> And is there really anything wrong with that? Every house doesn't need a milling machine. Why should every house need a general purpose computer?
Why not have general purpose computing? Computers are vastly powerful machines that could be useful over very very long amounts of time. By allowing closed, proprietary locked down applianceization of computing, we create expensive high-tech consumer devices which seem to quickly (within 5 years) become unsupported, obsolete, unmaintainable, & unrepairable.
Computers have nearly endless uses & applications, until we artificially restrict that. Society ought to try to keep computing general, because it allows for us to adapt & update systems along with the times. Nothing but general purpose computing seems to be renewable. Why should we have other forms of computing?
If every house had a 3d printer, or a milling machine, or a small chip fab, or insert home manufacturing machine here, they would be far less dependent on a handful of established players for things like replacement parts etc. And much more immune against government regulation seeking to control thme and what they can buy/own/do.
A 3D printer, chip fab, or CNC mill isn't useful without feedstock, designs/models, and electricity. So even if every household had a bunch of micro-fabrication devices the government could still regulate whatever they pleased by regulating access between your property and the outside world. If everyone had a 3D printer and was manufacturing things the government didn't like then PLA/ABS/resin would quickly become regulated.
Not to mention the "printing cartridge model" that some manufacturers are already trying to play at. Unfortunately this is inevitable as the 3D printing industry is getting more commoditised.
A majority of people don’t want to take the time to make their own parts anymore than they want to repair their cars or appliances. The article can put convenience in scare quotes all it wants and blame mega corporations, but it’s the reality of consumer preference and specialization in complex societies. People’s time and motivation are limited. Spend time fixing your own stuff or delegate it to someone who does it as a profession?
I don't think these are for every household. Right now a 3D printer is incredibly useful if you're really willing to put in the work to learn, optimise, and even design your own parts.
Joe soap is never going to do that or even want to do that. He doesn't even have a need for parts, after all he doesn't repair his stuff, he just throws it away and buys new stuff.
Perhaps he'll buy a 3D printer when he can go to Amazon and click "print" instead of "order". But we're a long way from there.
