vsbabu.org

Old paradigms, new avenue

1. 1970: Standalone applications.
2. 1990: Client/Server applications.
3. 1997: Three tier web applications.
4. 2000: N-tier web and rich client applications.

Wow! I should feel pretty good about working in an industry that makes you routinely talk about such complicated matters.

Then again...

1. 1921: Razor that can store replacement blades in the handle. By Schick.
2. 1971: Twin-blade razor. By Gillette.
3. 1998: Three-blade razor. By Kai.
4. 2003: Four-blade razor. By Schick.

Officials from Schick and Gillette and other such manufacturers call these things as shaving systems. Mind you, systems -- don’t belittle these things by calling them razors.

I sport a beard quite often. Usually in winter to reduce the effects of dry skin. Or whenever I feel secure enough, assuming average Americans can sometimes comprehend I’m a non-Muslim from India, which is a country that is not in the middle-east.

With that background, I don’t quite fancy the thought of using a system with more than 2 blades. This kind of over-engineering causes more harm than good. If you try to shave off a 2-week old beard with a 2-blade razor, I’m sure you understand how annoying that can be.

May be there is a lesson here. The technology-du-jour seems to follow the pattern of evolution of shaving razors. Perhaps we all need to keep in mind that at the end of the day, it is not the number of tiers in the architecture that matters for the client, but the dependability, usability, convenience, affordability, transparency, trustworthy and innovation^* of the product or service.

* - those d.u.c.a.t.t.i values are not my own words. My CIO talks about these. In my opinion, these do provide excellent measures of success.

I hope Gillette and Schick won’t draw inspiration from grid computing. I don’t feel good at all about multiple razors operating on my face.

1. The function of the artist is to provide what life does not.

   Posted by: Kalish Seth on March 16, 2004 05:24 AM