#9
Post
by dr_st » Sun Jan 12, 2025 12:28 pm
It is what it is. The principle of capitalism requires at least some level of nonessential consumerism to fuel growth, which translates to increased prosperity. Very few positions in the software development world justify meticulous optimization, as modern hardware is capable enough, and time is better spent elsewhere, adding features of value. Thus us folks with 10 and 20 year old hardware are left behind. Of course, there are still extreme examples, like Cyberpunk 2077, which was so bad, that that the devs patched it significantly and apologized.
The biggest problem is not even programs, but the web itself that has gotten so heavy with tons of client-side scripts required to achieve full functionality. Maybe the browsers are also not very optimized for it, but the same exact browser core which 10 years ago might have been 'flying' on 1C1T is struggling today with multiple tabs open even on 2C4T. YouTube decoding is another resource hog. If we mostly browse phpBB forums and other such sites, we will never feel the need to upgrade even from a T42 as you say, but for most people, including elderly parents, this is simply not enough anymore.
Thinkpad 25 (20K7), T16 Gen 3 (21MQ), Yoga 14 (20FY), T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X220 4291-4BG
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad