EatonJul 16, 2023

The failure of the Internet to deliver its promise is particularly noticeable when you hunt for repair manuals for a product from the 90s. Used to be, the information would either be there or not there, finable or unfindable.

Now, there are hundreds of algorithmically generated sites claiming to have it just because it appeared in their search logs, generating potemkin village content traps with endless paging, broken-thumbnail named-like-the-file-you-want but actually-just-ebay-photos bullshit

Show threadEatonJul 16, 2023

Even if you find the manufacturer's site it’s more likely than not broken, with a search feature that pulls up what it claims are results but empty divs instead of links, or busted jQuery code from 2013 that prevents anything from loading.

Is it a real but broken site? Is it just another click farm? Does it matter?

Show threadPunnO)))Jul 16, 2023
@eaton Yeppppp. This is why I immediately download and save the manual for any new thing I buy, during the narrow window where it's likely to work.
Show threadThe Great Llama 
@ieure @eaton
That's fine for new things. Time was you could dig up manuals for things made a half-century or more before, just because someone had a copy and decided to upload it. I have manuals for machine tools made in the 40s and I can assure you I didn't buy those tools new. I seriously doubt I could find those manuals now.
Jul 17, 2023 at 3:31pmWeb
Show threadPunnO)))Jul 17, 2023
@TheGreatLlama @eaton Agreed, my experience finding info for older stuff is what drove me to start saving it for newer things, too. They'll be old, too, someday.