Is system upgrade a burden to you?
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Suppose you have an existing application that was written with old technology and running under an old operating system. Now the old technology will not be supported in newer operating systems. Do you keep using the old application under the old operating system or rewrite the application for the newer operating systems, assuming there is no other benifit to rewrite the existing application?[
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I think it is a mixed bag. If the rewrite will improve things like support time and make the system more extensible then it's fine. But, I've personally been guilty of rewriting a system just for the sake of the technology and in hindsight it seems like a waste of time when the origional system was functioning and meeting the customers needs. Hey don't worry, I can handle it. I took something. I can see things no one else can see. Why are you dressed like that? - Jack Burton
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Marc Clifton wrote:
I don't get caught with my pants down, so to speak.
Isn't this the *ahem* entertainment application? :rolleyes:
Once you wanted revolution
Now you're the institution
How's it feel to be the man?David Stone wrote:
Isn't this the *ahem* entertainment application?
Correct! :-D Marc Pensieve Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson
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Xiangyang Liu wrote:
Do you keep using the old application under the old operating system or rewrite the application for the newer operating systems, assuming there is no other benefit to rewrite the existing application?
You forget the paycheck that comes with rewriting it for the newer operating system. Ask the capitalist inside you this: Which gives you job security/more paychecks? Mike Poz
Mike Poz wrote:
Ask the capitalist inside you this: Which gives you job security/more paychecks?
A paycheck would be a benifit, wouldn't it? I already said "assuming there is no other benifit ... ". I get paid the same amount no matter how much extra work I invent for myself. :) As for job security, I love it but also hate the thought of dying on the same job 20 years later.[
My articles and software tools
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Suppose you have an existing application that was written with old technology and running under an old operating system. Now the old technology will not be supported in newer operating systems. Do you keep using the old application under the old operating system or rewrite the application for the newer operating systems, assuming there is no other benifit to rewrite the existing application?[
My articles and software tools
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I'm wondering about that issue as we move forward into Vista. I've an old C++ app that I'm maintaining that uses third party libraries to talk directly to the ethernet card and has other drivers for iButtons. It's a turnkey system, but what do you do when you can't even buy the older OS anymore? At some point, something (hardware obsolesence or unsupported older OS's) will force a rewrite, I would think. So my personal preference is to at least plan for rewriting it, and make sure I don't get caught with my pants down, so to speak. Marc Pensieve Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson
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Mike Poz wrote:
Ask the capitalist inside you this: Which gives you job security/more paychecks?
A paycheck would be a benifit, wouldn't it? I already said "assuming there is no other benifit ... ". I get paid the same amount no matter how much extra work I invent for myself. :) As for job security, I love it but also hate the thought of dying on the same job 20 years later.[
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Xiangyang Liu wrote:
I love it but also hate the thought of dying on the same job 20 years later.
Or then years later they don't need you anymore and get rid of you, or they go out of business themselves. Job security just doesn't exist like it did 60 years ago. People just let themselves be fooled by the thought of it. Jeremy Falcon
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I don't think this case can occur in reality. Every application has a natural lifecycle and dies eventually. Keeping it going beyond it's natural lifespan get's exponentially more expensive with time.
John Cardinal wrote:
Keeping it going beyond it's natural lifespan get's exponentially more expensive with time.
I agree. A good example of this is a P4 won't run Windows 95 (well, I tried via emulation, so I assume native as well). If you have an app that runs on Win95 only (let's pretend here), then in 20 years time from now in 2020 it could be impossible to find a suite of machines to run your app. Yes you could write an app to be more portable and so on an so forth. This is just an example. On the flip side, I don't think every last thing that get released should be bought, but it's not safe to stay in dinosaur land for 50 years either. In the Win95 example (all other reasons notwithstanding) I wouldn't consider upgrading until I noticed it getting more and more difficult to obtain machines that are pre P4. Jeremy Falcon
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I'm wondering about that issue as we move forward into Vista. I've an old C++ app that I'm maintaining that uses third party libraries to talk directly to the ethernet card and has other drivers for iButtons. It's a turnkey system, but what do you do when you can't even buy the older OS anymore? At some point, something (hardware obsolesence or unsupported older OS's) will force a rewrite, I would think. So my personal preference is to at least plan for rewriting it, and make sure I don't get caught with my pants down, so to speak. Marc Pensieve Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson
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With the exception of XP64, all windows licenses from 98-xp allow downgrading to an older 32 bit version if you have the media. I don't however know what the vista plans are for this case.
I assume you mean the right click -> Properties, Compatibility tab options. Yes, that's still there, and is available for non-os components (example: IE and WMP don't have this option available). The list of "run in compat mode for" apps are: Windows 95 Windows 98/ME Win NT 4 SP5 Win 2k Win XP SP2 Win 2k3 Server SP1 Mike Poz
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I assume you mean the right click -> Properties, Compatibility tab options. Yes, that's still there, and is available for non-os components (example: IE and WMP don't have this option available). The list of "run in compat mode for" apps are: Windows 95 Windows 98/ME Win NT 4 SP5 Win 2k Win XP SP2 Win 2k3 Server SP1 Mike Poz
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Indirectly - they want you to buy a license for the new one. Now, if you buy the license for the new one and then DOWNGRADE to the older copy, perhaps that might be seen as 'okay' in some legal and dire circumstances. Wow! $450 for MS-DOS - Ouch! I've seen better runs in my shorts! - Patches O'Houlihan
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John Cardinal wrote:
Keeping it going beyond it's natural lifespan get's exponentially more expensive with time.
I agree. A good example of this is a P4 won't run Windows 95 (well, I tried via emulation, so I assume native as well). If you have an app that runs on Win95 only (let's pretend here), then in 20 years time from now in 2020 it could be impossible to find a suite of machines to run your app. Yes you could write an app to be more portable and so on an so forth. This is just an example. On the flip side, I don't think every last thing that get released should be bought, but it's not safe to stay in dinosaur land for 50 years either. In the Win95 example (all other reasons notwithstanding) I wouldn't consider upgrading until I noticed it getting more and more difficult to obtain machines that are pre P4. Jeremy Falcon
And you would not want to have to go digging in the landfills, what with all those disposable baby diapers and whotnot in there ... X| I've seen better runs in my shorts! - Patches O'Houlihan