The Power of Longevity
Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the R42 class of subway cars used in New York City. A half-century of service is quite a feat for any class of rapid transit equipment in any major city, and depending on who you ask, a source of embarrassment. But I look it at it differently- the belief that something can last a while if properly maintained and kept constant is something to be applauded. There is something to be said for the power of longevity, and I applaud someone for keeping old stuff around for so long if it works for them.
The average lifespan of an American personal computer (PC), smartphone or other electronic device is about three years, with some exceptions (think home theatre systems, speakers, streaming devices, VHS/DVD/Blu-Ray players and televisions). Electronic waste is a significant issue, and as more and more devices become “smart”, the lifespan of these products is questioned.
I have a friend who the proud owner of a 1980 Oldsmobile Omega, a car which his parents bought him as a college graduation gift. Thanks to meticulous maintenance (and almost year-round garaging), it looks almost as good as new. This friend constantly boasts that the car has almost no onboard computers, making it easy to maintain, easy to pass inspection (the age also helps it be exempt from certain emissions standards) and until recently, cheap to fix because of the availability of replacement parts.
Despite what we might think or want, there does become a point where fixing something just become impractical. I have two Dell computers that are roughly ten years old and while I would like to fix them, they have component failures that would require expensive parts to fix. I could fix it myself, but it would involve replacing soldered components that generally are manufactured in a clean room environment. Will I try or find a company that does that sort of repairs? Of course.
Last weekend I overhauled my seven-year old PC to try to get another year or two out of it. Sure, it doesn’t have the most modern architecture, but it still plays many of my games quite well. For $230 I upgraded the graphics card and RAM, two components that are relatively processor and motherboard independent. Compatibility is the only thing of concern, but generally is not limited by anything but “will it fit?”.
The old maxim is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That said, if it’s old, upgrading is desirable. In some cases, upgrading might be technically impossible, but if you can and it will work, why not!