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Posted by Eric B. on Friday, February 06, 2009 at 12:12:19 :
In Reply to: Flat versus CRT posted by David Sherman on Thursday, February 05, 2009 at 21:34:16 :
David,
I agree with you for the most part, most people do not take into account the cost of making a new item when they extol the virtues of the latest product. But there are things like furnaces that are so much more efficient that replacing the old one makes sense from both an environmental and financial standpoint. That is including the cost of production, transport, and installation of the new furnace.
If cars ever get to the point where there are practical pure electric cars powered by wind and solar energy I can see that as being a lot better for the environment then driving a 1974 Pinto to work every day. No matter how well tuned the Pinto is.
It all depends on the relative efficacy of the product.
One other point, in the example of the CRT vs the LCD computer monitor, people used to upgrade the CRTs every few years as the new ones were bigger, and had better colors, etc. Now people are swapping out mostly old 17" and 19" CRTs for 19" and 22" LCDs.
There is not just an upgrade in technology, but also in the usability of the item. I know I can work on more then one window a lot easier on a 23" LCD screen then I can on the old 19" CRT. The resolution I can get on the LCD is so much higher that I can view a Word document, and a Firefox browser window at the same time. That makes my work more efficient.
That is the problem with some technology upgrades, the old stuff is so slow or limited that people would have to work more hours to complete the same task. With a computer from 1999 someone doing video work would be working 4 times the hours due to processor speed being so slow compared to something modern.
I like to upgrade all sorts of things, like a cordless drill with some new battery technology so I can work longer between charges in the field. That is a great bonus to me if I am able to work for 2 extra hours, and not carry 2 more battery packs with me.
Keeping old stuff is great, and I love some of my old tools, but there is a huge difference between maintaining and repairing a wheelbarrow from 1957 until 2050, and keeping a 1983 Kaypro II working until 2009.
Eric
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