> It doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. We could develop local manufacturing techniques that could be controlled and operated by individual people. But it’s hard to see how we climb down to that level from where we are.
How would that work? Unfortunately computers depend on a slew of mining industries plus advanced lithography, all heavily protected by IP. No existing player is incentivised to open up their techniques or make them more accessible. I could however imagine that it's fairly simple to build 1970s level computers today by any significant private or nation state entity. Sadly they'd be totally outcompeted by modern systems and won't be able to peer with them, and won't be attractive to the general public.
How would that work? Unfortunately computers depend on a slew of mining industries plus advanced lithography, all heavily protected by IP. No existing player is incentivised to open up their techniques or make them more accessible. I could however imagine that it's fairly simple to build 1970s level computers today by any significant private or nation state entity. Sadly they'd be totally outcompeted by modern systems and won't be able to peer with them, and won't be attractive to the general public.