3 ms·
> I want to see the screen that will work for > 20 years in a constantly moving and vibrating environment, under massive temperature changes, without any additi
by Fnoord 7y ago
> I want to see the screen that will work for > 20 years in a constantly moving and vibrating environment, under massive temperature changes, without any additional care or repairs.
Bingo. The screen becomes less readable (and if a touch screen, difficult and/or dangerous to use) the longer it ages, the more chance it gets physical damage. Then there's the batteries which go bad, yet the devices are glued. And then there's the backlight. My Kobo reader does not use/need much backlight, it doesn't use/need much battery (esp w/o networking), and the screen can endure a lot. So perhaps e-readers are partly exempt from this. Airpods, for example, are not because of the battery alone. Smartwatches: screen (often touch as well)/battery/backlight. Monitors: backlight/screen. On top of that, some of these devices also require software updates. These devices are sold to be replaced in a few years; not to last. If they were part of a service contract (like a boiler) they wouldn't happen.
> After a few years, it was normal to see trains with broken head signs, broken car numbers, and broken reservation systems.
True, seen this ample amount of time when I traveled with ICE Amsterdam - Berlin. I do have to admit I like it when I see the TeamViewer error in the EBS busses. All these otherwise show is useless, distracting commercials anyway.
> The result (at least in the towns I use public transportation) are regularly broken displays that even when they work, offer no advantage over LCD or LED or even mechanical display from a passenger perspective. They just look more modern.
Indeed, never mind the backlight dying, or the broken (stuck, dead, ...) pixels, or physical damage on the screen (due to vandals, accidents, ...).
- novok 7y agoI would imagine that LED backlit LCD screens are some of the longest lasting computer parts in the world. Gauges are physical devices and can go bad too.
- Symbiote 7y agoEven if the screen itself is reliable, you also need the soldering connections and all other components to stay good (on a moving vehicle, exposed to a wide temperature range, direct sunlight for many hours, water etc) Plus you need the software to be reliable, which probably isn't the case even when the system is new.
- novok 7y agoMost car radio software from the 90s and 2000s are very reliable. Most software bugs come from change, and since embedded system stuff doesn't really change after delivery, it stays fairly reliable. I estimate 2010s basic software is fine too. And wiring harnesses / solder points being secure is an issue with normal car dials, buttons, gauges, engine / emissions control chips and more for quite a long time. I think you have to go back to the 80s or even 70s to get non-electronic gauges in mass market cars. The entire wiring point stuff is mostly a solved point. Yes some VW cars and other less reliable manufacturers do have solder or microswitches go bad after 20 years, but I'm fairly certain it isn't much of an issue in makes like toyota. And by that time in 20 years, some chinese manufacturer has made a clone part for $30 and it's mostly a non issue.
- leetcrew 7y agoanalog gauges tend to degrade gracefully though. I'm reminded of my highschool friend's '82 volvo whose speedometer read about 15% too low. inconvenient, but you could at least compensate for it once you understood the flaw. a group of dead pixels in a digital speedometer would make it totally useless if they obscured the ten's place.