Comments on: Gmail and the Electrical Grid: Looks the same http://sworddance.com/blog/2009/09/02/gmail-and-the-electrical-grid-looks-the-same/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gmail-and-the-electrical-grid-looks-the-same Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:36:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dave Doolin http://sworddance.com/blog/2009/09/02/gmail-and-the-electrical-grid-looks-the-same/comment-page-1/#comment-16509 Dave Doolin Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:38:29 +0000 http://www.sworddance.com/blog/?p=515#comment-16509 The same people that rage against microsoft monoculture are cheering the same sort of computing monoculture with google. I'm considering moving off gmail in fact. But not yet. The same people that rage against microsoft monoculture are cheering the same sort of computing monoculture with google.

I’m considering moving off gmail in fact.

But not yet.

]]> By: patrick http://sworddance.com/blog/2009/09/02/gmail-and-the-electrical-grid-looks-the-same/comment-page-1/#comment-16507 patrick Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:57:11 +0000 http://www.sworddance.com/blog/?p=515#comment-16507 @tom -- You are correct that it is much easier to switch email than power provider grids. But it still isn't easy to switch email providers. Sure you can move the email ... sort of easily. But what about all the people that have your gmail account. They all have to be notified. There is a large social cost to switching. I tend to add email addresses not abandoned them . I still have my yahoo accounts from years ago before I moved to gmail. I doubt gmail lost any customers as a result. So how much incentive is there really? @tom –

You are correct that it is much easier to switch email than power provider grids.

But it still isn’t easy to switch email providers. Sure you can move the email … sort of easily. But what about all the people that have your gmail account. They all have to be notified. There is a large social cost to switching.

I tend to add email addresses not abandoned them . I still have my yahoo accounts from years ago before I moved to gmail.

I doubt gmail lost any customers as a result. So how much incentive is there really?

]]> By: tom http://sworddance.com/blog/2009/09/02/gmail-and-the-electrical-grid-looks-the-same/comment-page-1/#comment-16506 tom Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:48:13 +0000 http://www.sworddance.com/blog/?p=515#comment-16506 I agree with much of your post until the wikipedia entry. It states that there is no short-term economic benefit to preventing rare large-scale failures. This may be true for a power company that has an exclusive relationship with its citizens. I can't choose to use another power company. With Gmail or Google Apps I CAN choose to use another provider which presumably is a motivating factor for Google to get its act together. I agree with much of your post until the wikipedia entry. It states that there is no short-term economic benefit to preventing rare large-scale failures. This may be true for a power company that has an exclusive relationship with its citizens. I can’t choose to use another power company. With Gmail or Google Apps I CAN choose to use another provider which presumably is a motivating factor for Google to get its act together.

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