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Comment by cbozeman | Hacker News Reader

> > 1. Parking apps are worse than parking meters.

> I certainly don't agree with that one. I really don't miss having to pay for a fixed number of hours and then having to figure out what to do if I'm running late (or wasting money if I get back early).

Yeah... nothing more I love than having to scan a QR code to get an app from someone I don't know, then go through the signup process, then input a buncha personal information into an app... instead of just dropping 10 quarters into a metal stick and walking away for the next two hours.

> > 4. Airline apps that are worse than just printing a boarding pass.

> Unless the app is exceptionally horrible you can just export it to Apple/Android wallet which is much more convenient than having to find a printer.

Looking to the left or right of your desk is how you should be finding your printer. They're not gold bars. They're not expensive.

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> Looking to the left or right of your desk is how you should be finding your printer.

The desk at my AirBnB doesn't seem to have one.

> They're not gold bars. They're not expensive.

If someone has an alternate solution to owning a printer that works for them, whats it to you? Owning a printer so you can print half of the boarding passes you need every time you fly seems excessive to me

> 10 quarters

I can't remember the last time I had any quarters on me, let alone 10. Coins are annoying to carry around, and I don't drive enough or park in paid lots/areas enough to expect that I'll remember to ensure that I always have change in my car.

> Looking to the left or right of your desk is how you should be finding your printer.

While I do have a printer now (at my wife's request), I went a good 20 years without one, and was fine with that.

> They're not expensive.

That's a weird take. Even if the printer itself isn't that expensive, keeping it fed with ink/toner can be. Not to mention they're just annoying pieces of hardware, with usually-shitty software, that take up precious desk real-estate.

> Yeah... nothing more I love than having to scan a QR code to get an app from someone I don't know, then go through the signup process, then input a buncha personal information into an app... instead of just dropping 10 quarters into a metal stick and walking away for the next two hours.

Quality of execution obviously matters. I find EasyPark (Swedish company, used all over the place) a lot better than the usual parking meters. Plus I can use it in several cities with different currencies (in my case Euros and Czech Koruna), saving me from carrying more change.

The point is all these things should be options, not single points of failure. We should be able to pay by coin/tap, or app when at a place we frequent. Apps should use a single system per region, props for being an open standard.

We have the technology.

I don't think anyone is arguing that. While I wouldn't be surprised if app-only parking situations exist, I have never encountered one. Every place I've needed to park that had an app also offered the ability to pay with card (and often cash) at a meter or machine.

I saw it once and was so disgusted I haven’t been back to the location, for years. Have heard they went back to the old system but my habits have changed permanently it seems.

> Yeah... nothing more I love than having to scan a QR code to get an app from someone

True. I does suck when travelling. Locally I find it much more convenient though.

> dropping 10 quarters

You're always carrying a bag full of coins wherever you go? And even if I did I'd end up overpaying/underpaying half of the time.

> Looking to the left or right of your desk is how you should be finding your printer.

So I should waste space with a huge device that I use <10 times per year?

I mean I could bring it over from the other room or the attic or wherever it's lying around but why would I waste time and mental energy each time I'm travelling having to keep track of some piece of paper that I mustn't lose? Seems rather pointless...

Cheap Android phones aren't expensive either and can provide a lot more than a printer for most people these days.

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