Comment by dansalvato | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dansalvato | Hacker News Reader

I've spent most of my life as a hardcore tech enthusiast, always excited for the latest and greatest. But in this era of homogeneous Electron apps, and now LLMs, I can't find much to be enthusiastic about anymore.

Most of the novelty has evaporated since every device nowadays can do everything imaginable (and if not locally, then via cloud). On old computers, it's just cool to see different kinds of software and games running on it. It makes you want to explore the possibilities. People used to be enthusiastic about the cool stuff their computer could do.

For a while now, I've wanted to set up a retro computer as a "daily driver" of sorts. It feels like a lot of our everyday uses for technology have not changed much over the decades—communication, news, entertainment, writing, organization, etc. If I lean back and ask myself what I actually use a computer for (other than specific stuff for work), I find it kind of hard to answer the question, which likely means I'm wasting a lot of time doing things that aren't deliberate or meaningful.

I love retro computers (especially Amiga), and doing stuff on them will always fill me with enthusiasm.

I feel the same way. I'm pretty entrenched in the Apple ecosystem and even switching to new devices doesn't tickle my fancy anymore. When you buy a new iPhone, log in with your Apple account and let it restore an iCloud backup your device will look and feel the exact same. Talk about homogeneity. Sure, it's amazing tech and in a reliability and productivity sense it's the only way to go, but still, it feels... Boring.

Every once in a while I'll switch everything over to FOSS (laptop, phone) and dead simple devices (Casio watch, paper calendar). It's much more fun, maybe because of the jank Linux is still plagued by sometimes rather than in spite of it.

> For a while now, I've wanted to set up a retro computer as a "daily driver" of sorts.

You can’t do that anymore. Most everything everybody does on a “computer” nowadays is all through a Google browser using effectively proprietary protocols. Yes, you could edit your own documents and organize your own information, but the second you want to involve someone else, you’re stuck. You can’t accept an invite from somebody else to a Google document, nor can you share your spreadsheet with somebody else. You can’t even participate in online Teams or Zoom meetings. People you talk to and want to collaborate with don’t know what files are.

GP can always shun whatever technology it is other people want them to use. I think it's always an option to shun, and people could do this more often but don't realize they can.

Like you say, computers nowadays can do basically anything. It is then a funny feeling to take an old computer, one that was once abandoned over all the minor frustrations that surrounded it, and revisit it today, only to be filled with wonder and parent-like pride in what the cute little thing is still able to do. Even trivial things, like playing mp3s! Despite being older in time, this antique relic of the past has its place in a younger part of my mind, and so feels more childish and immature. And yet, look at it go!

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