As if I needed another reason to be angry about the AI bubble.
this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2026
246 points (99.2% liked)
Linux
67184 readers
891 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
I halted buying new hardware as well. We are facing a destruction of consumer hardware ecosystem, no less, in favor of mythical data centers. But who will use them once there is no consumer hardware to access them?
Don't worry, they'll lease you the hardware for a small monthly subscription fee.
(terms and conditions apply, we own everything created with our equipment and you agreed to the terms saying you can't sue us.)
That's certainly a possible dystopian scenario, what a clusterfuck we are cooking into.
Honestly, as bad as it is, there might be one good effect: apps and software will get less bloated and spec-hungry.
It is like replacing an aggressive cancer with a congenital heart issue though. Both are terrible in their own and unique ways and choosing the worse option isn't all that sensible of an ask.
Yeah, there is a reason we don't program in machine code anymore, at least not for the majority of business apps.
The hardware makers are forced to make warables with most of the computing done at data centers after they steal your data to figure out if the police should report you.
Governments going Panoptican.
I've been seeing people in real life clearing out their old tech in the past few years. (I'm not declaring it's a trend). I wonder if they're going to regret it in this era of tech scarcity. We've gone from a period of throwaway devices to a shortage real quick.
Really depends on what the "old tech" is and who those people are, but the majority of people, the average person with average equipment, they're not going to regret it at all.
Most of that old tech equipment is essentially just junk taking up space to the average person. Even if they had a use for it, new stuff (particularly low-end new stuff) is still relatively cheap. Like a quick peek at corporate retailer #4's website and I see brand new tablets for less than $200 and laptops for less than $300. May not be good stuff, but generally good enough for typical non-techie users who are just simping for MAGA on Facebook while watching the Baby Yoda on their Disney+ account.
I don't. The tech I cleared out is old enough to still be useless even in the current landscape. Mainly boiling down to:
-
It's battery tech so old the cost of a replacement battery is more than the tech itself
-
It uses connectivity (wired or wireless) that is no longer compatible with current tech without maintaining a separate set of workarounds (I'm keeping the PS/2 keyboards though)
-
The compute is so limited it's easier to spin up a tiny container on my existing hardware
The last phone I threw away was so old it literally couldn't run RPGMaker without lagging on every tile move. It did not have USB Type-C HDMI output due to hardware limitations and relied on Google Chromecast only. At that point, there really is no reason to keep it anymore.
Physical books and other media have been the staple case of this.
Have a Pinecil, best fucking soldering iron I've ever had. Haven't had many, but it stands out. These people make quality stuff.
There's a reason cornering markets was made illegal, and SamA sucking up all the wafers to make a moat where there was none, was a grade A example of why.
Yup, I love my PineTime. It's a simple smartwatch, but it does everything I need it to do.
Can't believe big tech had money to buy everything.
They don't. They're financing it via debt in an increasingly unstable and circular manner.
Financial Capitalism is a Ponzi Scheme.
Damn :((