Re:Software-dependent devices: do they now need expiration d...
by robocat on Friday February 07, 2020 @08:02PM
(#22272886)
> as a society, we need 100-year products
A 28kbaud modem, analogue phone, consumer film camera or virtually any electronic good that uses valves: if they were designed to last 100 years surely you agree that would that be a waste of resources?
Think of 50 technological objects in the home from say 75 years ago. Now look at the models or brands that were then designed to be still useful now. Was the extra cost worthwhile or did the object become obsolete for a good reason? What would the maintenance costs for those objects be? Go to a estate sale of someone that bought quality technology items and kept them: review how many of them would be obsolete (because they are just not useful, not maintainable, inefficient, time wasting, irrelevant, dangerous, or otherwise useless for fair reasons).
Even worse, expensive well designed goods (e.g. jackets) that while still useful are thrown away because no one wants them... Human capriciousness needs to be part of the compromises we make when designing goods.
A 28kbaud modem, analogue phone, consumer film camera or virtually any electronic good that uses valves: if they were designed to last 100 years surely you agree that would that be a waste of resources?
Think of 50 technological objects in the home from say 75 years ago. Now look at the models or brands that were then designed to be still useful now. Was the extra cost worthwhile or did the object become obsolete for a good reason? What would the maintenance costs for those objects be? Go to a estate sale of someone that bought quality technology items and kept them: review how many of them would be obsolete (because they are just not useful, not maintainable, inefficient, time wasting, irrelevant, dangerous, or otherwise useless for fair reasons).
Even worse, expensive well designed goods (e.g. jackets) that while still useful are thrown away because no one wants them... Human capriciousness needs to be part of the compromises we make when designing goods.