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this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2023
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You know who throws away computers? WASTEFUL people. There's always a use for older, "obsolete" technology. Today's tablet could become tomorrow's clock or picture frame. Today's computer could become tomorrow's server or game system or video player. You just have to have a little creativity and some knowledge of tech.
I used to think the same way as you before realize someone garbage it's someone else treasure, so now I sell anything too old for my uses to add some extra money and get new stuff, usually don't throw away anything, for example I like to disguise old laptops and CPUs to sell the working old parts to people who repair industrial old equipment, plenty of people willing to pay good money for some pieces of old shitty hardware.
Unfortunately it isn't always as easy as that. Depending on what broke on the old computer, finding the right replacement part may be a nightmare. You can often find old CPUs on eBay for dirt cheap, but the catch is that there are close to no motherboards available, and the ones that are are way too expensive to be interesting. Moreover, it isn't always interesting to run old hardware for something that is on 24/7. My R5900X NAS sips 75W... At idle. 130W at full power. Depending on your electricity price, it could be more interesting to buy newer, more efficient hardware, than using older ones.
I don’t think it’s fair to blame individual consumers. The whole consumer electrics industry is predicated on planned obsolescence and getting the consumer to buy the latest devices. In reality computers and smartphones have stagnated in terms of functionally for every day people and frequent upgrades aren’t necessary.
Here Microsoft has colluded with hardware manufactures so Windows 11 will obsolete perfectly usable computers. What choice does the consumer have to fight back? Regulation is needed to force consumer electronics to be sustainable and long lasting.
At the end of the day, consumers enable this behaviour by majoratively buying into their bullshit. If people just stopped supporting the bearers of bad practices, companies like Microsoft would change tack in a nano second to remain commercially viable.
To add to the valid points others already made - some people simply don't have the inclination or know how, or even just the physical space to store all these old machines. Yet those machines going to landfill are still almost certainly the responsibility of those who not only made them barely last a couple of years, but who invest billions if not trillions on developing a newer version no one wants, and selling it (or forcing it) on people despite no one really needing it..