Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!udel!haven!uflorida!cs.fau.edu!longc
From: longc@cs.fau.edu (Courtney Long)
Newsgroups: comp.multimedia
Subject: Re: Data Transmition Rares
Message-ID: <1991Feb23.135610.5253@cs.fau.edu>
Date: 23 Feb 91 13:56:10 GMT
References: <39096@muvms3.bitnet> <546@rufus.UUCP>
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Lines: 40

In article <546@rufus.UUCP> drake@drake.almaden.ibm.com writes:
>In article <39096@muvms3.bitnet> crp002@muvms3.bitnet writes:
>>
>>I came up with a transmition rate of roughly 1221 megabytes/second [...]
>>Is this a practical tranmission
>>speed? I don't think it is, but if what I think works, we are being really
>>screwed by the computer industry. 
>
>What would be the computer industry's motivation in holding back high
>speed communications systems?  If they existed and worked, why wouldn't
>they be on the market?  High speed links would sell lots of fast CPUs,
>huge disk drives, and other gear, and would let everyone make gobs of
>money.  I'm certain there's no conspiracy holding such wonders back!  :-)
>
I don't believe that the computer industry is holding back gigabit
data communications technology.  I do believe that gigabit datacom is
possible, although I don't know how to do it myself.

As far as the motivation for holding back technology, I postulate the 
following.  Suppose a company is currently at market with product X.
X represents the state-of-the art.  Naturally the company wants to
earn maximum profits on X for the ususal reasons.  All of a sudden the
same company develops product Y.  Y represents a significant improvement
over X.  

Naturally one would expect product Y to be introduced to the market as
the latest and greatest and expect the company to gain market share as
a result.  The only thing is, X is still selling.  X is very profitable.
The company has an inventory of X.  Y is then saved for when X is
nearing the end of its business cycle.

By the way, I'm much more interested in technical matters than business
matters, but thought I'd share my idea!

CL

>
>Sam Drake / IBM Almaden Research Center 
>Internet:  drake@ibm.com            BITNET:  DRAKE at ALMADEN
>Usenet:    ...!uunet!ibmarc!drake   Phone:   (408) 927-1861


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