This point of view is common, even though its odd disparity with reality make it seem almost anachronistic. Software isn't bloating anywhere near as much as expectations are.

Oh, sure, it's true that much software is slower than its predecessor. Windows 7 is considerably slower, given the same hardware, than Windows XP which is a dog compared to Windows 95, on the same hardware. But the truth is that we aren't running on the same hardware, and our expectations have risen dramatically. But in actual fact, most implementations of compilers and algorithms show consistent improvements in speed. More recent compilers are considerably faster than older ones. Newer compression software is faster (often by orders of magnitude!) than earlier versions. Software processes such as voice recognition, facial pattern matching, lossy compression algorithms for video and audio, and far too many other things to name have all improved consistently over time. For a good example of this type of improvement, take a look at the recent work on "faster than fast" Fourier Transforms as an easy reference.

So why does it seem that software gets slower and slower? I remember when my Dell Inspiron 600m was a slick, fast machine. I was amazed at all the power in this little package! And yet, even running the original install of Windows XP, I can't watch Hulu on it - it simply doesn't have the power to run full screen, full motion, compressed video in real time. I was stunned at how long (a full minute?) the old copy of Open Office took to load, even though I remember running it on the same machine! (With my i7 laptop with SSD and 8 GB of RAM, OpenOffice loads in about 2 seconds)

Expectations are what changed more than the software.

Across a broad spectrum of drives (various brands and models) I'd say that's about right with my experience. My own WDs (probably a hundred or so individual drives) have had a little different numbers (I've never seen one fail in the 1-5 year range unless it had damage like being physically whacked around, and only a couple times in the infant stage) but still the same principle -- the three death points are infant, ordinary wear-out (5.5 yrs) or extreme old age.

Wouldn't it be nice if the facts fit your wishes? Too bad that they don't.

Microsoft pretty much does sell it's stuff with little resistance. Windows 8 sales are down, but MS has made it clear that they're willing to take a short term hiccup in order to position themselves for the mobile movement. Win 8 on the Desktop is still a pain, but reviews are that it's in league with Android/iOS as a mobile platform purely on its own technical merits. It may well be that the Desktop/Mobile schizm is resolved over time as desktops pick up mobile features, such as touch screens. As an example, my wife's new Dell laptop has a touch screen, light weight, and decent (8 hours) battery life - three things that mobile devices traditionally had over the lap/desk top.

Since the rule of thumb is "buy the 3rd one" the next update to Windows 8 (which is really a new usability model) will probably be the one that gets traction. They sold XBox at a loss for years before it finally became profitable. If you remember history, it took some time (of significant losses) before MS Word beat out Word Perfect, and for Excel to beat out Lotus 123.

They have a monopoly on Desktop OSs, something they are now using (again) to leverage their way into a new market. (Mobile) And slowly, it's working. Windows 8 phone passed 10% market share in Europe recently. It became #3 in the USA some time ago. And while these milestones seem meager, if they only increase their percentage marginally from year to year, eventually they'll rule the roost as they've done with their Desktop OS. And they have more money than many countries, which buys them a *lot* of a time. That's no guarantee of success, but they are, in no fashion, doomed to fail, regardless of how many "fumbles" you may perceive.

The real question to be answered over the next 2-5 years is whether or not Android can become replace Windows faster than Windows can replace Android.

It makes a helluva difference when my truck is hauling a 14,000 pound load in hilly country.

Good analysis.

I asked WD how long a lifespan their drives were engineered for, and they told me 5 years. Didn't differentiate among types or models.

My experience has been that if WDs make it past the first month, they usually last about 5.5 years, but those that go beyond may last indefinitely. (I have some with 11+ years on 'em, 24/7/365.)

Back in the day I dismantled some dead SCSI drives, and found inside the exact same HD as the IDE variety of the same brand. Difference was in the interface, not the guts.

Chase, the bank that's thumbing its nose at the class action suit that found 'em guilty of unilaterally changing mortgage contracts and of being in cahoots with their own pet insurance provider... (this one I know about firsthand, it affected my mortgage).

My neighbor managed to pull 30A on a 15A standard outlet long enough to melt the extension cord.

(Here's a hint: never put two 15A tank heaters on one 14ga. extension cord.)

Or make these outlets metered -- put in a dime, draw up to 1KW of electricity, for ANY purpose.

My observation is that it goes the other way -- computer literacy tends to go along with older OSs, while the gotta-upgrade auto-update crowd usually knows the least. Your clients may vary. :)

I knew someone who was still hoarding XT motherboards as late as 1995, because their workplace's very expensive industrial machinery ran off XTs and wouldn't speak to anything newer. So, yeah, that's a problem. But I wouldn't think these constrained setups are usually open to the whole world, maybe not even connected at all.

... a position which is frightfully naive. Of course making things more illegal is a deterrent. It used to be totally legal to drive with your kids in the back of your truck on the open freeway. It's now more illegal (at least in California) and you don't see (very many) people driving on the freeway with kids in the back of their truck.

All officially recognized crimes are punished with the intent of deterring future crime, and you live in a time and place which ranks as among the most peaceful and civilized periods in all of known history. To suggest that this concept does not work betrays a stunning lack of understanding and respect for all the work put in by the millions of people who worked to establish and maintain the system that provides such domestic peace and tranquility.

Did you actually think that spending 10 years in jail actually compensates the parents and loved ones of a murder victim? Sorry, if they're dead, no amount of punishment will ever bring them back, and until you've personally experienced the loss of a close loved one, you cannot really understand just how devastating such a loss can be.
  However, even sociopaths can understand personal injury and suffering even if they lack the ability empathize in any way with their victims.

Or did, until you commented on TFA...

[this is some random stuff so that slashot will take my post.]

If you think SSDs fail because a part "fails" you lack understanding of how they work.

SSDs have a property called "write endurance" - their data cells are rated to a specific number of writes. Every time you write, you consume some of the remaining write capacity of the drive. It works like a salt shaker: works find until you run out of salt.

Enterprise drives can have dozens to hundreds of times the write endurance of a consumer drive. For example, the Intel SSDs we use are rated to withstand 100% of the drive's capacity in writes every 24 hours for many years on end. A consumer drive couldn't do that for more than a few weeks, perhaps a month or two.

I'd happily pay 2x or 3x the money to get 20x the write endurance.

Extinction of domestic animals (including humans) IS the goal of the vegan-AR types. Look what they've said about domestic pets:

âoeI donâ(TM)t want to see another cat or dog born.â â" HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle

And this:

âoeMy goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.â â"HSUS Director of Animal Cruelty Policy John âoeJ.P.â Goodwin

Now, how do you abolish it without extincting it? Cuz you can't just turn all those pigs loose. (If you think you can, look up feral pigs.)

Unless maybe we stop subsidizing fossil fuels?

*sigh* iOS devices are more expensive to begin with. iOS users obviously have more money to spend than brains. It has nothing to do with the quality of the device, and everything to do with being willing to be gouged.