Why do we like old Tech?

[Gazjam]

Good article here, comments are good too.
https://hackaday.com/2025/11/22/why-do-we-love-weird-old-tech/

[Barry]

Too many abbreviations and acronyms for me to fully appreciate the article. I would agree that plasma TVs do/did present a 'striking' picture, but are hideously complicated, and can develop screen 'banding' in time which is impossible to cure. Give me an OLED display any day.

Also give me tactile/haptic controls rather than up/down buttons or on-screen virtual controls.

Also as a, once keen, film photographer the now availability of Ektachrome colour reversal film is to be applauded, but Ektachrome IMO never had the colour fidelity of Kodachrome.

[Pete The Cat]

Rightly or wrongly, and generalising terribly, I feel that old tech has a better chance of being repaired by the owner if not a professional. Too much new tech is too specialised or worse still throwaway,

I'm not a fan of hardware that has most of its functionality controls on a remote. The whole thing becomes useless when your batteries run out or someone stands on the remote.

I dislike random software updates happening just when I sit down to use the thing.

I've always mistrusted equipment with 'too much' functionality; to me it just means more to go wrong

So much functionality seems to be a solution looking for a problem, or at least for someone who can be parted from their cash. Keyless cars, yeah right...

I'll stop because I've realised that I'm on a roll and have become Victor Meldrew. Apologies.

[Macca]

So much functionality seems to be a solution looking for a problem
.

Very much so. Like refrigerators that need to be connected to the internet. Why?

All about getting people to replace something that works perfectly well with the suggestion that it will improve their lives, when it rarely does. More likely to be a buggy pain in the arse that they will spend hours trying to get it to work right.

I try to keep new technology to an absolute minimum in my life.

[Barry]

Do they really be needed to be connected to the Internet for them to work? What htappens if you don't have an Internet connection point near where the fridge is? Are they wireless devices?

I think the Internet connection is being sold as some sort of stocktaking app - if you run low on something stored in the fridge it will either let you know, or automatically order it from your on-line retailer!

As I say that is the 'pitch', but I think it is all about control of your affairs - witness the uptake of online banking; it's convenient at the moment, but it is entirely possible that eventually there will be no walk-in branches and your bank will have complete and total control of your money.

[Macca]

Do they really be needed to be connected to the Internet for them to work? What htappens if you don't have an Internet connection point near where the fridge is? Are they wireless devices?

I think the Internet connection is being sold as some sort of stocktaking app - if you run low on something stored in the fridge it will either let you know, or automatically order it from your on-line retailer!

As I say that is the 'pitch', but I think it is all about control of your affairs - witness the uptake of online banking; it's convenient at the moment, but it is entirely possible that eventually there will be no walk-in branches and your bank will have complete and total control of your money.

Yes they use wi-fi.

Never had online banking, I don't have any need for it, but I don't see how it gives the bank more or less 'control' of your money?

[Barry]

Read the last part of my final sentence. It's possible there will be no walk-in in branches in the future and all banking will be on-line.

At the moment we are still living in a liberal democracy, but you only have to look to China to see that if the authorities there don't like what anyone has said online politically, they can make life difficult by denying them an overdraft or a bank loan.

[Macca]

Read the last part of my final sentence. It's possible there will be no walk-in in branches in the future and all banking will be on-line.

At the moment we are still living in a liberal democracy, but you only have to look to China to see that if the authorities there don't like what anyone has said online politically, they can make life difficult by denying them an overdraft or a bank loan.

They could always do that though long before the internet. I suppose it would be easier with it all on line.

My bank closed their local branch last month, it was the last bank in town. When I moved here in 1992 there were 5 banks and 2 building societies on the main street.

2 miles to the nearest one now.

[Jimbo]

Anyone still hanging onto their "old tech" cars, I certainly am as the great EV debacle continues. I was going to buy something new and maybe an EV but the more I looked into it the more I was put off.

"New tech" cars, very very expensive, loaded with tech you never needed bonging at you, with massive depreciation, Giant Screen stuck on the dashboard!! restricted range (EV), complicated and expensive tech Hybrid/petrol.

"Old tech" - fixable by local mechanic. Straight forward with no complicated electronics/computer. Very low depreciation and probably built better than most of the modern stuff.

[Gazjam]

https://mikebrewermotoring.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NHK10.jpg

‘Get yer pants on on, yer Knicked…’

[CageyH]

My fridge is connected to the WiFi.
It has a useful feature that sends me a message if the door is left open.

I recently sold my “old tech” car (almost 100 years old :lol:) I don’t miss it.
I still have another old tech car (almost 30 years old) as a toy, and my “new tech” expensive and complicated tech hybrid/petrol car for everyday use, which has been faultless, and is cheap to run.

[Pigmy Pony]

"Old tech" - fixable by local mechanic. Straight forward with no complicated electronics/computer. Very low depreciation and probably built better than most of the modern stuff.

You need to go pretty far back to get genuine "old tech" - the nonsense started at least 15 years ago when EU stringent emissions regs made cars all kinds of complicated just to get through. Adblue, stop/start, NOx sensors, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) are just a few such measures, all of which have cost me money over recent years due to their failure.

I don't think folk have any kind of love for old tech, they're just mistrustful of all the new tech (which manufacturers would have us believe will make our lives better but so rarely does).

[Pigmy Pony]

My fridge is connected to the WiFi.
It has a useful feature that sends me a message if the door is left open.



My fridge is old tech, if I leave the door open, it bleeps at me after about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, if I were to forget to shut the door before leaving the house in a rush, I may not know about it until I get home :eek:

I'm worried now, I think I need a new fridge.

[Jimbo]

Yeah maybe 15 years might be the "old tech" crossover period.

.

[Pigmy Pony]

Might even go back further than that James.

Our 2009 Honda Civic Type S (diesel) has much of the tech, but has been faultless. Which is why we didn't get rid when buying our next car.

I wonder if manufacturers at (the behest of governments) might be making fossil fuel cars increasingly shit in order to guide us towards evs. I wouldn't put it past them.