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The tech monoculture is finally breaking

jasonwillems.com

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Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#311

Post by at1as »

cyberrock wrote: post #293

The article begins with video game consoles, but then doesn't address the fact that video games are the biggest counterexample against the thesis, because it's just collapsing into a PC (and Steam) monoculture. The fact that you're buying FPGAs and old cartridges doesn't mean anything when 2/3 console makers are just making PCs, and even mobile games need to be on Steam now. I think this just reflects your changing t…

I'm a very casual and very occasional gamer, so I can't deeply about this topic. But, is gaming in a dire state?

Platform exclusives seem to be rare (outside of Nintendo). I have an xbox (which I'm told is the wrong console), but I can play nearly everything a PS5 can. Most major titles seem to be very cross platform (PC, Xbox, PS5, and sometimes Nintendo). If anything, they stagger release dates, not access.

Steam's market share has held relatively steady at 75%. And in fairness, it does not seem like Epic is trying at all to improve their product, so I'm not sure they're deserving of more right now. GoG continues to have ts cult following (I had never heard of it until recently, but now see references to it frequently).

And it seems to be easier to game on Linux (and even Mac) than in the past few years.

I have no way of verifying this, but Perplexity states that ~5% of Steam games are exclusives. Have they exerted monopolistic pressure on the market in other ways?

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#312

Post by raydev »

testdelacc1 wrote: post #235
raffraffraff wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me it's not arbitrary. An android device is a general purpose handheld touchscreen computer that happens to be used for music. That means a bunch of things to me: 1. "Touchscreen first" UX 2. Heavier than it needs to be 3. Worse battery life compared to a non-Android device Using a touchscreen in the rain is impossible. Running out of battery sucks. Going for a run with a 240g brick is no fun, it'll pull your pan…

> 240g brick pantsing you Sometimes I wish people from 1995 could read our threads and see the things we’re complaining about.

We live in 2026 now, with expectations that are matched to the current year.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#313

Post by vacuity »

nottorp wrote: post #272
observationist wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's shifted because you can outsource and race to the bottom, and abuse H1B and other programs to ensure you suppress US wages, and you fatten up the ranks of middle managers to make people leave every 3-4 years, stagnating wage growth, ensuring you get a constant stream of fresh, energized, underpaid workers, some of which can't complain or advocate for higher wages, and all participate in a culture of competitiven…

> and abuse H1B and other programs to ensure you suppress US wages Heh. Most HNers that seem to have little moral restraints when it comes to making money in their posts seem to be in the US. Do you even notice how many "solo saas founder" and "faang employee" types defend the right of those large companies that you're complaining about to increase their profits ad infinitum? Or how many consider "free to play" IAP f…

As it turns out, maximizing profit for shareholders screws over everyone else...

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#315

Post by 4gotunameagain »

at1as wrote: post #309
4gotunameagain wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best thing about the internet is that it gave everyone a voice. The worst thing about the internet is that it gave everyone a voice.

The internet is a marketplace of ideas. Engage with or amplify content you agree with. Create content of your own that represents your values or ideas. If you want, try to persuade others where you think they're wrong. Overall, if you can feel good about what you've put out there, that's enough. You'll field comments like this no matter what it is.

It is not a marketplace, it is a forum.

You are entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine.

Exactly as you stated, if you cannot handle the criticism, do not go public.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#316

Post by keyringlight »

rpdillon wrote: post #299
Aurornis wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You cannot buy a dedicated MP3 player today with the software polish and quality of life that an iPod had in the early 2000s I could see how many people would assume this, but it’s actually false. There’s actually a big selection of dedicated audio players that do the job very well now. The battery life and audio quality are extremely good because there’s a niche market for them with a lot of competition. If you th…

Agree. I think folks are romanticizing the iPod. It synced only with Mac via iTunes, had 5 GB of storage for $400 and had 10 hours of battery life and weighed 184 grams. Today you can get a music player whose battery lasts five times as long, weighs one sixth as much, costs one-tenth the price, and stores 25 times as much, while also offering full wireless connectivity, supporting more audio formats, video playback,…

I think the ipod being so common has helped it remain useful 20 years on. There's a lot of them being sold cheaply as people clean out old drawers, spares/replacements and upgrades are readily available, how to work on them is common knowledge and tools to work on consumer electronics is common, and rockbox is available for most of the range. MP3 players were a commodity good with a huge range of models available from practically any company capable, but most won't have the market around it. My ipod has a 128GB SD card instead of a HDD and a battery that lasts at least 5.5 days playback instead of whatever the original 650mAH allowed

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#317

Post by BobaFloutist »

raffraffraff wrote: post #279
testdelacc1 wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 240g brick pantsing you Sometimes I wish people from 1995 could read our threads and see the things we’re complaining about.

Well, I had something like this back in the late 90s (can't recall the year exactly) https://walkman.land/aiwa/hs-px297 Battery: 1AA gets 30h Dimensions: 111.4 x 29.1 x 80.7 mm Weight: 132g Ok, so you were limited to 90 minute tapes with slow seek. But aside from that compare it to the specs I posted for the android vs non-android mp3 players. Remember, this cassette player has some seriously impressive clockwork ins…

Ok, and each AA battery you keep in your bag adds another 23 grams, so "a few" (let's say 3) and you're already right back up to 192 grams

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#318

Post by BobaFloutist »

kakacik wrote: post #249
raffraffraff wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me it's not arbitrary. An android device is a general purpose handheld touchscreen computer that happens to be used for music. That means a bunch of things to me: 1. "Touchscreen first" UX 2. Heavier than it needs to be 3. Worse battery life compared to a non-Android device Using a touchscreen in the rain is impossible. Running out of battery sucks. Going for a run with a 240g brick is no fun, it'll pull your pan…

Whats wrong with some Nokia brick? Has bluetooth, probably 3.5mm jack too, lasts a week, has more physical buttons than you need for playing mp3s. Costs little

Does the battery actually last a week while playing music over Bluetooth?

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#319

Post by nebezb »

mullingitover wrote: post #116

> Meta shipped a wearable that normal people actually use Literally the only time I've heard of anyone using these in the wild was some guy being an absolute creep and using them to secretly film women to create social media content[1]. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx23ke7rm7go

I use mine every single day, multiple hours a day. I can’t imagine going back to AirPods. And I think twice about the importance of an incoming call if I’m not wearing them, sometimes rejecting it and returning the call later when I am wearing them. My Gen1 glasses have replaced my wireless headphones completely.

Re: The tech monoculture is finally breaking

#320

Post by avcloudy »

CrimsonCape wrote: post #138
mikkupikku wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope Linux is never suitable for windows users, who's tolerance for abuse is matched in magnitude only by their lack of taste. You have no idea just how over I am with the very premise of Linux evangelism. I will go as far as find reasons or even just flimsy pretexts to oppose and criticize any change to Linux calculated to win over Windows users, because being co-users with such people is plainly against my own in…

I was ready to install Linux. I installed a new 1TB ssd in my laptop. I shrunk the windows volume using Windows' Disk Management. Then I started reading the Arch wiki on this task. It forced me to learn things like MBR vs GPT. Then it said Windows by default makes an EFI partition way too small so I have to re-create a new partition by temporarily mounting EFI, saving the files, deleting the EFI partition, and recrea…

This is the issue though, Windows obscures the natural complexity of many things and picks defaults that serve to lock you into the ecosystem. You have expectations about how easy certain things should be that you are unwilling to let go of, and you dismiss the things that other systems make easy as irrelevant.

If Windows had never hidden the natural complexity of EFI, or chosen sane defaults, your experience would be better. It is absolutely insane to blame that on Arch.

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