# Seasoned technology

I've written on this subject many times, but never before used the
term 'Seasoned technology'. This came from reading a recent post[0]
written by Solderpunk.

Like him, I am firmly with team "salvage computing". I believe there
is more than enough capable, functional hardware out there already.
Building more, however more efficient it claims to be, may not repay
the energy and resource debt from its manufacture during its lifetime.


## Use or repurpose what you have

What is already in our hands, cupboards and loft spaces, creates
no further drain other than powering it and the occasional repair.

This also brings me to another point regarding modern hardware.
Circuit integration and modern manufacture methods make some DIY
repairs now practically impossible, you are basically buying
disposable items which is without doubt the worst kind of waste
generation.

Obsolescence is planned by manufacturers so that they can keep the
churn of selling you replacement items every few years.  Your systems
are effectively poisoned by updates over their lifetime, slowing
them down, and then finally abandoned by the lack of software updates
to leave you with little choice but to upgrade to the latest
iteration.

General purpose computers, which provide you with some level of
choice over what operating system and application software you run,
are certainly the best long term investment. Phones and tablets are
perpetually on borrowed time and that time becomes shorter and
shorter with each iteration.

For myself it was difficult to find a happy medium, small foot-print,
some level of component replaceability, low power consumption but
sufficient processing power to run a modern web browser.


## Choices

I have for now settled on the HP T620/T630 thin clients as the right
balance for my present computing needs. I own one of each, both
purchased used for not very much money. The T630 is my daily driver,
the T620 was my previous and now backup.

I no longer purchase tablets or smart phones. The Nokia E72 is my
every day carry. It's not particularly good at anything by modern
standards but, provides phone and text functionality, satellite
navigation at a push and is a reasonable mp3 player.

The important thing I guess is to consider your needs and choose
devices that meet them.  Not be driven by marketing, planned
obsolescence and FOMO.

[0]( gopher://zaibatsu.circumlunar.space/0/~solderpunk/phlog/lateral-thinking-with-withered-technology.txt )