#dead technology

// installation view and action //

Interesting piece from InfoWorld about “dead technology”.....or maybe “zombie technology is the better term, because, as writer Jason Bock points out, “‘ancient’ technology has a tendency to stick around for a long time.”

Bock found that out the hard way when he was on vacation and needed some medical forms for his son’s summer at camp and the only way the doctor would accept them was via FAX.

FAX? Who uses FAX? Apparently a lot of people still do, even though it’s considered by many a “dead technology.” Bock then runs through a litany of “dead technologies” that actually aren’t at all -- COBOL is a classic. Who knew COBOL IDEs were still setting up vendor booths at conferences? Maybe a lot of you; I didn’t.

Bock’s core message is that “Technology doesn’t die; it just fades off into the long tail of obscurity [and] “fade time” can take years and years to happen. I’m not suggesting that everyone brushes up on COBOL, but that shiny new language that you’re coding in right now may end up feeling archaic in 5 to 10 years….”