Windows XP can be considered a mature operating system and is barely usable online today. It could be that a new technology renders some major components and standards obsolete. It’s simply not comparable to mechanical engineering.
It’s even more possible today, when a small number of large companies make up for a huge amount of functionality, that we’ll suddenly lose it. GameSpy Arcade was one example of how a single market shift can end entire communities. I fear IoT will be even worse.
>Windows XP can be considered a mature operating system and is barely usable online today
XP is barely usable online today, but XP itself was released (2001) before we had anything resembling the modern web. It'd be years before the phrase "Web 2.0" even entered popular lexicon.
It’s even more possible today, when a small number of large companies make up for a huge amount of functionality, that we’ll suddenly lose it. GameSpy Arcade was one example of how a single market shift can end entire communities. I fear IoT will be even worse.