© 1990 by British Computer Society
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Fundamental of Pricing and Scheduling Computer Services and Investment in Computer Equipment*
London School of Economic and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK
In the thirty years since the introduction of large scale multi-user computing services, those services have been characterised, for most users, by congestion and delays. This paper suggests that most of those delays are unnecessary and can be eliminated by using well designed charging and scheduling mechanisms. Apart from the huge savings in time and inconvenience, these schemes have other advantages. They permit the user to nominate his turnaround and for it to be honoured reliably. They also provide the necessary information for the efficient management of existing equipment and for correct decisions about investment in new equipment.
Received January 1988. revised February 1990.
* I became interested in this problem when serving on a committee that purchased equipment for the University of London. Equipment was and still is being bought using information that was in most cases actively misleading. I do not think that the problem was restricted to that particular committee.
I am grateful for helpful conversations with members of the Cambridge Computer Laboratory. They are in no way responsible for the results. This paper is an edited version of an earlier paper which discusses the practical aspects in greater detail.
¶ London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE