1,953
edits
No edit summary |
|||
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Many of today's apps & websites are built ''inefficiently'' and become worse over time. They take ever more ''computing power''{{x|such as CPU usage, RAM, disk storage space, and battery power}}, for nearly the ''same'' amount of features & functionality. The software eventually becomes '''too slow''' for older devices - {{light|even when there's nothing physically wrong with the older devices}}. | Many of today's apps & websites are built ''inefficiently'' and become worse over time. They take ever more ''computing power''{{x|such as CPU usage, RAM, disk storage space, and battery power}}, for nearly the ''same'' amount of features & functionality. The software eventually becomes '''too slow''' for older devices - {{light|even when there's nothing physically wrong with the older devices}}. | ||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
Line 15: | Line 5: | ||
Hotmail has become slower with every update. While there has been ''some'' increase in features for the user, all of them could have been implemented far more efficiently. {{x|Their entire JavaScript codebase probably needs to be refactored from the ground up. They seem to be relying on complex APIs to do simple things.}} | Hotmail has become slower with every update. While there has been ''some'' increase in features for the user, all of them could have been implemented far more efficiently. {{x|Their entire JavaScript codebase probably needs to be refactored from the ground up. They seem to be relying on complex APIs to do simple things.}} | ||
Gmail is similar | Gmail is similar. There used to be a "basic HTML" version that was extremely fast & responsive, but it was discontinued in March 2024. <!--[[Letter:Google:Gmail Basic HTML|this letter]].--> | ||
===Video apps=== | ===Video apps=== | ||
Line 30: | Line 18: | ||
Some of this is data tracking, but not all of it. There's also the way most web developers build websites: with layers and layers of complex tools/frameworks just to do simple things. {{x|There's a common misconception that tools are saving time for the developer, when often they do the opposite in the long run.}} A web developer might even be unaware of how slow their website really is, because they're developing it on a brand-new computer with an ultra-fast internet connection (which most people don't have). | Some of this is data tracking, but not all of it. There's also the way most web developers build websites: with layers and layers of complex tools/frameworks just to do simple things. {{x|There's a common misconception that tools are saving time for the developer, when often they do the opposite in the long run.}} A web developer might even be unaware of how slow their website really is, because they're developing it on a brand-new computer with an ultra-fast internet connection (which most people don't have). | ||
==Why it's a problem== | |||
People are effectively forced to buy new electronics, far sooner than they would otherwise need to. This makes life unnecessarily '''expensive''', and takes a heavy toll on the '''environment'''. | |||
==Awareness== | ==Awareness== | ||
Most people are probably unaware that code bloat even exists. It's commonly accepted that computers just get "slower" over time - even though there's no physical reason why this has to happen. Circuit boards aren't cars - they don't slow down as they get old. It's the ''software'' that becomes slow. | Most people are probably unaware that code bloat even exists. It's commonly accepted that computers just get "slower" over time - even though there's no physical reason why this has to happen. Circuit boards aren't cars - they don't slow down as they get old. It's the ''software'' that becomes slow. | ||
==What causes code bloat== | |||
* Most code bloat is probably from widespread bad practices in software development. {{en}} | |||
* ''Some'' code bloat is done intentionally by corporations: either to promote [[planned obsolescence]], or to collect user data, or both. However, corporations are only ''part'' of the problem; non-corporate [[open-source]] software projects can be just as bloated. | |||
No matter if it's due to malice or just bad practice, the effects are the same. | |||
==Solutions== | ==Solutions== |