On Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:35:27 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 2/22/2016 5:52 AM, wrote:
Or, is all of this just "change for the sake of change"?

Generally I also look at a computer as a "tool" and as long as it
isn't broken it's not obsolete. Just because you can make holes with a
laser doesn't make a drill obsolete, but if and when the time comes

This is an excellent analogy! I will steal it! :

No need for a criminal record over it - I've offered that one MANY
times in the past. Feel free to use it - just preface it with "a smart
fellow I met on the internet said-------"

you need to drill holes that are not round, getting a laser (or a cnc
mill) might become a good idea.

Yes -- so long as you're not buying one just to keep up with the
guy down the street!

Buying a laser or mill to make round holes that you've made for
decades with a drill is not buying tools, it's buying TOYS.

Now, if all your drills break or wear out and you expect to be making
fancy not-round holed, PERHAPS buying a mill instead of a drill might
make sense. Unless the work is too fine for a mill, buying alaser is
STILL buying a toy if you don't have a clear requirement for it.

And when you start having to change bits on the drill on a regular
basis, upgrading to a good keyless chuckon the old drill can improve
it's functionality significantly without having to replace it.

And yes, there are times when a second drill is a good tool to have at
your disposal - even if it is a hand cranked one.

Almost everything that I use a computer for is "meatware limited".
A faster computer, newer OS, etc. just means the machine waits
for me, more (relatively speaking).

When I got started in this business, if you were LUCKY, you could
do TWO iterations of the edit-build-test cycle in an 8 hour shift.
The tools were SO slow and the technology so inflexible, that
you spent a lot of time waiting for the tools *or* performing
"acts of contrition" to appease the silicon gods and coerce them to
honor your prayers.

So, you learned how to better "schedule" your efforts. Anticipate
the next problem when solving the current one. I.e., don't just
install the "fix" for the current problem but also install
any stubs, etc. to let you get a headstart understanding/verifying
the behavior of the NEXT thing you'll be testing.

Instead of:
[fix first problem, build new system, test]
"Great, that works!"
[create test conditions for next step, build new system]
"Hmmm, that's a problem..."
[fix second problem, build new system, test]
"Great, that works!"
do:
[fix first problem, create test conditions for next step, build, test]
"Great, that works! But, there's a problem with..."
[fix second problem, create test conditions for next step, build, test]
"OK, that's fixed! Now there's a problem with..."

If you keep this sort of mindset, you're always a step ahead of
the guy who relies on a faster machine to just keep "throwing darts"
at his perceived problems: "Hmmm... that didn't work, let's TRY this..."
And, less needing of the latest and greatest (speed, etc.)

"Go do something else while you're waiting for the machine"
instead of:
"Buy a faster machine so you're not waiting as much"
A faster machine just allows you to make more mistakes in the same
period of time.