Ours is a multi-device home and a five operating system household. Having multiple devices with different operating systems and apps wastes time, consumes unnecessary bandwidth, and is overall bad for productivity and the environment.
Background
In 2015, I had written a blog post titled “The Four Operating System Household” which was published but it seems to have disappeared in the vagaries of time. I have recently published it on this blog, retaining the original date. This post was followed up in 2022 with a similar theme and title- The Four Operating System- 2022 Edition.
My premise was that with more and more devices coming into every household, the number of operating systems one has to deal with is only going to keep increasing.
Introduction: Challenge with Multiple Operating Systems
Having multiple devices with different operating systems and apps wastes time, consumes unnecessary bandwidth, and is detrimental to productivity and the environment. The increasing number and variations of operating systems in households have led to a complicated and frustrating experience. Nuisance of constant updates, time wasted on rebooting and dealing with “what’s new” messages, and decreased productivity when using apps are among the downsides.
Frequent updates also contribute to increased bandwidth consumption and energy usage, negatively impacting the environment. To address these issues, minimizing the number of applications on each device and focusing on major upgrades and security updates is recommended. By reducing electronic clutter and optimizing app usage, the frustration caused by constant updates can be mitigated.
A Short overview of the Five Operating System Household
Both of us have Windows laptops, and I have a Linux computer.A work colleague decided to follow the Great Resignation path, and the 2012 Macbook Pro which they used will return to the barn in a week’s time. I may or may not install Linux on it, but then Mac OS adds to the mix. Some other devices also exist, which have an operating system of their own. The Amazon Echo Dot for example.
The above list can have a rather debilitating effect. For example, the environmentalist in me cringes at the thought that we have so much electronic clutter.
Clutter of digital devices. Painting in the style of Van Gough (Bing.)
From Holy Trinity to Sapta Android
There was an era when Apple fanboys and girls used to gloat over owning the Holy Trinity (Macbook or a Mac desktop, iPhone, and iPad). Nowadays, this Trinity has become what is known in Sanskrit as Pancha Mahabhoota (the five elements). Traditionally, they have been what the Anglo-Saxon World refers to as The Five Elements. These are: Laptop, phone, tablet, watch, and home entertainment device.
In the Android world, add Smart TV to the mix. Thank Goodness the idea of Google glasses and the likes did not take off too much; otherwise, we could designate one device for each day of the week. Something like the SaptaRishis or Seven Sages, known as the wisest of the wise in Classical texts in India. And soon in marriages in India, the concept of Saptapadi1 would be replaced with Sapta Android.
The Obvious downsides of Multiple Devices
With so many devices, things get really, really complicated. For each device, the software and the apps need to be updated frequently. It is a nuisance at a minimum, a time waste at all times, and over the long run, a productivity killer, and harmful to the environment. Let us look at each of them briefly.
Nuisance value
The other day my wife and I were trying to watch Hotstar on our TV through the Kindle Fire Stick. After a long and tiring day at work, we were looking forward to watching a rerun of Boston Legal, one of our favorite TV shows. When I turned on the Kindle Firestick, a message popped up that the (Disney+) Hotstar app needs to be updated. I promptly rejected the update option, and we started watching the show. A similar situation happens in the case of our phones. My greatest frustration occurs when I’m trying to use an app.
But at least the device gives you the option of ignoring the update. I do not use Windows much, but I noticed that it actually forces the updates down your throat. For example, very reluctantly I had to update my wife’s computer to Windows 11. The irony is that Windows 10 is going to be supported till 2024 or 2025. So why does Microsoft want me to use a new Operating System that may still have bugs? Personally, I don’t really believe in using leading-edge software. However, I am a big supporter of keeping updated when it comes to security patches.
App Updates Equals Time Wasted
Many system or app updates require you to update the app or reboot the device. We do have some of the fastest machines with us fortunately, but each reboot takes up 3 or 4 minutes out of productive use. Not to mention the countless “what’s new” messages and pop-ups that may appear.
Frequent Updates are a Productivity Killer
This is a direct offshoot of the first two. Sometimes, one just wants to use an app and get it over and done with. Say I am looking for a cab ride, and I open up the Uber app. Ideally, it should fire up right away. Hardly the case! I need not get into repeating myself; you get the picture.
Frequent updates are bad for the environment
Because of frequent app and system updates, the amount of bandwidth consumed by the devices really adds up. I am not even talking about the ‘app refresh’ that keeps happening by default in these devices (WhatsApp, email client, any other apps including music players, etc.).
Thankfully, we have disabled all background refreshes and automatic updates. But updates consume bandwidth. Bandwidth consumes electricity, and burns CPU cycles in telecom devices and data centers. There was a lot of hue and cry about Crypto mining and its impact on the environment. It will be interesting to calculate the environmental impact of the app updates.
Bottomline: Less is More
I’m not really interested in incremental changes to apps or operating systems. Major upgrades and security updates are a no-brainer and a must-do. However, under the guise of staying current and staying updated, most operating system and app makers are creating a lot of frustration.
What is the way forward?
When I look back at the blog post I had written in 2015, one of the aims was to reduce the number of devices and the variation in them. That goal was never accomplished. As an interim measure, I would aim to have a minimal number of applications running on each device. That way, at least these frequent updates will become less of a nuisance. My wife’s iPhone only has 8 or 9 iOS apps (other than the standard ones that come with the phone). In the coming months, I am going to closely watch the following:
- Which applications I use the most?
- Which applications are installed on multiple devices? (Simplenote will remain, it is the best cross-platform note-taking and sharing app we have used).
- Which apps get frequent? (and get most number of updates)
The majority of devices already have a feature that lists the applications used most or least frequently. That could be a starting step.
1 Saptapadi: During a traditional Hindu marriage, the bride and the groom walk together 7 times around the fire (Agni Kunda). When the new bride enters the household, she dips her feet in water mixed with kumkum and takes seven steps. Depending on which part of India you live in, you may be familiar with either or both the traditions.
This post was published in February 202 with the title “The Four Operating System Household- 2020 edition. About a month after this post was published, COVID-19 and lockdowns hit, and Work From Home became the norm for many of us. By Mid-2023, that is no longer the case, and it was time to give a nice refresh to this post and re publish it on this blog.
-Amar
Summary (Hindi)
अलग-अलग ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टम और एप्स के साथ कई डिवाइस रखना समय की बर्बादी, अनावश्यक बैंडविड्थ का खपाया जाना, और उत्पादकता (और पर्यावरण) के लिए हानिकारक होता है। घरों में ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टमों की संख्या बढ़ गई है और उनके विभिन्न रूप बने रहते हैं, जिसके कारण जटिलता और तंगदिलाने वाला अनुभव होता है। परेशान करने वाले अपडेट, पुनः प्रारंभ करने और “नया क्या है” संदेशों का सामना करने में बिताए गए समय, और एप्स का उपयोग करते समय उत्पादकता की कमी यहां तक कि ऐप्स का उपयोग करते समय उत्पादकता की कमी जैसी समस्याएं आती हैं। अपडेट के अधिकार को पूरा करने के कारण, उपकरणों द्वारा कम की जाने वाली बैंडविड्थ का उपभोग बढ़ जाता है, जो पर्यावरण को नकारात्मक प्रभावित करता है। इन मुद्दों का सामना करने के लिए, प्रत्येक उपकरण पर एप्लिकेशनों की संख्या को कम करके और मुख्य नवीनीकरण और सुरक्षा अपडेट पर ध्यान केंद्रित करके इन समस्याओं को सुलझाया जा सकता है। इलेक्ट्रॉनिक क्लटर को कम करके और ऐप का उपयोग अनुकूलित करके, निरंतर अपडेट के कारण होने वाली परेशानी को कम किया जा सकता है।
Summary (Marathi)
विविध ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टीम आणि अॅपच्या साथीच्या वैशिष्ट्यं असलेल्या विविध उपकरणे वापरण्याचे समय व्यर्थ करतात, अनावश्यक बँडविड्थ वापरतात आणि उत्पादकतेला (आणि पर्यावरणाला) हानीकारक असतात. घरांत ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टीमची संख्या वाढलेली आहे आणि त्यांच्या विविधतेने घडवलेल्या समस्यांमुळे जटिलता व त्रासदायक अनुभव होतो. अपडेटची किमान किमान आवड आणि आधारांकन असलेल्या बटणांच्या मदतीने होणारे कालवण आणि “नविन काय आहे” संदेश देतात. अॅप वापरताना उत्पादकतेला कमी होणारे हे सर्वांचे असावे हे एकाच उत्पादकता कील्ले जाते. नियमित अद्यतनांमुळे बँडविड्थची वापर मोठी होते. आपल्या उपकरणांमध्ये सुरू अपडेट आहे. अपडेट हा विद्युत खपायला आणि टेलिकॉम उपकरणांच्या आणि डेटा सेंटरच्या सीपीयू सायकल्स जळवून मोजून घेते. पर्यावरणावर अपडेटचे पर्याय वाढवण्याचे अत्यंत वादविवाद आहे. इंधन प्रभाव कंपनी आणि त्याच्या पर्यावरणावर कसे असेल हे काही आश्चर्यजनक असल्याचे आहे.
Note: The Hindi and Marathi translations will be updated shortly.
A cluttered desktop (Bing Image)
