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what made me tweaked enough to post? realising that Google had installed a Bill Gates* in my head:

I'm upgrading a tablet released in 2014 from Android 5 (released in 2014) to Android 7 (released in 2017), and caught myself thinking of this as upgrading an "old" device to "new" software

i.e. the poisonous psychology that's sending us hurtling towards resource wars, climate destruction, and nonexistent computer privacy or security.

*of the infamous "Gates' Law Of Software" http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/Gatess-Law.html

@handle funny thing about 'old hardware' - it's only a bad word if you let it be.

I have no problem thinking of myself as installing new software on old hardware because I don't see old hardware as a problem. I keep using systems for years after their assumed "expiration date" either with their original software or new one.

As for the casual users - many of my friends use old or out of date phones because they're still working. It doesn't matter that there's no more updates or lesser security - casual users don't think about that. They only care that the phone turns on and that WhatsApp and Instagram are functioning.

The ones who quickly replace their smartphones don't do it for the newer Android but because shiny new phones are seen as status symbols. If you don't care about having the latest and greatest then you'll probably run around with a years old phone that looks dinged all over and has a shattered screen.