RE: Let's talk about just how screwed the internet's browsing is gonna get
A lot of different topics brought up with a common thread. I too was raised to fix what you have, own quality goods (if possible), try to educate yourself to be a smart shopper (consumer) and try fix your problem right the first time (even if that means acknowledging you're in over your head and you should have a Professional do it, because you can't risk another break down.
I'm not anti-capitalist (in that I believe a person should benefit from their own work/research), however I fully agree with claim that the "rental" style of living is slowing taking over aspects of our lives that we used to have more choices of, in products.
Anything that mandates "connection" to the cloud means it's not going to be around in 7 years (service will change or be terminated). Security/DRM components in products often spy/report back on you and cannot be replaced modularly by yourself (car electronics for example.).
For browsers, I actually don't like the past where there was many browsers...because you still had to run a popular one so a banking or eCommerce website would work correctly. I really just want a webpage to work so whatever browser gives me that...I use. I of course don't love being recorded online. But at least if you use the current "user registration" function of a browser you often do get a way to clear the company cache of your personal data (or so we're told).
However this marketing of "cloud" is a very bad thing for consumers. Back in the early days if you owned a connected appliance you either forwarded a port for HTTP or you used to VPN to get into your home network and operate the device (security system or the like).
Here's my latest example of this big issue for a device that literally has no real obsolescence: Automated, dry, cat food feeder. OK, So I've been looking for one because I'm lazy and don't want to get up at 7AM to feed my cat, I'll get up later and give him some other food. But he needs regular feeding (like we all do). He's a rescue so he cannot self-manage. So he needs portioning.
There are lots of automated feeders on Amazon...but all the connected ones DEMAND a cloud application to use them through. Now that may be convenient...but signals a death clock on the product that COULD be only a few years. When in reality, I could just have the device itself run a small HTTP server, with a SIMPLE page with controls and buttons. Use either remote VPN when I'm away or when I'm inside the network just go to the right page, click a button, bamn...food.
In the 90's and early 2000's devices had their own simple, unsecured pages...that was fine for home use. As long as it didn't open the garage door or unlock your house, what's the worst thing that can happen (assuming you check up on things). If your cat misses a meal or two...it won't die. You'll see and fix the situation.
But by using some foreign company cloud app I'd have an appliance that NEEDS to be online (bidirectional hazards) and can now only be used through the cloud app (wrong, no local control). I have a lamp timer that works that way...has an IOS app and everything and works...right up until it won't anymore when that cloud service goes.
By NOT being self-contained this new IoT cloud BS is accelerating waste and diminishing product life spans...which in turn means they normally aren't worth what you paid for them. You expected 8-10 years of life...you got 5 or whatever. That's kind of fraud, the only reason it's not is they never told you the expected lifespan of the product.
I think (along with right to repair) that ALL appliances and cars should have a "design life" metric. That is to say there were only designed to run for 5 years or 10 years with proper support, maintenance, and duty cycle (warranty and lightning strikes notwithstanding). It's not a hard number, it's a design intent (with a stated daily mins or hours of usage).
Something like that would allow me to know if this a cheap item (one-time use tool) or a lawn mower I'd use for 25 years.
I agree with the assertion that people will seek lowest-cost solutions, specifically when inflation keeps going up, wages don't keep up, and people's discretionary spending keeps getting hacked into smaller pieces. People still want the same lifestyles so they pressure for lower prices to maintain them. Right now, something's got to give, I hate to think of what though.
The real issue here is if you're involved in ANY service industry that repairs, installs, and maintains something...you're not given the credit/thanks/respect you really deserve if you're actually a professional at your job. Definitely shoot the messenger here. There are enough people that don't care if it can be repaired, they're still upset it broke.
Sometimes, it's bad luck (a part failed, nothing you did wrong, it happened), sometimes it's age, sometimes it's mistreatment (actually most times it's mistreatment).
I agree that I don't plan on buying cars like Teslas because unless they give the secrets away when they stop supporting a certain model of car, where are you going to get the many electronic modules as they fail? Can they even be applied to the system without security software? What about basic parts? They also keep making design changes in production so a gen 1 model S is very different from a current gen S, even the frame has undergone changes, and many of the electronics have too. Sometimes body changes mean old parts aren't going to be made because the redesign has a new part...that doesn't fit in the old car! So the same model now has several variants of itself!
Will we be seeing a first gen Model S on the road in 20 years, 30 years, more? I don't think so. Now granted, the last statistic I saw on US consumers said that people really only keep cars about 11.5-12 years on average. But I'm someone where if I love the car...why would I want a new one? If I think a new one will be better than what I have...well then what I have isn't something I'll likely care to keep going for many decades. So I guess pick your poison.
I think right to repair mandate and perhaps policy mandates that devices MUST be functionally operable (can perform all locally advertised functions when purchased) without a connection to the internet or company infrastructure would really go a long way in modern life.
I don't think consumers are getting "dumber", I think so much has been hidden from them that it's hard to know even what you don't know. Buying a product no longer comes with FULL DISCLOSURE of that product (old days had service guides, parts diagram, circuit diagram, etc). These days you don't even get a manual that describes the entire operation.
Most combustion engine products still have this level documentation. Most modern appliances no longer carry that info (fridge control board testing routine, PWM fan control testing, variable speed compressor inverter tech, etc).
Some appliances that haven't really changed (like clothes dryers) still have all that stuff. But the more blackbox electronics they put in, the LESS they seem to have to disclose (by convention).
I think the term value is really key here. It's very hard to evaluate things todaye, because it's hard to know a product's real end value. Assuming it works, you can calculate it's usage on a job site and all that. But given the unknowns (not disclosed) the product may in fact be a bad purchase, break down, overload, not handle the duty cycle. Was this withheld from you, or did you just not do your research? These days, it's often withheld and not stated publicly.
I always do a ton of research before I buy something (it's big deal), if I was a busy person and didn't have time..I feel I'd have a lot crap products now.
I hate being tagged as "old", but I'll say it...often for the consumer, most appliances were BETTER back in "the day" (whichever day your day was). In a race to gave 10%-20% more efficiency, we added a HUGE amount of electronics and sensors and such...that when they work do give us a more efficient dishwasher/car engine/refrigerator/etc...but more to break places to breakdown...hence LESS reliable in the very long run. I will say that most modern car engines are fine (refined) and unless they use a new technique that fails, we know how to make a combustion engine that works (if we want). So most of the time it's the extra stuff on a car (or some sensor that the engine uses that now prevents us from using it when it fails).
Modern electronics aren't designed to for rugged, 24/7 lifespans. Even the military has figured that out and uses hours counters and parts schedules to ensure operation. The more fragile tech we place in our lives the more chances to fail.
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