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sf.me > Blog > Do It Yourself
Posted on: 19 May 2023
Reading time: 2 minCategory: Software
With regards to technology, the average person would rather buy a new computer when their WiFi stops working instead of taking it to a repair shop or fixing it themselves. They would rather buy a new smartphone when their screen cracks than repair it. They would also rather buy a device because of its looks and arbitrary specifications than one specific to their use case and their interests. They focus on the marketing of a company and become 'fanboys' of a specific company, buying nothing but their products, stating that the company in question makes the best products in the world. Self-servicing and repairability are not even factors in their decision to buy a device.
As an example, a plethora of technology enthusiasts still buy ThinkPads to this day. When others look at ThinkPads, they think whoever buys them is not making a good decision. They think ThinkPads look ugly. They do not focus on the usability of a device. ThinkPads are used because of their durability, repairability, fast performance, and more. The fact that they are made for businesses means that there is no profit for Lenovo in letting a ThinkPad break early. Instead, they earn money by selling long-lasting and durable devices that last individuals for years on end.
Instead of buying ThinkPads that function amazingly, people go for looks that impress amazingly. A computer is a device designed to perform computation. If you are shelling out a lot of money, you should have a device that performs fast and can be repaired by you.
What I have realized is that you should 'do it yourself' as much as possible. This is why my computer is custom-built. Had I bought a pre-built computer, I would have never known what was inside my computer. This is tedious on smartphones since they are becoming more and more locked down. Linux phones are alternatives but they are not great as of 2023. I hope they become mainstream soon because I want to buy one.
Doing it yourself also helps in terms of software. I used to flash custom ROMs on my old phone and used LineageOS extensively. Now, I use Arch Linux on my computer, which is a Linux distribution that is basically barebones. It has only the packages required to boot up. Everything else is done by you. The advantage of an operating system like this is that you know what runs on your system and there is minimal resource usage. If there is an issue, you can easily find out which program it is from and fix it immediately after gaining knowledge.
You should try to 'do it yourself'. Take control of your hardware and software and know what you are running. It will not only be cheaper, but it will make it easier to fix issues and learn about computing and technology in the long run.