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The Most Incorrect Assumptions In Computing?

Posted by timothy on from the this-time-it's-perfect dept.

Miss Muis writes "After reading once again that Moore's Law will become obsolete, I amused myself thinking back to all the predictions, absolutes and impossibles in computing that have been surpassed with ease. In the late 80s I remember it being a well regarded popular 'fact' that 100MHz was the absolute limit for the speed of a CPU. Not too many years later I remember much discussion about hard drives for personal computers being physically unable to go much higher than 1GB. Let's not forget "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers" from the chairman of IBM in 1943, and of course 'Apple is dying...' (for the past 25 years). What are your favorite beliefs-turned-on-their-heads in the history of computing?"

8 of 1,496 comments (clear)

  1. Negative proofs by arth1 · · Score: 0, Troll
    It's a known fact that Bill Gates never actually said this, or at best, that it is rephrased severely and taken out of context.


    Much like it was impossible for Hussein to prove he didn't have ABC weapon programs anymore, it's impossible for Gates to prove that he didn't say it. Thus the myths prevail.

    Regards,
    --
    *Art
  2. Re:Thankfully, your link debunks it too. by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 0, Troll

    You're welcome. I figured some fucking retard would bite at that one.

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  3. Not only did he say it, by twitter · · Score: 0, Troll
    but he tried to keep it that way as long as he could.. Nothing much has changed. When the 386 came out, M$ hobbled it with horid limitations. Microsoft systems today still suffer under many of the limits imposed by 16 bit DOS as well as Intel's 10 year old 386. Free software, meanwhile, has adopted best practices from Unix and is ported to all modern platforms. The facts are much worse than the verbal slip up.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

  4. Re:I Invented... by mrlpz · · Score: 0, Troll

    yeah...like Salon is the bastion of informative reporting. Get real.

  5. Re:Al Gore by valdis · · Score: 0, Troll

    So what you're saying is that since we sent like 50,000 troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, one person's effort was miniscule there as well.

    So even if George W Bush wasn't President, we'd have invaded anyhow.

    Gotcha.

  6. Re:Dot-Com bubble by easter1916 · · Score: 0, Troll

    You're either *very* young or very stupid. Of course we remember the bubble, you twit.

  7. Re:Steve Jobs on networking by idsofmarch · · Score: 0, Troll

    What the hell are you talking about? I don't even understand your sentence, are you trying to say you can't network a mac unless you plug in an external device? Show me such an item, or maybe you'd realize that macs have used Appletalk since their very beginning and even pre-Internet could be connected together by a grade-school kid. Now, each Mac offers Ethernet, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, Firewire, USB. So, again what exactly are you trying to say.

    --
    Anyone who whines about being modded down should be.
  8. Re:Storage Space by freeze128 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Incoming message from APPLEDRAGON: --> D00d! go to XTALK!! I have some warez that will fill up your hard drive!!!!