I don’t like hardware

When I was younger (or… just young 🙂 ) I used to play with hardware. I liked to get old broken computers, fix them, improve them, upgrade them…

After a while I stopped liking hardware (and I prefer software, programming, etc.). My reasons are:

  • New hardware is usually expensive (or at least more expensive than free software)
  • Hardware gets dirty, dusty
  • You need to ship the hardware, wait for it
  • You can’t test hardware as easy as software. I can download some Debian packages, test them, remove the ones that I don’t like. The equivalent in hardware would be: order 5 computers, test them, throw away 4
  • Hardware is difficult to update. Updating Firefox is easier than updating your computer (or mobile, etc.)
  • There is lots of free software, but there isn’t much free hardware (free as freedom, not gratis)

I’m using the same laptop for about 6 years because I’m lazy to upgrade it. And to be honest: to read mails, browse and do Python is enough. When I try to compile C++ and Qt with my laptop… then I really miss my work computer!

1 comment to I don’t like hardware

  • xavi

    Hi Carles

    As I told you these days, I bought a T430u. It is a hardware upgrade easier than a T430s (half price). Now that I have it in my hands and it’s new, it works like a charm and has pleasant smell… is really nice, but software is always better.

    As you know, I’m doing small things with hardware and software, and now I have some clients who “broke a cable” and then:

    – They send to us while we send them a replacement.
    – When their broken stuff arrives, we have to send it to Taiwan
    – Pay, wait
    – Then Taiwan company sends to us again, we have to manage different toll problems, and then we ship it to the client, we tell him how much he has to pay and he (or she) returns the replacement.

    I prefer software bugs.

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