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I would characterise it as option 3 - Spend $1.5 million maintaining the current system, but as bits get updated keep in mind the system that you'd like to hav

I would characterise it as option 3 - Spend $1.5 million maintaining the current system, but as bits get updated keep in mind the system that you'd like to have in 10 15 years time. You're going to have to replace the system within 300 years anyway, you aren't saving that money, every feature you add that is reliant on the old system is literally technical debt, because eventually you'll have to rewrite it for the new system. I'm not even saying you need to have a new system in mind, just keep in mind that you will be moving to a new system, so code appropriately.

rbanffy 7y ago
Since a mainframe can usually be updated to the newest model (and you often run more than one for redundancy, as some people may need more than 5 nines), in 300 years the company will have a z150 or so, with millions of quantum entangled cores made of folded spacetime mesh around a pair of rotating singularities running at a couple terahertz. And it will still be able to run all your programs that were written and tested since the late 20th century, by the kind of organic entity we used to call "human".
- benj111 7y ago
  Lighthearted retort: And web browsers will still be slow. Slightly more serious retort: I'm not aware of any brands from 300 years ago, I'd be surprised if any of IBMs customers survive, let alone enough to keep IBM as a going concern. Btw when you start folding the space time mesh, terahertz figures just become marketing numbers, what you really want to know is how many parsecs it can do the Kessel run in.
  - reaperducer 7y ago
    I'm not aware of any brands from 300 years ago You might be, you just don't realize that they're hundreds of years old. For example, the insurance company Lloyds of London is fairly well-known around the globe. It's 333 years old.
    - benj111 7y ago
      I suppose brand yes, but it's not really a company. If you want to go down that route The Church of England, and indeed England are 'Brands'

rbanffy 7y ago

Since a mainframe can usually be updated to the newest model (and you often run more than one for redundancy, as some people may need more than 5 nines), in 300 years the company will have a z150 or so, with millions of quantum entangled cores made of folded spacetime mesh around a pair of rotating singularities running at a couple terahertz. And it will still be able to run all your programs that were written and tested since the late 20th century, by the kind of organic entity we used to call "human".

benj111 7y ago
Lighthearted retort: And web browsers will still be slow. Slightly more serious retort: I'm not aware of any brands from 300 years ago, I'd be surprised if any of IBMs customers survive, let alone enough to keep IBM as a going concern. Btw when you start folding the space time mesh, terahertz figures just become marketing numbers, what you really want to know is how many parsecs it can do the Kessel run in.
- reaperducer 7y ago
  I'm not aware of any brands from 300 years ago You might be, you just don't realize that they're hundreds of years old. For example, the insurance company Lloyds of London is fairly well-known around the globe. It's 333 years old.
  - benj111 7y ago
    I suppose brand yes, but it's not really a company. If you want to go down that route The Church of England, and indeed England are 'Brands'