There’s definitely a ring of truth to this. Not for me personally - as others have commented, I know what I’m doing and tend to look after my tech well - but for plenty of friends and family who are seemingly incapable of taking care of a real computer with a desktop OS.

Happens all the time: they buy a new laptop, probably without asking for advice first, and within weeks they’re asking for help because it’s on its last legs. Two dozen random apps open as soon as it boots, the desktop is a landfill of icons, normal actions cause error messages, etc.

Some people just can’t be trusted with full control over their hardware.

I miss the old days when you needed to actually understand the machine to use it. Using the terminal wasn’t something reserved for “tech wizards,” it was the primary way to use the machine. Things weren’t as capable, but at least the average user understood it. Also, back in those days, devices came with schematics and whatnot so you could repair it yourself, and many did! It was a magical time when people cared enough about their stuff to learn how it works.

It’s tempting to agree but I think we should be careful about gatekeeping technology through that kind of nostalgic lens. The improvements to ease of use in computing have, broadly, benefited everyone.

You can be a good driver without knowing how to rebuild an engine.