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Re: Building a rackmount looping computer as an alternative to the Receptor for Mobius
At 07:59 AM 10/15/2005, Jeff Larson wrote:
>Travis Hartnett wrote:
> > Nah--hard drives aren't designed to last more than a few years, the
> > motherboard and power supply batteries likewise.
>
>Hard drive, debatable. Motherboard, nonsense. Batteries, yes.
>Power cord, no.
Sorry, that is not correct. A motherboard designed today is not designed
to
last 10 years. The probability is very low that it would last that long.
On
the other hand, a motherboard from 10 years ago will quite likely still
work fine today.
As the semiconductor industry and the computer industry have commoditized,
understanding of component reliability has become very, very good. We know
quite well how to estimate the lifetime of a pc motherboard given the
expected operating conditions and components used. We know exactly how
much
the number of years of average lifetime will cost us in terms of
performance and price and customer reaction, and we make that calculation
for each product.
In the face of unrelenting competition, reliability and average lifetime
has gradually been traded for performance and price. Acceptable lifetime
standards have dropped considerably from what they were 10 years ago. I
doubt that anybody in the computer industry today would ship a part with
an
MTBF of 10 years. They would say, "hey we can squeeze more performance out
of that!" (or cost)
And if you think spending $4000 on a laptop changes this equation, all I
have to say to you is, "Thanks!"
kim
______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint | Looper's Delight
kflint@loopers-delight.com | http://www.loopers-delight.com