Slow Technology (Rant warning)

[presta]

[Rant]Forty years ago microprocessors used to be clocked at MHz, now they have clock speeds of GHz, so why is it that everything is getting slower? In the 1970s, when you pressed a button something would happen immediatetly, like switching a light on, now there a delay of several seconds.

If I press "1" on the TV or video remote nothing happens, I then press it again: nothing, then a third time, and suddenly I get channel 111. Press it once and wait: it won't change channel until you move to press it again. Wait longer still and you find nothing happens because you didn't press it hard enough.

Then there's the checkout in Sainsbury's. I press 'Finish and Pay' then select 'Pay by Card', and just as I'm about to put my card in the reader it says 'Select Payment Method'. So I move my hand back to the screen, and just as I'm about to press 'Pay by Card' a second time, it says 'Insert Card in Reader'.

And what's with computers? There was a time when a prompt was there to tell you whether you are waiting for the computer or the computer is waiting for you, but now it's just an excuse for a fatuous animation.

Using gadgets these days is like conducting an interview with the delay of a transatlantic satellite.
[/Rant]
I feel better now.

 

[marinyork]

The company you mention are famous for godawful software at the checkouts, it is ten years out of date and caused them many problems. They are spending money upgrading. There are also several variants of self scan, some very old now.

 

[Markymark]

Arms race between software and hardware.

 

[Blue]

I get the TV remote thing. I even find the darn TV's can do so much that the remotes are cramped and it's too easy to press the wrong button if not paying close attention.

 

[presta]

Sainsbury's checkout always reminds me of this.

 

[subaqua]

is it an operator error .....

 

[Drago]

Peoples desire to cram pointless functions onto electronic devices always fractionally outstrips the ability of the hardware to run it properly.

 

[raleighnut]

My newest CD player, switch it on and press 'eject' does it bloody open...............................not until you've waited for it to tell you 'No Disk'

 

[sheddy]

ITV Player - not available,
BBC iplayer - hopelessly slow and virtually unusable,
Channel 4OD - quick and easy

(on Samsung 40in TV circa 2012)

 

[Beebo]

The time lag of just a few seconds when changing channel does annoy me.
Eurosport on BT is fed via broadband. It can take 10 seconds to change channels.

 

[mustang1]

Good post!

On windows laptop, when I use two finger gesture to scroll up or down, it needs to think. At that point I wonder if I am scrolling up or down. Wait, I'm confusing myself. Why doesn't it just blxxdy work the first time when I scroll?

Scientific calculators. I used to be a whizz at those Casio hobbies years ago. Now I have one and I can't figure out what it's trying to do..

The portrait and landscape modes on mobile phones. So slow to respond.

The auto brightness on mobile phones: constantly adjusting it's brightness even though ambient light conditions remain constant.

Edit:

Memory managed software that doesn't manage memory property.

Phones that take longer to boot than a computer!

Clusters of machines that don't auto switch correctly.

Managers who say they do.

Managers in general.

Esp project managers.

No, just make that all managers. Anyone who should be a manager doesn't want to be, anyone who is a manager shouldn't be. Sorry, off topic

 

[Milkfloat]

Moaning gits the lot of you. I remember when it used to take 5 minutes for the television to warm up after you turned it on.

 

[cyberknight]

Software writers who instead of writing new clean code overlay stuff on top of old code , who cares if it take a few more microseconds to reach the end if you have so much processing power.
It all adds up.

 

[Markymark]

My Sky q works instantly and so does my Apple TV for streaming. Just saying like.

 

[screenman]

I would hate to get stressed or up tight over a few seconds waiting, spend the time doing a few situps or stretches, or even a bit of meditation. Even better thought, top your glass up.