The Car and the Computer 07/10/2005 In 1958, when I was 11 years old, my father accepted a promotion to Managing Director of the Zimbabwean operation of the pharmaceutical firm he worked for. This entailed a move of around 2,000 miles from Cape Town to Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, and we made the journey in my father's car of the time, a Nash Rambler.Although I did not realize it at the time, the Rambler was an interesting specimen in the history of the automobile. It is claimed to be the first compact car produced in America and was so successful that its name was eventually adopted as the brand name for all cars made by American Motors, the company that resulted from the merger of Nash and Hudson. To us it did not seem compact at all, being larger than most of the British cars on the roads of Southern Africa, and it achieved that long journey into the heart of "Darkest Africa" with ease.Upon arrival in Zimbabwe, my father was presented with his first company car, a symbol of his new pre-eminence within the company. This was a Rover 90, another interesting product of the motor industry.Rover was a small British company that had carved a niche for itself as the maker of solid, dependable cars with a hint of luxury. Whilst not in the same class as the true luxury cars, Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz or Daimler, they had a ready market amongst executives who could not stretch to the price of the real thing.In the 1960s, Rover were to abandon their established market, perhaps becoming tired of their rather stuffy image, and embark upon a course of new and radical designs that, ultimately, were to bankrupt the company and enforce its purchase by the doomed British Motor Corporation. The Rover 90, however, preceded this and was perhaps the finest product of their earlier philosophy.It was a tank, square and uncompromising in its design and as heavy as it looked. But it was over-engineered to the point where it became boringly reliable, perfectly suited to the harsh conditions of Africa, and its weight gave it a feeling of invincibility, a ride of unequalled grace and elegance. Performance was not spectacular given its weight but it was adequate for the period. Not once in the ten years that he owned it did it let my father down.Thinking about these products of small automotive manufacturers, I am reminded of how the history of the motor industry has some similarity to that of personal computing. The first decade of the personal computer, the 1980s, produced a welter of small companies making odd little devices, just as the early years of motoring saw blacksmith shops and bicycle manufacturers experimenting with unusual designs and configurations for the new-fangled form of transport, resulting in a horde of choices for the consumer. And we might liken the final conquest by Intel processors in the PC to the victory of the internal combustion engine; steam power and electricity were tried as alternatives by some car makers, bringing to mind the RISC chip that a few computer manufacturers were to use. It is interesting that Apple have recently capitulated on this and opted to design for an Intel chip.That period of chaos and experiment in the motor industry was followed by a time of rationalization and standardization. Car manufacturers began to group together and merge to ensure survival. In the States, Ford and General Motors emerged as the giants that absorbed or defeated all opposition; small competitors like Duesenberg and Studebaker disappeared from the scene. And in Europe, the same thing happened; a few companies grew and prospered while smaller ones died as their market became too meager to support them.We have seen in the last two decades how the same process has occurred within the computer industry. Gone are the Ataris and Commodores, the Sinclairs and Acorns; the market is now dominated by huge corporations like Microsoft and Dell, HP and Yahoo. I once regarded this as the maturing of the computing industry but it occurs to me now that there are further parallels to be drawn, that the story is not complete yet.Google, for instance can be compared to BMW in some ways. Like Google, BMW was a late arrival on the scene. They began by making the products of a foreign manufacturer (the British Austin) for their German market. After the war, they had big ideas and started to produce sporty designs of their own. In the mid-1960s they ran into severe financial problems and nearly went bankrupt. What saved them was last minute production of a well designed family saloon, a car that was to become the basis for all subsequent BMWs. Its success was so great that they were eventually able to compete with the really big boys, Mercedes and Volkswagen, just as Google now threatens Microsoft.Such parallels may have significance for the future of the computing industry. Let us not forget that it was the invasion of Japanese manufacturers that brought about the death of the British car industry and that forced American manufacturers to get serious about new designs. This might have some relevance if we ponder the rise of Asia in computing, particularly China which grows in importance every day.So the history of car manufacture has some lessons for the computing industry. I do not doubt that there are many instances of this that I have not noticed; perhaps those who have a more detailed knowledge could see other parallels.And it may be a chance for me to bring out that old, hackneyed yet true quotation: Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.
Clive
ME Strauss Cars and computers, two of my great love affairs. Thank you, Clive, for this post through the brief history of cars. I was just thinking yesterday of how the US can make a sportscar without turning it into a boat sooner or later, and in fact, during that inner dialogue the idea of a couple of guys a Google also crossed my mind. You, however, brought those points forward and put them clearly down on paper. I think you're right. There is a history here and a pattern screaming loudly. I'm not sure anyone can hear over the cash registers chinging. It seems a bit like that proverbial snowball taking that trip down that proverbial hill. Date Added: 07/10/2005
fin Cars were so much prettier then... Date Added: 07/10/2005
Gone Away You could be right about the cash registers, Liz; it was certainly the greed of the management of the British car industry that contributed to its downfall. And we know about Microsoft - let's hope the guys at Google don't get too greedy as well. Date Added: 07/10/2005
Gone Away Very true, Fin. I was actually struck by that thought when looking for relevant pictures for the article. Date Added: 07/10/2005
keeefer What an enjoyable article. Have you considered writing an Aesops fables type story for adults? Cars & computers they do seem to gel, its an odd relationship along the lines of girls and guns.........ahh girls and guns now theres a good idea Date Added: 07/10/2005
Gone Away I think the girls and guns idea might be a bit more marketable, Keef... ;) Date Added: 08/10/2005
keeefer I just passed my first exam! im now an MCP (though why i need to study microsoft to become a Municipal Car Park i am yet to discover). Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away That is fantastic, Keef! Congratulations! Of course, I will expect free parking whenever I need it now... :D Date Added: 08/10/2005
keeefer cheers Clive, im over the moon, only another 4 exams to go........ Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Well those Microsoft boys want you to be a really good car park... ;) Date Added: 08/10/2005
prying1 One thing you did not mention (Unless I missed it) was the incorporation of computers into cars. The computer industry has stretched into other facets of our lives that we seldom think about. Who computes math problems with a pencil? Calculators are as cheap as a dollar each. Even some hi-tech coffeepots have computer components in them. I will say that the older cars made a person drive. No fancy power steering, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, automatic transmission etc... Same with computers. The older ones made you think. - 8 letter file names, remembering which directory held your document, debugg, formatting, commands to change drives, etc...Now we no longer need to 'really' think while we use either a car or a computer. The machine does it all. Except write our blog posts. Well, I guess we do need to still think a bit while using the computer... Date Added: 08/10/2005
glenniah Ohh, the Nash Rambler. Well, dads loved big American cars for the design and the status of owning such a machine. I think though, sons liked the roomy back seat for umm... other reasons. Did that one have a rumble seat? Are there more posts on this car you could write? Perhaps we shouldn't know that. Glenni (btw I posted and now need lots of comments "grin* Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Very good point, Paul. And, as the computer grows more complex, we have to become more specialized if we want to change it to suit ourselves, just as mechanics have to resort more and more to bolting on replacement parts instead of fixing the old one... Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away No rumble seat, Glenni, and that was before I was old enough to find interesting things to do with a friend in back seats. ;) The Nash was so long ago that I don't remember any other interesting things about it but later, in my teenage years, I became very influential in my parents' choice of cars and there was a Fiat 1500 that I persuaded my father to buy that had these front seats that could be folded right down... :D Hint noted and I will be there, by the way! Date Added: 08/10/2005
Mad Well done Keef! I guess I better get round to doing some of my MS exams... Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Ah, the spur of competition, Mad... ;) Date Added: 08/10/2005
the daily phosdex Unfortunately, IIBC, the Nash Rambler wasn't exactly the first successful American-made compact car: Between 1939 and 1952 (save for the enforced lapse during World War II), Powel H. Crosley, Jnr. (the same Powel Crosley as was successful with the Crosley radio and WLW radio) produced a modestly-successful line of compact cars out of Cincinnati under the Crosley name. And perhaps the best-known model they had was the Crosley Hotshot, a sporty-looking model as had vogue in the late 1940's. (Peak sales for the Crosley nameplate were in 1947, with some 18,500 units produced.) Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Very interesting, Phosdex - thanks for the info. I seem to remember hearing vaguely about the Crosley (the name rings a bell, in other words) but know nothing about it. Note my crafty disclaimer near the end of the post admitting that others will know more details than I do, however. Being a generalist, I have to cover myself against those who know more detail! ;) Date Added: 08/10/2005
Trée Clive, you're much older than I thought. ;-) I'll try to up the age a bit on my FNFs. Since you like cars better than bikes, I'll see what I can do. :-) Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Well, I did warn you that I'm ancient, Trée. ;) But no need to change the FNFs! Date Added: 08/10/2005
Mad Bikes rock! Cars are boring :) Date Added: 08/10/2005
Gone Away Bikes rock but cars tend to stay more upright... Date Added: 08/10/2005
Janus This is one that I enjoyed but have a problem thinking of a relevant comment other than I enjoyed it. Date Added: 09/10/2005
Gone Away Well, I'm glad you enoyed it then, Janus! :D Date Added: 09/10/2005
keeefer 'Bikes rock but cars tend to stay more upright... ' Evidently you've never seen me driving a Porsche. Cheers Mad. I have access to all the test king test questions if you need them, they are a really good way of preparing Date Added: 09/10/2005
Gone Away Yes, I've heard about you and Porsches, Keef... ;) Date Added: 09/10/2005
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