Legendary Doom developer John Carmack theorizes that the world's tech could run on outdated hardware if it was properly optimized
Id Software co-founder and programmer John Carmack shared a theory that if „optimization was truly a priority...” modern tech could run on outdated hardware.
The classic phrase “Will it run Doom?” has a new meaning after John Carmack, the co-founder of Id Software, became involved in an interesting social media thread, initially spotted by TechSpot. The theoretical scenario asks people to imagine what would happen if humanity suddenly stopped creating new, viable Us. The thread explores the next 30+ years after “Z-Day” or “Zero Tape-out Day” as the thread initially posted by LaurieWired calls it. Carmack chimes in to offer his insight that much of the world’s technology could run on outdated hardware, but there’s a caveat.
Legendary developer John Carmack theorizes that the world could run on outdated hardware
The thread hypothesizes that in the early years post-Z-Day, Xeon brand microprocessors would be worth more than gold. The black market would boom, and eventually, consumers would be forced to switch to non-computerized cars, and the internet as we know it would no longer exist. Carmack chimes in to add: “More of the world than many might imagine could run on outdated hardware if software optimization was truly a priority…”
Playing triple-A video games these days can often feel like a roll of the dice. It may have the largest budget imaginable, and the team spent six years working on it, but it still somehow runs terribly when you start to play, even on consoles and PC that should be able to handle it. There is no shortage of examples; look at the disastrous launch of games like Battlefield 4, and more. It’s reached a point where it’s practically expected.
Think about the time when somehow got smaller than the original.
So maybe optimization isn’t “truly” a priority for most modern hardware. It makes sense that tech companies wouldn’t want your devices to last forever, or even several years. It’s no secret that Apple has been scrutinized for its planned obsolescence with the iPhone. We’ve all probably heard the story of the light bulb manufacturers gathering to ensure light bulbs have a shorter life cycle so that people will buy more light bulbs. As Carmack points out, “if software optimization was truly a priority…” we might not need to worry as much about a “Z-Day.” But right now, we don’t live in that world.
