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It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification.

It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification. Also the note about the tachometer struck me as a little odd. The tachometer can tell you if your vehicle is running at a high idle, if the bumps you're feeling are misfires or the road, and it can also tell you whether you've accidentally left your vehicle in 3rd instead of drive after coasting to a stop. Finally, the tach can be used as a raw assessment of the load you're putting on an engine and you can optimize your driving habits according to that. It's not useless information and I much prefer it to an extra cluster of dummy lamps for all that stuff.

userbinator 12y ago
Finally, the tach can be used as a raw assessment of the load you're putting on an engine and you can optimize your driving habits according to that. Perfect example of this are the people who drive with an automatic and somehow manage to stay just below a shift point much of the time, meaning that the engine is at a higher RPM than it needs to be and could be consuming more fuel and wearing faster as a result.
- XorNot 12y ago
  ...this doesn't really tally, especially in modern automatics with electronic gearboxes. Most engines are optimally efficient at some key number of revs, and the gearbox strives to keep the car in that range.
  - myhf 12y ago
    Yes, but your web app is probably not as mature as a modern automatic transmission.
coldtea 12y ago
>It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification. Only that's a BS reason, because you could always have the "simple reliable" light AND a more detailed explanation in a panel next to it.
- jschwartzi 12y ago
  Sure, but you'd still have the light for reliability.
X-Istence 12y ago
I used to own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, with a 5 speed manual. It didn't have a tachometer. You learned what the car sounded like, and learned the shift points based upon the engine noise. I could tell when it was idling high (for example on cold days) simply because I had driven it a lot. I didn't need a tachometer for that. If your car is misfiring the check engine light should come on. These days a car misfiring can have serious consequences...

userbinator 12y ago

Finally, the tach can be used as a raw assessment of the load you're putting on an engine and you can optimize your driving habits according to that. Perfect example of this are the people who drive with an automatic and somehow manage to stay just below a shift point much of the time, meaning that the engine is at a higher RPM than it needs to be and could be consuming more fuel and wearing faster as a result.

XorNot 12y ago
...this doesn't really tally, especially in modern automatics with electronic gearboxes. Most engines are optimally efficient at some key number of revs, and the gearbox strives to keep the car in that range.
- myhf 12y ago
  Yes, but your web app is probably not as mature as a modern automatic transmission.

coldtea 12y ago

>It's also a great design because it needs to be highly reliable, and lights are probably the simplest things you can apply power to to generate a notification. Only that's a BS reason, because you could always have the "simple reliable" light AND a more detailed explanation in a panel next to it.

jschwartzi 12y ago
Sure, but you'd still have the light for reliability.

X-Istence 12y ago

I used to own a 2001 Hyundai Accent, with a 5 speed manual. It didn't have a tachometer. You learned what the car sounded like, and learned the shift points based upon the engine noise. I could tell when it was idling high (for example on cold days) simply because I had driven it a lot. I didn't need a tachometer for that. If your car is misfiring the check engine light should come on. These days a car misfiring can have serious consequences...