Re: [NTLK] Paging Card

From: Ed Kummel (tech_ed_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Oct 23 2002 - 14:55:37 EDT


Sure...and I'll continue to use my Sony Betamax as
long as it's supported...
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/08/28/1030053075578.html
I use older technology and revell in the new as
well...but what needs to be considered here is that we
are talking about a service industry that isn't
governed by what WE (Newton owners) want. In fact, the
sheer fact that we ARE Newton owners automatically
creates a aura of *non-support* in service providers.
And in some cases (like the All Points card) the
entire format of the transmission protocol has been
changed...and since there is no application that
supports the new protocol, the service, while still
around, is unavailable to the Newton. And even if you
CAN get the software written for the Newt, it probably
won't be supported because you would have to get it
blessed by someone like Go America to be authenticated
at the servers. And there is no viable profit model
for supporting the Newton...
The same thing is the problem with pagers. Here in the
DC area, I know of NO pager provider that is still in
business when the Newton of 1993 was introduced.
You gotta understand...the stores that sell and
support the pagers are not the ones supplying the
service. Almost all paging in the United States is
controled by 3-4 companies (not counting the
restaurants with paging like Red Lobster or Olive
Garden...). All these sellers are only reselling this
service in either a local or national plan. And since
there is no viable economic reason to support a "dead"
platform (whether it be a Newton, or an old numeric
pager) The technology is scrapped at the provider
level and replaced with more cost effective solutions
(why do you think digital cell phones were introduced
in the first place? You dont' think for call or better
sound do you? It's so that more conversations can be
packetized on a single channel (with CDMA, the ratio
is almost 30-to-1) Customer satisfaction was never a
consideration...just an effort to aleviate a saturated
band.)
Most of today's pagers have been supplanted with
digital technology as well...sure, there may be some
hold outs, but they are pockets that bear no attention
because they aren't sustainable in the long run.

Also based on prior experience and others attempting
to activate one of these pagers on this list, evidence
has shown that while it may be *possible* to activate
one of these pagers, it is quite *improbable* that
they (the pager company) will actually do it. The
reason being is that by using the older pager, you
will be consuming resources from the paging company
equivalent to almost 50 *modern* pager users. Not
quite the profit margin most companies want to have.
I have lots of old technology I can no longer use
because there is nothing I can use them with. I've got
a nice 8mm and a Super 8 film camera. It doesn't do
much because you can't get film (Kodak claims that
there is a repository of old 8mm film in the former
Soviet Block, but that can't be confirmed) I have an
old AM portable radio that can't be used because I
can't find a battery (I have the same problem with an
old Sony portable CD player) I have an old Kenwood
6-CD changer that I can't use because I can't get
cartridges for it, I have an old Pioneer turntable I
can't use because I can't find a belt for it, (the
needle-doctor got me a belt for my Technics turntable
though) I've got an old Radioshack Model II computer
that I can't use becuase I can't find 8" floppy disks
(that are reasonably priced) I've got megabytes of
backups on tape I can't use because I can't find a
drive to read them, (old QIC-60 tapes) heck, I've
gotta order my reel to reel tape special (I can get
the small 4" reels, it's the 8" reels I need) so I
don't use it very much...
So you see..old technology is great...as long as it
doesn't need outside support...
Ed
web/gadget guru
http://newton.tek-ed.com (download Newton packages)
http://npds.tek-ed.com (my NPDS server and it's new
subdomain)
--- COCCORP_at_aol.com wrote:
>
<snip>
> (now 4 the rant)
>
> U know, it has always amazed me at how some of us
> computer geeks can get such
> a woodie(!) when it comes to new(er) technology....
> but what does it all mean
> anyway? By definition, all of this stuff is
> eventually doomed to
> obsolete-ness....
<snip>

=====
Why is that all of the instruments seeking intelligent life
in the universe are pointed away from Earth?
     --Anonymous

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site
http://webhosting.yahoo.com/

-- 
Read the List FAQ/Etiquette: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html
Read the Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
This is the NewtonTalk mailing list - http://www.newtontalk.net/



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Thu Oct 31 2002 - 12:03:22 EST