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This situation doesn't happen with hardware running an open source OS. For example laptops running Linux can upgrade basically forever. Why are community mainta
by chr15m 2y ago
This situation doesn't happen with hardware running an open source OS. For example laptops running Linux can upgrade basically forever. Why are community maintained open source OSes better at this than commercially maintained proprietary OSes?
- amatecha 2y agoYup, I use computers from 2012 which are still running the absolute latest software just fine. Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, etc. :)
- TheDong 2y agoThe richest company in the world became the richest company in the world in part by forcing its users to buy new hardware regularly. Linux doesn't have a financial incentive to delete the code that supports 5 year old processors, but Apple does have such a financial incentive.
- 9x39 2y agoOpen source OS's also don't do anything for the typical person in a feature sense so there's way less to go wrong and way fewer users to ever discover/report issues. Non-technical users want to run specific hardware like new displays or accessories or use apps like a game or a specific commercial program, not run an OS. Without those users, there's no need to grow the feature set as aggressively.
- coldtea 2y agoBecause community maintained open source OSes don't need to make money.
- okanat 2y agoIt is more about hardware / software bundling than the openness of the source code. Windows is as proprietary as it gets. I was able to upgrade my desktop PC from 2008 to Windows 10. It required removing quite a bit bloatware but it works. Actually, I have a negative example for FOSS for you. I have a laptop with an Nvidia GPU on it from 2012. I cannot use it under Linux since Linux world is terrible at API / ABI stability. So Nvidia driver has stopped working. I can still use the laptop fully functional with Windows 11.
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago> Actually, I have a negative example for FOSS for you. I have a laptop with an Nvidia GPU on it from 2012. I cannot use it under Linux since Linux world is terrible at API / ABI stability. So Nvidia driver has stopped working. Your example of FOSS not working... is the proprietary nvidia driver breaking? Even though it would almost certainly work if your card were supported by the open source drivers?
- immibis 2y agoThe proprietary Nvidia driver works fine. Linux from this decade refuses to work with it. Linux broke it, not Nvidia.
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y agoLinux is very explicit (and always has been) about not having a stable driver API or ABI; if nvidia tries to target that unstable interface, they are absolutely responsible for the result.
- immibis 2y agoIf I upgrade Windows, and it breaks my line-of-business program, whose fault is it? Hint: It's the one that changed.
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y agoIf your application uses raw NT syscall (which Microsoft explicitly says is an unstable interface) and an upgrade breaks it, then the application certainly is at fault. Like, this isn't some incidental case where you accidentally depended on unspecified behavior or an official interface broke; if there's a big warning on an interface that says this thing is unstable and will break your code, and it breaks your code, that's definitely on you.
- 2y ago
- ranger207 2y agoYeah, I finally had to replace my old LineageOS phone when all the plastic clips in it broke from replacing the battery so much. My current phone has a web browser, and email client, a Hacker News app, and Signal, and all but the last are from F-Droid and will probably work forever. But it's just the last one that needs to stop being updated and I'll be forced to stop using probably good hardware