Re:Why the Best Days of Open Hardware are Yet to Come
by jbermudes on Wednesday September 21, 2011 @07:19PM
(#3024097)
> people keeping their possessions longer simply because they don't have the money to buy new
This is already the case for most of the developing world. However, with increasing automation and outsourcing, it looks as if that is a future that might not be too far away here too. There might simply not be enough jobs to go around and a new class of lifestyle may arise where you need to purchase durable and repairable goods and a market would rise around that need.
Re:Why the Best Days of Open Hardware are Yet to Come
by 0x12 on Wednesday September 21, 2011 @07:34PM
(#3024135)
> For example, a global economic depression would result in people keeping their possessions longer simply because they don't have the money to buy new.
That would seriously suck then because the stuff that we've got today for the most part was built with a very definite life-cycle in mind. So when you are dumped in that global recession you need the quality stuff that wasn't produced when the recession wasn't on yet and you can no longer afford its creation.
Re:Why the Best Days of Open Hardware are Yet to Come
by sliverstorm on Wednesday September 21, 2011 @10:43PM
(#3024636)
That's what repairs and maintenance is about. Religiously upkeeping something you can't possibly afford to replace is how it was done for ages.
Re:Why the Best Days of Open Hardware are Yet to Come
by anchorsteam on Thursday September 22, 2011 @06:31AM
(#3025555)
I feel that personal goods like clothing, shoes, hand tools, etc... were made with more durability in mind until the mid 60's or so.
Re:Why the Best Days of Open Hardware are Yet to Come
by 0x12 on Thursday September 22, 2011 @07:05AM
(#3025613)
Absolutely, on top of that the stuff that is made today is not even meant to be repaired at all. It's all about the cost to the manufacturer and not falling apart until the day after the warranty expires.
In the past, people held on to things longer, not because they lasted longer or were viable longer, but because they didn't have the resources to buy new stuff. In order for "repair culture" to set-in in any significant way, consumption culture would need to be displaced. The factors that would drive that are largely unrelated to technology. For example, a global economic depression would result in people keeping their possessions longer simply because they don't have the money to buy new.
Look at the many other products in our lives that people regularly replace before their usefulness has expired. Cars are probably the best example. When the economy is booming, people replace their cars rapidly. As it slows down, they hold on to them longer. I can't find any long term data, but the graph and caption on this page imply that the two are correlated: "The Changing U.S. Auto Industry Series: Consumer Sentiment During Challenging Times."
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2010_fotw...
I don't see any reason computers will be different. "Hackers" will remain a niche community, but I still think the many other reasons cited by the author will result in better tools for us to play with. For example, development of reasonably priced and performant FPGAs would be huge. Look at the Arduino line of products.
The future is still a bright one. I just don't see "heirloom laptops" in our future.