The Legacy Effect

While i was listening to a podcast focusing on Microsoft and Windows in general, they started discussing the "legacy effect."  The way I understand it is that in places where infrastructure for certain technologies were created earlier have a harder time upgrading and maintaining the state of the art standard.  This is because people build applications that rely on other applications written before it that require older technologies.  By doing so, it forces the infrastructure to continue to support older ways of doing things.

For example, let's say that we've built an incredible infrastructure allowing people to use their phones to sign up for classes. This system has been in place for several years and nobody sees any reason why it needs to be changed.  Then an alternative way to sign up for classes comes around and its much faster, more reliable, and easier to use.  However, instead of rewriting the system to use this new technology, we decide that it would be easier and better to just simply overlay the new system on top of the old.  Rather than take advantage of everything that the new technology has to offer, we degrade the new to work with the old. (For those of you who recognize this analogy to telebears, good job).

For a more realistic example, we can look at Japan.  When we think of Japan, we think of their robotics and incredible technology that just seems to keep pushing out.  Look at the Wii, it came out, sold a bunch, was amazing, and now, almost 2 years later, XBox and the PS3 are just now starting to copy it.  In the meantime, Japan holds the fastest average for internet speeds and their cell phones receive television.  In fact, many Japanese don't own high-end personal computers.  Some look at the iphone and say, that's it? Why is it that a country whose "industrial revolution" was so late, or at least several decades later than others, is able to outpace even the U.S.?  Perhaps its the legacy effect. Japan was able to start off on a firmer footing.  Not needing to build an infrastructure on mere whim but on a tested and improved foundation.  In short, you can say that a late start may be more beneficial when it comes to infrastructure.

Why do I care about this, you may ask?  Why would I write such a lengthy post on such a subject?  It is because I feel that I have become slow.  A legacy artifact.  Why make myself build on top of a system that has yet to mature?  My previous blog, Collections, seems to have been a step backward in that respect.  Perhaps it is time to start fresh again so as to avert the legacy effect.