[WikiEN-l] Why Academics are Useful to Wikipedia

[Jens Ropers]

> Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 13:33:17 -0400
> From: Delirium <delirium at hackish.org>
>
> Computer equipment is becoming so incredibly cheap (...)
>
> <snip>
>
> -Mark

Only in ''relative'' terms. True, the ''price per [[megaflop]]'', or 
''price per megabyte'' of RAM or HD space, etc. -- these have all 
plummeted. However: in order to get a working computer system of ANY 
performance level, you will be lucky to get below a certain minimum 
price level. It doesn't even matter what computer generation we're 
talking about -- whether 386 / PowerPC 601 or G5 / Opteron. Sure, there 
always is that hiatus, that moment where people/companies who are 
upgrading obsessively give away their PCs for nothing. But securing one 
of these is sheer luck. As a check on ebay will tell you, there is a 
bottom line where things don't get cheaper, regardless of what 
generation of PC you're buying.

Ironically, if you wanted to buy a good mid-class PC system 10 years 
ago, you probably had to spend, say, about $1200. If you want to buy a 
good mid-class PC system today, you have to spend -- surprise -- $1200! 
Yes, true, today you get "a lot more Mega" for your buck, but Joe 
Random User trying to buy a good mid-class PC has probably been 
spending the same amount for the last decade or so and the reason for 
that is that after the design phase is over, it costs about the same to 
fab an Opteron system today as it used to cost to fab a 386 system. 
(Back in the very old days it was different, and PCs did indeed cost 
$12000 and more instead of $1200. But you're getting my drift.)

Of course marketing suits tell us that things are really, totally 
getting cheaper -- well, there probably is ''some'' truth in that as 
well. But less than most would think.

Also, I would observe that the "minimum prize level" I mentioned above 
is still totally out of reach of (to make up a number), say 90% of the 
world population. They just can't spare that money, ridiculously little 
though it may seem to us.
Let's not forget that.

-- Jens [[User:Ropers|Ropers]]
     www.ropersonline.com