On the other hand, there's plenty people who are still using a HP calculator from the same era. There's nothing inherent to computers that forces a rapid turnov

On the other hand, there's plenty people who are still using a HP calculator from the same era. There's nothing inherent to computers that forces a rapid turnover. It gets really problematic when you have capital equipment with a lifetime of decades controlled by a computer that for some reason needs replacement every five years. Organ builders have solved the problem: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgellandschaft_Ostfriesland https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgellandschaft_Ostfriesland