3 ms·

Is it possibly over-engineered?

by TedDoesntTalk 5y ago

clintonb 5y ago
It's definitely over-engineered, which is the point. The plane needs to be ready for multiple situations.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
MobiusHorizons 5y ago
I would describe it more as made-to-order / custom rather than over-engineered. Over-engineered would suggest that the complexity of the engineering is unwarranted by the requirements. I think in this case, the issue is just that the requirements are very high, and since the requirements come from the customer, they simply must be met.
- meetups323 5y ago
  If you consider the military the end customer, sure. But take a step back and the military is the just the defense vendor for the People. If the People don't need their president to be supplied with all that tech, then the military has over-engineered their solution to the People's "our president should be able to move places relatively quickly and relatively safely" problem.
  - dodobirdlord 5y ago
    The President needs to be able to do their job as President from these planes while in the air, including some of the more unique responsibilities of the job like directing a nuclear war. The requirements go pretty far beyond just providing speedy and safe transit.
  - MobiusHorizons 5y ago
    My point is that the presence of unusual or even absurd requirements is a different thing than over engineering, even though the results can seem similar. If a design incorporates complexity that is not warranted by the requirements or the constraints, it can be described as over engineered. Requirements can cause the same complexity, but it is now warranted. You may, of course, disagree about the requirements, but that really is a matter of risk tolerance, and preexisting policy.
wolverine876 5y ago
I've wondered about that. Protecting the president's life isn't worth infinite investment, but I think the planes also serve as command posts during warfare, including nuclear war. That's worth quite a bit.

Is it possibly over-engineered?

clintonb 5y ago

It's definitely over-engineered, which is the point. The plane needs to be ready for multiple situations.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

MobiusHorizons 5y ago

I would describe it more as made-to-order / custom rather than over-engineered. Over-engineered would suggest that the complexity of the engineering is unwarranted by the requirements. I think in this case, the issue is just that the requirements are very high, and since the requirements come from the customer, they simply must be met.

meetups323 5y ago
If you consider the military the end customer, sure. But take a step back and the military is the just the defense vendor for the People. If the People don't need their president to be supplied with all that tech, then the military has over-engineered their solution to the People's "our president should be able to move places relatively quickly and relatively safely" problem.
- dodobirdlord 5y ago
  The President needs to be able to do their job as President from these planes while in the air, including some of the more unique responsibilities of the job like directing a nuclear war. The requirements go pretty far beyond just providing speedy and safe transit.
- MobiusHorizons 5y ago
  My point is that the presence of unusual or even absurd requirements is a different thing than over engineering, even though the results can seem similar. If a design incorporates complexity that is not warranted by the requirements or the constraints, it can be described as over engineered. Requirements can cause the same complexity, but it is now warranted. You may, of course, disagree about the requirements, but that really is a matter of risk tolerance, and preexisting policy.

wolverine876 5y ago

I've wondered about that. Protecting the president's life isn't worth infinite investment, but I think the planes also serve as command posts during warfare, including nuclear war. That's worth quite a bit.