Tom:
I believe that we are in agreement on the subject of ATM and other standards now being considered. I wasn't sure how to state my position so I just tossed out an idea to get a response! Now we can be more specific....
Once something like ATM starts to become pervasive, although there may be other low level methods which, for a given application, would have some technical superiority (though I don't profess to know anything about this...), however, because of the factors you already mentioned, ATM would often be chosen over the technically superior method because of the OTHER benefits which ATM would bring to the table (not the least of which are the array of benefits which accrue when something becomes widely used and implemented, regardless of any other factor). Given the complexity of systems today and in the future, it seems to me that it is vital that we have standards, at least at the lower levels; that becomes more important that absolute technical optimization of every situation, IMHO.
I often see debates about this or that technology being "better" than one which enjoys wide use, and this is used to promote a company. Upon investigation I find that, yes, it is technically better in some way or another, maybe in several ways. But that isn't enough to justify the cost and trouble of using it rather than the "standard". I'd like to see a wider understanding of the fact that you must add up ALL the factors which are pertinent to a system wide decision; technology is not the only choice. In fact, in my experience, the "A" technologies often don't become mainstream, rather, it is the "B+" technologies which win out, often for non-technology reasons.
I am probably just wasting a lot of space stating the obvious; but I do see a lot of debate hither and yon, on this issue. "Company A will win out because its widgets are better". But, Company A's widgets DON'T win out, somehow, even though they are better. For some reason(s) not immediately obvious, Company B's widgets are chosen by most customers and it becomes the "standard". Obviously, technology wasn't the only key factor. I'd like to figure out (1) what the key factos are, precisely, and, (2) how to read them in the marketplace and in companies.
Ha, wouldn't we all....
Larry |
