Ask Lemmy

Tech has advanced technically (for lack of a better word) but yeah, it's being used against us more than to our benefit a lot of the time.

For some, yes. Automotive is one that comes to mind. I miss dumb TVs. I'd say laptop, but then I'm rocking a decade-old Thinkpad, so I might be a bit biased here. I also miss phones that aren't as locked down. I hate what the current streaming service industry have become, and how social media is filled with AI trash.

I'd say that our personal needs for shear computation power have peaked within the last ten years. Yes, people have been saying this since the dawn of personal computers. Yes, servers keep getting more powerful. However, the fact that some schmucks just released a thousand dollar laptop with more or less the same RAM & CPU specs as my decade old Thinkpad kinda proves that.

Other than that, a lot of things are getting better. As an open-source enthusiast, I see things keeps improving, FreeCAD 1.0 just got released, more improvements to Linux kernel, LibreOffice handles MS Office files better, etc. Manufacturing techniques keeps getting more advanced, like 3D printing metal, and for us mortals, faster FDM printing with better plastic material that's more UV resistant. Radio technologies comes to mind; with SDR, one can achieve what people from last decade would need expensive specialized equipments for, yes you can get your hands on these for cheap.

Last but not least, don't forget this very platform where you're reading this very comment ;)

Every dog has its day, I suppose. Smart phones were exciting when they first emerged on the market and no one knew where the tech was going. Today, they're an every day appliance and a bit more ho-hum as a result.

At the moment, my tech junkie sights are set on micro-mobility. There's all sorts of fun stuff coming out of ebikes, scooters, and other contraptions, and the sector is still innovating hard and experiencing some growing pains and backlash because it has yet to move past that disruptive tech phase. In other words, it's awesome!

Hell no. Fuck that shit

We had like 500 form factors for phones, now it's standardized

Resistive touch screens? Ewww

Like a billion mp3/MP4/ipod clones? Just to listen to music? A thing which now we can do easily on our phones?

Slow ass ssd/nand memory chips?

Freaking 1 core processors on phones, PCs and laptops?

Seriously someone misses their devices behaving like slowpokes?

Wireless audio devices that worked like shit unless they were extremely high end? Oh yeah wired worked great, but we were flooded with a ton of clones of those too. So no great quality from those "Skeleton Sweet" or "earpods".

Batteries that were in dire need of charge at least thrice a day?

Wireless routers that with any luck had gains that allowed to step out of the room?

Car wise, no stability control? You seriously fucking with stability control? That shit avoids like 25% of all car accidents globally

Medical wise, CRISPR? gene therapy for muscular dystrophy? Vaccines that can be whipped out in months?

Innovation slowing down? In what planet do you fuckers live on?

I'd say more but I think you get my point

You grew up in a time of huge technological innovation, so you see anything else as unusual

Boomers grew up in stagnation, and expect tech to keep progressing at the same rate.

Both are 100% normal ways for our brains to expect shit to go, but neither fit modern society.

Have you heard the good news of selfhosting? Tech is better than ever, especially the free open-source stuff. The big corps behind it are what have gotten worse.

I've certainly had the feeling that things aren't improving as quickly anymore. I guess, it's a matter of the IT field not being as young anymore.

We've hit some boundaries of diminishing returns, for example:

• A phone from 5 years ago is still easily powerful enough to run the apps of today. We have to pretend that progress is still happening, by plastering yet another camera lens on the back, and removing yet another micrometer of bezel.
• Resolutions beyond HD are not nearly as noticeable of an upgrade. It often feels like we're just doing 2K and 4K resolutions, because bigger number = better.
• Games went from looking hyperrealistic to looking hyperrealistic with a few more shrubs in the background.

Many markets are now saturated. Most people have a phone, they don't need a second one. Heck, the youngest generation often only has a phone, and no PC/laptop. As a result, investors are less willing to bring in money.
I feel like that's why the IT industry is so horny for market changes, like VR, blockchain, COVID, LLMs etc.. As soon as a new opportunity arises, there's potential for an unsaturated market. What if everyone rushes to buy a new "AI PC", whatever the fuck that even means...?

Well, and finally, because everyone and their mum now spends a large chunk of their lives online, this isn't the World Wide West anymore. Suddenly, you've got to fulfill regulations, like the GDPR, and you have to be equipped against security attacks. Well, unless you find one of those new markets, of course, then you can rob everyone blind of their copyright and later claim you didn't think regulations would apply.

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2016 baby