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To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 2:43:51 PM
From: LLCF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

<I hope you were joking about faster computers not improving productivity. Are you talking to me on a 386 with a 2400 bps modem?> It depends who buys them of course... unless you are the BLS, then you can ASSUME every buyer is much more productive, even if just surfing the net or using it for a typewriter. DAK

To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 2:44:55 PM
From: KeepItSimple	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

Excuse me? Who said faster computers don't increase productivity at all? Sure they do, but not 50% per year for the last decade! Look, there's no point in arguing this. The real estate component of the BLS statistics say housing prices are going up around 2-3% on average across the nation, while every single private real estate organization that gets the raw numbers from their member agencies says the prices are going up around 20% per year. who do you believe? "We're from the government, we're here to help you." ----------------------------- Don't believe the BS that faster computers don't increase productivity. If someone is saying that they've never actually been in an environment where they actually make STUFF with them.

To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 2:48:16 PM
From: AllansAlias	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

Grace, Is someone using a PIII 6 times more productive then when they had a Pentium Pro? perhaps slightly more productive, but it seems silly to say they are twice as productive, let alone 6 times. It's outrageous. (As an additional and only slightly related point... I can not imagine the amount of time wasted at work these days surfing the net or playing the latest vido game.)

To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 4:03:57 PM
From: Don Lloyd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

Grace - ...Don't believe the BS that faster computers don't increase productivity. If someone is saying that they've never actually been in an environment where they actually make STUFF with them. ... Not only do faster computers increase productivity but every kind of rational economic re-adjustment does so as well, else it would not be undertaken. But just saying that productivity is increased is not the end of the story. The real question is whether the given productivity improvement can actually be exploited by a given person or company. For example, if I give you a survey to fill out describing your entire production process and products, there is no reason in theory that I can't design a black box machine to do the entire job for 1% of your current costs. If I charge $2M for such a machine and offer it to you AND all of your neighbors, will you benefit from this great advance in productivity? Even if all of you can afford the investment, the prices that you will be able to charge will be heavily limited by competition and you may well be worse off, and even out of business. Regards, Don

To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 4:17:58 PM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

All those should appear in the revenue and profitability numbers which is a more objective means of identifying how productive technology can make an institution. Of course, nothing beats a 12-month or 36-month no-interest loan to bring in revenue. The productivity measures completely miss how much easy or tight credit can impact output per unit labor.

To: GraceZ who wrote (58723)	1/17/2001 6:13:45 PM
From: Dennis O'Bell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

In addition to the valid points you raise, productivity versus "processor speed" (or insert whatever meaningless benchmark number one wishes) is nowhere near a linear function. In general several factors fall together now and then to make important qualitative differences and that stuff is hard or impossible to measure. The "web" itself is one of those phenomena. If anyone really believes what they're spewing about computers having no useful impact on productivity, or life in general, I can supply a long list of third world countries where they may enjoy relocating in order to enjoy the simple life.