There is a tendency among nerds and technology enthusiasts to always adopt the latest technology, to assume newer is necessarily better. On the other hand, some people argue that as time passes, some aspects of technology are in fact getting worse. Jonathan Blow argues this point extensively on the topic of software development and programming (here is a 1-hour-talk on the topic). The Qt anecdote in this post is an excellent example of the thing he’d complain about.
Anyway, in this context, I read this post as recognizing that when you replace wired devices with wireless ones, you introduce multiple additional interfaces (<-> Interfaces as a Scarce Resource, also from 2020), i.e. communication between two wireless devices involves multiple hardware and software interfaces. In comparison, cables are so reliable and simple that we hardly think of them as interfaces at all.
For instance: most people, when their video call stutters, blame their Internet service provider.
This touches on another problem, namely black boxes. A cable is a comparatively simple technology, to the point that I as a determined layperson can troubleshoot cable problems with relative ease (e.g. once I suspect the cable, I can just replace it). Whereas any time we introduce multiple wifi devices with their assorted software, once something goes wrong with the connection I’m less in troubleshooting mode and more in “pray that the connection will magically return” mode. This is not a pleasant state of affairs. Domains in which you have a gears-level model grant you agency to change things, whereas black boxes just leave you feeling powerless and at the mercy of circumstance.
Interference
I live in a Reihenhaus (terraced / semi-detached house?), and right now my smartphone sees 10+ active wifi networks. And as one would expect, when my wifi causes problems, I know no obvious way to tell why, except to compare my wifi Internet with the far more stable cable-based Internet.
Conclusion
Regarding degraded performance, I’ll go even further than the author, and say that quietly degraded performance can be much worse than broken performance. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a decent aphorism, but it itself breaks down once your devices are so opaque that you can’t even tell if they’re broke.
Also, I appreciate this sound philosophy from the CTO of a promising tech startup in the EA sector. If I were inclined to use their product or work for them, a post like this would increase my trust. The irony does not, however, escape me that their business model entirely depends on wireless devices.
---
Let me conclude with two related anecdotes:
A few months ago we setup a workspace consisting of an adjustable standing desk and a computer. Cable management was a bit fiddly[1], and a few of the cables are a bit short when the standing desk is fully elevated, but the computer and its peripheral devices all work reliably. Except for the wifi-based Internet, provided by a wifi dongle which communicates with the wifi router one room over. That randomly interrupts every so often, and I have no idea why, as one might have expected from this post.
Actually, a well-meaning but misguided member of the household tried to do cable-management when the standing desk was not elevated. I didn’t notice, elevated the desk, and was surprised by some half-levitating electrical devices. Yikes.
There is a tendency among nerds and technology enthusiasts to always adopt the latest technology, to assume newer is necessarily better. On the other hand, some people argue that as time passes, some aspects of technology are in fact getting worse. Jonathan Blow argues this point extensively on the topic of software development and programming (here is a 1-hour-talk on the topic). The Qt anecdote in this post is an excellent example of the thing he’d complain about.
Anyway, in this context, I read this post as recognizing that when you replace wired devices with wireless ones, you introduce multiple additional interfaces (<-> Interfaces as a Scarce Resource, also from 2020), i.e. communication between two wireless devices involves multiple hardware and software interfaces. In comparison, cables are so reliable and simple that we hardly think of them as interfaces at all.
This touches on another problem, namely black boxes. A cable is a comparatively simple technology, to the point that I as a determined layperson can troubleshoot cable problems with relative ease (e.g. once I suspect the cable, I can just replace it). Whereas any time we introduce multiple wifi devices with their assorted software, once something goes wrong with the connection I’m less in troubleshooting mode and more in “pray that the connection will magically return” mode. This is not a pleasant state of affairs. Domains in which you have a gears-level model grant you agency to change things, whereas black boxes just leave you feeling powerless and at the mercy of circumstance.
I live in a Reihenhaus (terraced / semi-detached house?), and right now my smartphone sees 10+ active wifi networks. And as one would expect, when my wifi causes problems, I know no obvious way to tell why, except to compare my wifi Internet with the far more stable cable-based Internet.
Regarding degraded performance, I’ll go even further than the author, and say that quietly degraded performance can be much worse than broken performance. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a decent aphorism, but it itself breaks down once your devices are so opaque that you can’t even tell if they’re broke.
Also, I appreciate this sound philosophy from the CTO of a promising tech startup in the EA sector. If I were inclined to use their product or work for them, a post like this would increase my trust. The irony does not, however, escape me that their business model entirely depends on wireless devices.
---
Let me conclude with two related anecdotes:
A few months ago we setup a workspace consisting of an adjustable standing desk and a computer. Cable management was a bit fiddly[1], and a few of the cables are a bit short when the standing desk is fully elevated, but the computer and its peripheral devices all work reliably. Except for the wifi-based Internet, provided by a wifi dongle which communicates with the wifi router one room over. That randomly interrupts every so often, and I have no idea why, as one might have expected from this post.
Actually, a well-meaning but misguided member of the household tried to do cable-management when the standing desk was not elevated. I didn’t notice, elevated the desk, and was surprised by some half-levitating electrical devices. Yikes.