[ale] Microsoft Windows ousted at California school district

[Tom Freeman]

On 03/01/2007 04:00:52 PM, Michael B. Trausch wrote:
> On Thu, 2007-03-01 at 15:02 -0500, Jeff Lightner wrote:
> > Politics is easy ? Management often does what they perceive as
> > ?cheapest? not ?best?.
<<snip a pretty good story of corporate life>>
  > capital cost ?savings?.
> 
> Wow.
> 
> It's interesting, because usually, the best solution is the least
> expensive solution, at least in the long run.  Why do people look for
> the quick fix and not the long term solution?
> 

I suspect lots of reasons. Partly human frailty, partly human  
cussedness, and lots of I don't know.

I've gone with the cheap solution on occasion because of a lack of cash  
flow. My girlfriend's whole family is afraid to spend money (cash),  
which given their family history is reasonable (long period without  
sufficient income growing up). And lots of management seems to like  
cash in their pocket now, and maybe the future will be ok. Or maybe  
they will sell the company, who knows.

I have one friend who spent his early career in smaller chemical  
companies.  Most of the processes were run with bailing wire and glue  
using some sort of lashup and held together by force of will. He had  
difficulties adjusting to a larger concern where there was sufficient  
cash to purchase equipment (or enough bodies to fire to raise some  
money).

Guess the bottom line amounts to a complicated mix of motives with no  
single reason dominant. YMMV of course.