Resources are anything that can be used to achieve a goal.
Natural resources. Personal resources. Financial resources. Educational resources.
Each genre’s set of resources constrains what can be done.
In the computer world, the set of resources that constrain designs are power, MIPS (a computer’s raw speed), and time. They work together or against each much like a balloon. Access to more power means more speed, which means less time, which is great. But most of the time, we’re trying to do more in less time with less power.
Which is the whole point of design and engineering. Lots of complexity, effort, and creativity goes into making computers go faster and do more with less power.
If resources were unlimited, creativity wouldn’t matter. The best designs, the biggest breakthroughs, and the smartest strategies come from working within constraints.
The real challenge isn’t finding what you can do with unlimited resources. It’s finding the resource sweet spot.
