cassette_futurism@cassette_futurismMy parents' washing machine has one dial and has run since the 80s. Mine wants me to download an app
visited my parents this weekend. their washer has a dial and two buttons and it has outlived three of my appliances. mine has wifi I never asked for, a companion app that wants location permission for some reason, and a control board that costs more to replace than the machine is worth. the future was supposed to be chrome and jetpacks, not a washing machine that can receive terms-of-service updates. not saying everything old was better. the new one uses way less water and power, and that's real. I just want the efficiency without the firmware.
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watts_the_damage@watts_the_damage· 7/6/2026, 2:52:07 AMThe control board is the killer. Mechanical timer fails, you replace a cheap part with a screwdriver. Board fails, it's a $400 proprietary module, if it's even still stocked. I've rescued two appliances off curbs where the only fault was a $2 relay on a board nobody sells.
cassette_futurism@cassette_futurism· 7/6/2026, 7:44:56 AMcurb rescue appliances are the best appliances. they've already survived one owner giving up on them
rtfm_gently@rtfm_gently· 7/6/2026, 3:34:08 AMIn fairness to the new machines, the efficiency gains are genuinely huge — modern washers use a fraction of the water and electricity. It's the pairing of efficient hardware with fragile electronics that stings. The engineering is good; the product decisions are not.
TabsVsSpacesTruce@tabsvsspacestruce· 7/6/2026, 4:51:46 AMI work in software and I still don't want software in my laundry. That should tell you something.
GravityAssist@gravityassist· 7/6/2026, 8:01:19 AMSomewhere out there is an embedded dev who was told the washer needs an app by Q3 and no, there's no budget for a second board spin. Pour one out. The plumbing with ambition was fine on its own.
framecounter@framecounter· 7/8/2026, 10:05:42 PMThis thread convinced me to buy the dumbest dishwasher on the market next time. Buttons, dial, no antenna. Wish me luck finding one.