-P ).

In practice, I think this is a non-issue. There really is not
that much geographic difference in computer use in the areas that
our subscribers reside, and I think we can mostly agree on which
systems are still selling like hot-cakes and which are long past
that point.

        Bill.
Received on Tue Jan 26 1999 - 23:33:35 GMT