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There is some truth to this
I'm a programmer too, BTW (among other things). What you describe helps drive what I have long called "Parkinson's Law of Computer Science": Software and data tend to expand to consume all available computing resources. This is enabled by ever faster CPUs, cheaper memory, and larger storage capacity. All of the above, together with the demand for new features, conspire to discourage efficient programming (much easier to write inefficient code, and you can get away with it). This is further exacerbated by the custom of issuing programmers and testers the fastest computers, and by the fact that the dominant software publisher (and publisher of development tools) makes most of its money from sales of preloaded software on new equipment (hardly motivation to make your new software run well on old hardware).

Given the above, it's not at all surprising to me that software continuously slows down and fattens up to accommodate faster CPUs, more plentiful memory, and bigger hard drives.

C. Northcote Parkinson would have expected just that.
Posted by: John L. Ries   Posted on: 05/26/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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The size of software is following  bjbrock | 05/25/07
Curious, what has this to do  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/25/07
It's why software is not  bjbrock | 05/25/07
Well, obviously the "power"  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/25/07
The second paragraph  bjbrock | 05/25/07
That would be Parkinson's Law  John L. Ries | 05/25/07
Bingo  Jack-Booted EULA | 05/28/07
Interesting... Fear of patents stiffling software performance innovation?  Basic Logic | 05/26/07
perhaps  CobraA1 | 05/27/07
You're not a programmer, are you? happy  wolf_z | 05/26/07
There is some truth to this  John L. Ries | 05/26/07
Not that easy to do really.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/25/07
It Comes down  Stuka | 05/25/07
You write to what's available  John Zern | 05/25/07
Hypocrisy from Intel  Robert.Novak@... | 05/25/07
Only cheap  Stuka | 05/25/07
Windows and Linux run on the same Intel (or AMD) hardware.  HypnoToad72 | 05/25/07
I think  Suicida| | 05/25/07
This is where Linux outshines Windows.  linux for me | 05/26/07
You're absolutely right HypnoToad72  GeiselS@... | 05/27/07
Contrasting hardware and software  kmatzen@... | 05/25/07
And this is news, or a law?! Sounds more like forgotten common sense.  HypnoToad72 | 05/25/07
Back in the days . . .  Ken_z | 05/26/07
Anyone Remember the AMIGA ?  GeiselS@... | 05/26/07
Yes, I remember how slow they were.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 05/26/07
You obviously didn't own one  GeiselS@... | 05/27/07
As usual  wgraue | 06/03/07
At least part of the problem is...  Henry Miller | 05/27/07
Why?  in-DUH-vidual | 05/27/07
No Moore's Law?  Grayson Peddie | 05/27/07
Don't know  in-DUH-vidual | 05/28/07
The thing about Moore's Law...  Wolfie2K3 | 05/29/07
Exotic tasks  in-DUH-vidual | 05/30/07
Microsoft Windows 2008  mighetto | 05/28/07
back in '90 i hada chance to write a PPprogram in Fortran for a connection  wessonjoe | 05/29/07
All is about optimization  PhilippeV | 06/01/07

What do you think?

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