I have a 8-core 2008 MacPro (desktop) which is still going strong. I replaced the video card and it’s easy to swap in new hard drives. Only issue with Macs is apple stops allowing so upgrades.
Advocating obsolte hardware is just wrong.
My previous laptoop was an Macbook pro intel 64gb ram full specs. The M processor is much faster, even with just 16GB ram. Now if going strong means use the terminal, Vim etc. all is good.
If you use a laptop professionally you do want the latest updates from apple, not a Github repository.
And even so, you you should be able to install chrome and firefox, so you can enjoy at least a modern browser.
> Advocating obsolte hardware is just wrong.
Strictly speaking it must be the software that is obsolete.
>I absolutely accept and respect whomever wishes to live in the past but technology is in the now.
>Advocating obsolte hardware is just wrong.
I disagree; technology is simply a means to an end. If the user, being informed of alternatives, is satisfied with the experience, it's the right tool for the job.
Of course there are (obsolete) alternatives to all these commercial "ecosystem" sofwares. I feel that some people don't upgrade (latops, phones) under the excuse that "it works for me, is the right tool for the job". Or worse: are simply afraid of learning new things and using new software.
I have a feeling that many reader feel like not updating the hardware is a sort of protest against big companies. It isn't as Apple is continuously selling more phones and laptops. My guess is that the younger audience wants to be updated, the older not so much.
This is entirely fine for a subset of people but not fine if you want to be competitive in the IT business.
If you do commercial work you need to be up to date and in line with your team and company demands. If time is important, a faster processor and software optimised for it, can save you many hours. This to me is worth fare more than the price of the hardware.
Of course there will be exceptions of coders being as efficient or more efficient with basic software and older hardware but why limit yourself?
My point is that the article seems to suggest that is a good idea to stop buying new laptops. It isn't.
The GPU and boot SSD are a month old though. I somehow bought one of the cheapest currently-working GPUs: a ~$300 Radeon RX6600XT w 8GB RAM.
I'd like to claim foresight, but I explicitly decided not to spring for a beefy ML card.
I got it because my old NVIDIA <spit on floor> GTX570 can't run xscreensaver any more and is missing a video codec I wanted.
It takes the radeon under 2 minutes to generate a batch of images.