Hi Wayne - you are right about hardware. I remember - some 20 years ago - a prediction by IBM whereas at that time the total cost of a shop would be 90% hardware 10% software the ratio  "in 20 years" would be reversed.  I think they are about right. 

Of course with us - being a very small company - we found years ago some of the best values are buying maybe 5 year old hardware - still useful - just not "quite as fast". I doubt that even a 919 is that much faster than our 917 - or course- the hardware support is in many cased the determining factor...

Bill
  Wayne Boyer wrote: 

  Around the USA, there are quite a few specialized scrap yards that focus on scrap electronic equipment.  It is absolutely amazing to see the huge quantities of not-so-old hardware go thru the destruction process.  The stuff gets chopped up for scrap because no one wants it.  Anyone want a few pallets of PCs?  How about a cubic yard of hard drives?  All as-is where-is.

  Back in 1987, I switched from HP-3000 systems work to dealing in hardware.  That was when hardware had some value.  A few years ago, when it became very apparent that hardware was rapidly moving towards being a disposable commodity, I switched back to HP-3000 MPE consulting.  Now of course, it seems that I need to focus on being a different kind of consultant.  

  My point in writing this is that virtually ALL forms of hardware are becoming cheap disposable commodities.  I'd avoid any major investments in new proprietary hardware whenever the proprietary hardware has a high price tag as compared to so called industry standard hardware.  It's just going to depreciate into nothing overnight.

  Wayne Boyer
  Cal-Logic 

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