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The article relates the example of the sales cycle for the 'church in Langley' - it took a hundred years from the first recommendation to replace the bells to a
by vic-traill 10y ago
The article relates the example of the sales cycle for the 'church in Langley' - it took a hundred years from the first recommendation to replace the bells to actual installation! That's remarkable!
Is there any other industry with these sorts of time lines? I can't think of one.
What would software built to last/be useful for a hundred years even look like?
- draaglom 10y agoUnix is almost 50 :)
- pjc50 10y agoA lot of UK infrastructure is rather old; hundred-year-old rail, Tube and sewer systems need active maintenance. There are more than a few "national treasures" that are stuck in limbos awaiting maintenance or renovation for decades. I can easily imagine that 98 of those 100 years were taken up with meetings saying "we ought to replace the bells, but we haven't the money". (Pet example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Royal_High_School https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Royal_High_School which has been mostly empty for almost 50 years despite being in the middle of Edinburgh.)
- arethuza 10y agoInterestingly enough Edinburgh's Royal High is where the term "high school" was first used in the UK (in 1505, when the school had been operating for nearly 400 years).
- asjo 10y agoForestry can also have very long time lines. In 2003 a Danish forester (or whatever the title is) reported to the "war ministry" that the oaks ordered 200 years earlier for the fleet were ready. Article in Danish: http://www.trae.dk/artikel/ps-hr-krigsminister-egen-er-klar-til-levering/ http://www.trae.dk/artikel/ps-hr-krigsminister-egen-er-klar-...