Obsolete, was Speaking of cubes

From: Jerome Fine <jhfine_at_idirect.com>
Date: Sat Oct 14 09:25:36 2000

>Joe wrote:

> >> I just peeked in the dictionary, Obsolete means "no longer in use". By that
> >> definition many things are clearly not obsolete, they are just not in the
> >> front lines anymore. What completely bends our perception is that most
> >Perhaps "outmoded" is a more apt adjective to use.
> Th term "obselete" is fine but we have to remember that it's just a
> marketing term. The computer that I'm typing this on is considered
> "obselete" but it gets the work done.
> My $0.02 worth

Jerome Fine replies:

I could not agree more - that "obsolete" has become a marketing term.
Joe's post is being answered on a Pentium 166 MMX system using
Netscape V4.03 and W95. And in addition, I am still using an
UltraStor 12F24 ESDI controller with 1.2 GByte Hitachi DK516-15
hard disk drives. Mind you, I have 96 MBytes of memory, so the
system is reasonable fast. But the phone modem is still only 34K.

Does it work, of course. But if I went into a computer store to
buy one, I would be told it was "obsolete" - actually meaning that
there is too little profit margin to sell this old system new or otherwise.

Marketing has taken over many words in the language, the most
glaring of which is the question:
"WHAT DO YOU NEED?"
Whenever I am asked that question, I immediately set the salesperson
straight:
"I NEED NOTHING! And if you persist in that hallucination, then
you will find that I will definitely not purchase anything you have for
sale for which I may even have a preference." ("After all, if you insist
that everything that you have here for sale is what I need and I do not
need any of those items, you are not going to be able to sell any of them
to me. So for your own benefit, you would best be advised to change
your marketing strategy." - Implied thought process which I am attempting
to communicate to the sales person) While some sales people
take that answer as an insult and go look for greener pastures (suckers),
I find that it tends to set the record straight and I can discuss the product
on a more reasonable basis. And I rarely get the "Why are you wasting
my time attitude?" when I do not make a purchase.

Just a $ CAN 0.02 addition (about $ US 0.012 at the moment).

Sincerely yours,

Jerome Fine
Received on Sat Oct 14 2000 - 09:25:36 BST