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It is a matter of business. Computers could be built to last 30 years and more. Ex: Control system in nuclear reactors and satellites. But modern electronics ar

It is a matter of business. Computers could be built to last 30 years and more. Ex: Control system in nuclear reactors and satellites. But modern electronics are engineered to last a limited time. This is due to 2 reasons. It helps companies sell stuff perpetually thus staying in business. But also because it keeps costs down and gets consumer cheap products. It is due to this engineering to such narrow tolerances that we can buy a laptop for a $1000 instead of $10000. Imagine if computers cost $10000 and I got a core2duo machine years ago. I would be very reluctant to get it originally because of the cost and because I know there would be faster systems on the market in a few years. Engineering devices to have a limited lifetime has supported innovation by helping companies make money and by making things affordable so that normal people can buy the latest gadgets. I know this has been bad for the environment and for those of us who would like things to last forever (I'm one). But, we can't discount the fact that a lot of tech innovation today is due to this very reason.

falcolas 9y ago
> I got a core2duo machine years ago Now that the Moore's curve has started to flatten, I would not be nearly as opposed to a 30 year machine (especially a repairable one) today as I would have been even 5 years ago. New processors and RAM are not making the previous generation processors obsolete anymore, which leads me to believe that a 30 year computer is now something which could be realistically considered.
- PascLeRasc 9y ago
  There are definitely some consumer PC's today that will last 10+ years. Every time a new CPU line comes out the benchmarks aren't vastly different from Intel 2500K/2600K. It seems like Ryzen will be a similar "BIFL" processor.
- ams6110 9y ago
  I've been using 5+ year old kit at home for a long time. In fact my main PC is about 10 years old right now. I buy from the local college surplus when they life-cycle their desktops. For what I do at home (browsing, email, youtube, ssh for work) they are more than adequate.
  - falcolas 9y ago
    I do as well, but when I built it, I was doing so with the thought that I would have to replace a lot of components every other year. It's a gaming rig that I maxed out - and it's still capable of playing the latest games on maximum settings at 1920x1080. It's not as good at 4k with the latest titles, but that doesn't bother me a lot. So despite my plan to replace components constantly, I haven't actually had to do it. This has made me realize how little practical value constant upgrades to these components now provides.
gaius 9y ago
Computers could be built to last 30 years and more I like to play with 8-bit machines, BBC Micro, C=64, Atari 800 and the like, all 30+ years old, the only repair they need is when a capacitor dries out and thats easy to do with the manual and a soldering iron. The constant upgrade cycle of so-called modern machines is clearly, totally artificial.
- ferentchak 9y ago
  Lucky I only had an Atari 400... The hours I spent trying to learn basic with no book and no internet on that thing. Just typing random things into that blue console trying to figure out what secrets it held.
- freehunter 9y ago
  If the upgrade cycle is so artificial, why aren't you doing more than playing with those older machines? I'm willing to bet you didn't post this comment from a Commodore 64, why not? If upgrades are artificial and computer systems last forever, why are you using a newer computer and not still using the BBC Micro? What's stopping you from watching Netflix and playing Call of Duty on your Atari?
  - gaius 9y ago
    You miss my point - 30 years ago we knew how to create machines that would last - have we lost that skill, or has it been deliberately discarded?
thesuitonym 9y ago
Computers DO last 30 years, though. Sometimes the capacitors blow, but that's a fairly easy fix, and is a risk in all electronics. The main problem is that computers improve much more quickly than musical instruments, or cars, or whatever. I have computers that are nearly 40 years old that work just as well today as the day they were made, the only problem is these old computers don't run the modern apps we want. They don't have music players, or web browsers, or even convenient Internet access. The computer didn't get worse, the world just moved on. Likewise, your old Core2Duo machine from ten years ago is just as good today, except it was made for an era when Windows fit inside of 256mb of RAM, and javascript was only used to make your cursor a weird color. Computers don't get slower, we just ask them to do more things.

falcolas 9y ago

> I got a core2duo machine years ago Now that the Moore's curve has started to flatten, I would not be nearly as opposed to a 30 year machine (especially a repairable one) today as I would have been even 5 years ago. New processors and RAM are not making the previous generation processors obsolete anymore, which leads me to believe that a 30 year computer is now something which could be realistically considered.

PascLeRasc 9y ago
There are definitely some consumer PC's today that will last 10+ years. Every time a new CPU line comes out the benchmarks aren't vastly different from Intel 2500K/2600K. It seems like Ryzen will be a similar "BIFL" processor.
ams6110 9y ago
I've been using 5+ year old kit at home for a long time. In fact my main PC is about 10 years old right now. I buy from the local college surplus when they life-cycle their desktops. For what I do at home (browsing, email, youtube, ssh for work) they are more than adequate.
- falcolas 9y ago
  I do as well, but when I built it, I was doing so with the thought that I would have to replace a lot of components every other year. It's a gaming rig that I maxed out - and it's still capable of playing the latest games on maximum settings at 1920x1080. It's not as good at 4k with the latest titles, but that doesn't bother me a lot. So despite my plan to replace components constantly, I haven't actually had to do it. This has made me realize how little practical value constant upgrades to these components now provides.

gaius 9y ago

Computers could be built to last 30 years and more I like to play with 8-bit machines, BBC Micro, C=64, Atari 800 and the like, all 30+ years old, the only repair they need is when a capacitor dries out and thats easy to do with the manual and a soldering iron. The constant upgrade cycle of so-called modern machines is clearly, totally artificial.

ferentchak 9y ago
Lucky I only had an Atari 400... The hours I spent trying to learn basic with no book and no internet on that thing. Just typing random things into that blue console trying to figure out what secrets it held.
freehunter 9y ago
If the upgrade cycle is so artificial, why aren't you doing more than playing with those older machines? I'm willing to bet you didn't post this comment from a Commodore 64, why not? If upgrades are artificial and computer systems last forever, why are you using a newer computer and not still using the BBC Micro? What's stopping you from watching Netflix and playing Call of Duty on your Atari?
- gaius 9y ago
  You miss my point - 30 years ago we knew how to create machines that would last - have we lost that skill, or has it been deliberately discarded?

thesuitonym 9y ago

Computers DO last 30 years, though. Sometimes the capacitors blow, but that's a fairly easy fix, and is a risk in all electronics. The main problem is that computers improve much more quickly than musical instruments, or cars, or whatever. I have computers that are nearly 40 years old that work just as well today as the day they were made, the only problem is these old computers don't run the modern apps we want. They don't have music players, or web browsers, or even convenient Internet access. The computer didn't get worse, the world just moved on. Likewise, your old Core2Duo machine from ten years ago is just as good today, except it was made for an era when Windows fit inside of 256mb of RAM, and javascript was only used to make your cursor a weird color. Computers don't get slower, we just ask them to do more things.