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Date: Tue, 23 Apr 96 08:31:53 -0500
From: Internet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Internet Oracularity #829-04
Selected-By: Michael Nolan <nolan@tssi.com>
The Internet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was:
> Oh Great Oracle, Marvel among marvels and being above being,
>
> Why does the delete key work so fast?
And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
} In one word: downsizing.
}
} Time was when Delete, Inc. had the monopoly on text removal services.
} Back then, the market was small, as were keyboards, and Delete was
} pretty much the only game in town. You wanted to correct your typing,
} you used the Delete key. Pretty comfortable arrangement, and Delete
} kept picking up the royalties. Just a tenth of a cent per use, but it
} added up to fortunes.
}
} Unfortunately for the company, the arrangement was not destined to
} last. The sudden explosion in computer use opened vast new markets for
} Text Removal Service Providers (TRSPs), and expanded keyboards opened
} new slots for competition. Pretty soon, Backspace Corp. was in the
} business, giving Delete a run for their money. But Delete had a
} massive base of installed users familiar with its services, and this
} along with skilled marketing allowed them to maintain their vast lead
} in market share.
}
} By the mid-80s, everything had changed. The business was
} unrecognizable. The advent of graphic interfaces, with mouse-driven
} software, threatened to make Delete obsolete. Cut & Paste
} International provided a simple, intuitive and flexible editing
} interface, while also serving as a TRSP. Undo Ltd. picked its own
} market niche, allowing for fast error correction in many circumstances.
}
} Today, Delete is only one of many TSRPs, serving a highly competitive
} market. Profits are down, market share is plummeting and many
} employees are, frankly, worried. Delete, Inc. cut some 5,000 jobs in
} 1995 and more layoffs are expected. The new company president, Tex E.
} Race, is looking to restructure and reorient the business for future
} success, possibly looking into joint ventures with text production
} companies.
}
} But for now, the remaining staff at Delete is working harder than ever,
} nervously hoping to keep their jobs. And that's why your delete key is
} working so fast.
}
} You owe the Oracle a silicon eraser.
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