Not How It Ought To Be

[poliphilo]

The computer was going slow this morning. Ailz took a look at it- removed some impacted crud and got it to move a little faster. "Really, it's time to buy a new one," she said.

A new one? But I've only had this one for just over two years.

Yes, I know, I know. That's how things are these days. But I'm not happy with it. The old-time craftsman in me is affronted. Your tools are an extension of the body. You care for them, they last a lifetime. And then you pass them on to your heirs.

Comments

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

I have several computers by now, because I hold on to the ones that are really too slow or too outdated. It just seems such a waste to throw them out when they still - sort of - work.

(I have my grandfather's pencil case from when he was in primary school. It still works perfectly for holding pencils! I doubt future generations will want to hold on to my iBook from 2004...)

[matrixmann]

Hm, I'd always say it depends on what you buy these days. Cheap buys twice, as they way, things which should last longer you need to know what you can take and then have a bunch of money prepared (don't complain about the price). That way it's quite possible to live with electronic devices for 5 years and longer - but that also goes for products in general.
Equipment which is technically already in the (little) advanced section at the time where you bought it, it takes up an amount of time until this is really outdated and needs to be replaced because it is too slow (earlier you have the problem of something getting broken on it).

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

The problem with computers is not that they stop working but that everything else moves on and gets bigger and faster and the machine that was pretty much top of the range when you bought it 5-6 years ago just can't run the latest software and web pages refuse to load and insist you update your browser and eventually you get dragged into an upgrade you didn't really want.

At least that's what happened the last two times I bought a new computer, and now this one that I think of as "new" is two years old...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have a couple of pocket knives- one that was my grandfather's and one that was my father's. My father's knife is a dinky little thing that's attached to my key ring- and I use it all the time.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't ask very much of a computer- I don't play games, for instance- and speed isn't a huge issue for me. So long as it does what I tell it- and doesn't take all day about it- I'm happy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I mean to hold onto this computer for as long as I can. It's the nicest computer I've ever had- and I'm really quite fond of it.

[matrixmann]

Sometimes it is best to head into the gaming direction. Not completely (who should be able to pay this?), but a good thing in the middle. At least it still offers some reserves for the next few coming years. The multimedia section is what grows the most in demands towards a machine - without you taking notice of it and without you getting asked for "do I want / need the enhancements that technolgy offers?"

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

If you are a tinkerer, then you can deal with this. Replace some RAM chips with more RAM, add a larger hard drive, replace the cache memory with faster cache memory, various things that people do to computers to make the same computer better without replacing.

Yes, you do eventually get into a "Grandfather's axe" situation -- ("This was my grandfather's axe. They sure made axes better in those days. We've replaced the head three times, and the handle five times, but it's the same axe, right?") -- and, eventually, you may even run into a situation where computers change so much that you actually do have to start over, but we've gotten nearly ten years of use out of a computer that way -- it's just that, by the end, few of the parts of that computer were there in the beginning.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

I'm still intending to get Dandelion fixed - it only requires a cheap chip to be replaced. The catch is that they're not easy to source, and SMD desoldering and remounting takes some expertise. Other than that, from mid 2009 to late 2013, it was my primary system, taking on quite heavyweight tasks with aplomb. (Some laptops will object to being at 100% CPU for multiple days)

Now - Hazel has a smaller display, with Apple having dropped 17" MBPs entirely, to my regret, but the tech has certainly advanced - I'm perfectly fine with 1TB flash, offering around 1GB/s transfer, so uncompressed video is easily handled, let alone the comfort of lacking any moving parts, beyond the fans. These are systems I rely upon for my livelihood, so they absolutely have to behave.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm not a tinkerer. I don't dare. I can fix things that can be fixed with glue but I steer clear of electronics..

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't ask much of a computer. I write my blog, I read newspapers, I edit photographs, I send emails- and that's about it. Speed isn't of the essence...