Re: Computer life-span...

[Jim Green <JMGreen@sisna.com>]

Well, Dwight, like most solid state electronics, any computer will last ten
years easily after burn in.  That is not the issue.  Five years ago a
486DX33 was at the top of the line, but they were equipped to handel only
16M RAM and operated at 33MHz.  This is now too little and too slow for
WIN95 now,  As the technology gets better and cheaper, 256M RAM, 200MHz, 4G
HD, ZIP or Jazz, 8x CD ROM Drives will all be common --- *and* programmers
will get even sloppier and programs will require all that extra stuff. It is
not the electronics which will expire, but the specs.  The compute will
"run", but you won't be able to use it for anything except 20th C software.

Jim Green  


At 12:49 PM 2/22/97 EST, you wrote:
> 	Greetings everyone.  I have a question that I'm hoping some of
> you may be able to help me out with.  I apologize if this isn't related
> to this server, but it's the only way I can get info. from a larger
> number of people.
> 	My family are preparing to purchase a home computer for school
> and work.  We've read over a bunch of reports, Consumer Reports, and word
> of mouth, and we've basically decided to go along with Gateway computers.
> We've contacted the company several times to ask questions and the other
> day we were asking about the warranty and seeing if there was a way to
> extend the warranty longer than what is offered.  The guy mentioned that
> it wasn't possible to do that, plus we would have had received our
> money's worth after 3 years.  
> 	The last statement really bothers me.  As money is tight
> (teacher's pay) and considering the current computer I have is about 10
> years old and still working, although the new software is not compatible
> with the system.  What I'm wondering is if Gateway computers (or some
> other other computer brands) are more or less "disposable" computers? 
> After around three years, will the computer be no longer functional? 
> Will it become like my car, pieces and parts falling apart and needing
> replaced to keep it running?
> 	I again apologize for any inconvenience, but this is a big
> investment for my family.  This is a tool that will be used for both
> home, school, and work as I'm sure many of you may have experience with. 
> So any input, advice, and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
> Dwight
> dsouder@juno.com