At 11:56 AM 29/11/95 -0800, Craig Gilmore wrote:
>I expect that you would like to pay LESS for your purchases and the
>dollars you spend for support.  Additionally, you want more advanced
>features available without additional cost. Yes?
>
>Can you propose a way to accomplish the reduction in cost's without a
>reduction in head count serving one customer?
 
Gee, I thought *Technology* was supposed to do this.  You remember the
propaganda, "Technology will reduce costs and free you from mundane tasks,
giving you more time to spend providing service to your customer."?  How
much does a pound of silicon cost nowadays? :)  What Craig fails to
acknowledge though is that between the cost and selling price lies *profit*.
I guess only as a Barbarian am I allowed to question the amount of money
returned as profit, but it seems that producing anything less than a
record-breaking profit each quarter is enough to make the Wall Street
investors jumpy and it is to their tune HP jumps.  "Service" does not fit
well in the books of the Masters of the Stock Portfolio.  I'm sure though
that such sensitivities were not Bill and Dave's concern back in the days of
the Garage.
 
For another perspective, though, you can look at the architecture of the
many old buildings (hopefully) still standing.  Can you imagine any board of
a modern public corporation approving the construction of the statues,
gargoyles, filigree, cornices and other embellishments found in the
buildings of even early this century?  Rare indeed!  From Gothic to Baroque,
Edwardian to Art Deco these buildings add joy and revelation to anyone
interested to look, a relief from the mundane glass and concrete high rises,
with a scale more to match human aspirations.  I know which I prefer to see
survive into the next century and beyond.  And isn't it a funny co-incidence
that these same large modern monuments to profit and efficiency are
generally suffering from the glut of office space as a result of the
continuing trend to tele-commuting and mobile workers, whilst the smaller
older buildings replete with flourishes and style are being appreciated even
more for their rich aesthetics.  The moral I guess I'm trying to impart is
that what passes for efficiency and cost-saving now may become a fiscal drag
and impediment in the future.  There is not much room for profit if your
customers abandon you (because you abandon them).
 
"Damn, where is my Prosaic?" :)
----
Jim "seMPEr" Wowchuk
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