[lubuntu-users] Current State of Spectre and Meltdown

[Barry Titterton]

On 28/05/2019 6:35 am, Ralf Mardorf wrote:

> 
> Your subject is misleading, since you question the support of aged CPUs.

This is the problem with typing a email while I'm tired and grumpy. :)


> 
> A lot of hardware and software development happened and still happens
> because it's coupled with consumerism. While software development for
> free as in beer is possible to some degree, CPU development and
> fabrication has got a price.


I agree. There will always be a proportion of consumers who like to buy
the newest and the best, whilst there will also be some consumers, like
myself, who choose to buy second hand and enjoy the challenge of keeping
older devices working. I would like to keep that choice.


> 
> Who should pay the people for supporting a microchip bought 10 years
> ago in the price range of what we pay to get the food we need in just
> one week? Should they also continue to develop newer CPUs? Who should
> pay for the development, if we continue using old machines?
> 
> I dislike, if people buy a new computer each year. I tend to use my PCs
> for around 10 years, if possible, often the PCs already fail before
> they are 10 years old. Some of us are able to repair broken computer
> gear, but often it doesn't pay to repair old computers. For the
> majority of people who need to pay a repair shop, it's cheaper to get a
> new PC from the discounter, by the way, with the latest release of
> Windows pre-installed.
> 
> Regards,
> Ralf


My intention was to start a conversation, and gather opinions, about how
Spectre and Meltdown have affected the support for End Of Life hardware:-

Is 10 years a reasonable time scale for End Of Life support for hardware?

Should serious security issues, rather than just performance, require a
longer support period?

Is it acceptable that some manufacturers are giving much shorter support
periods, even for serious security issues?

Should I just accept that Spectre and Meltdown is a temporary situation,
stop being a grumpy old man, and (very reluctantly) spend some cash
until the newer, more secure, processors work their way through the
supply chain?

What is the most cost effective, way of buying a secure second hand
desktop today?

Cheers,
Barry T