Lockin

1 definition found

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  lock-in
       
           When an existing standard becomes almost impossible
          to supersede because of the cost or logistical difficulties
          involved in convincing all its users to switch something
          different and, typically, {incompatible}.


       
          The common implication is that the existing standard is
          notably inferior to other comparable standards developed
          before or since.
       
          Things which have been accused of benefiting from lock-in in
          the absence of being truly worthwhile include: the {QWERTY}
          keyboard; any well-known {operating system} or programming
          language you don't like (e.g., see "{Unix conspiracy}"); every
          product ever made by {Microsoft Corporation}; and most
          currently deployed formats for transmitting or storing data of
          any kind (especially the {Internet Protocol}, 7-bit (or even
          8-bit) {character sets}, analog video or audio broadcast
          formats and nearly any file format).
       
          Because of {network effects} outside of just computer
          networks, {Real World} examples of lock-in include the current
          spelling conventions for writing English (or French, Japanese,
          Hebrew, Arabic, etc.); the design of American money; the
          imperial (feet, inches, ounces, etc.) system of measurement;
          and the various and anachronistic aspects of the internal
          organisation of any government (e.g., the American Electoral
          College).
       
          (1998-01-15)