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I'm not a farmer and I am a software engineer, but I'm with the famers here. I want as little software in my products as possible. I've been shopping for some
by josephorjoe 7y ago
I'm not a farmer and I am a software engineer, but I'm with the famers here. I want as little software in my products as possible.
I've been shopping for some audio equipment, and noticed that the latest version of an audio interface I'm interested in has replaced hardware switches on the device with software controls run from an attached computer.
I was immediately turned off by the new version and will likely buy a used one or one from a different manufacturer.
The hardware switches are old reliable technology and do not add much weight or size to the unit. And while the device is meant to be connected to a computer, it just needs to do so as a signal passing device, not as a device that is dependent upon software on the computer.
I'm sure the marketing department could explain why the new software controlled version is super awesome, but all it looks like to me is extra setup headaches and creating a dependency on software that I have no guarantee of being able to install on a future computer/OS combo.
Plus, there is always a chance the manufacturer will do something stupid/evil and brick old versions some day.
- vibrolax 7y agoExactly. Many years before everyone started buying computer controlled home audio playback devices, hobbyists and pros built or bought their digital audio workstations whose buss interfaces and device drivers made them subject to rapid forced obsolescence. One doesn't mind replacing working hardware so much when new models offer better performance. But once the tech matures, one resents _upgrades_ forced by firmware / OS / application software issues. Especially so when the performance becomes worse for one's use case.