Editing 2033: Repair or Replace

{{comic
| number    = 2033
| date      = August 15, 2018
| title     = Repair or Replace
| image     = repair_or_replace.png
| titletext = Just make sure all your friends and family are out of the car, or that you've made backup friends and family at home.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic compares the repair of cars with that of computers or other similar electronic devices.  The question ''Repair or Replace?'' comes up more frequently with electronics than with cars, hence the title of the comic, and the humor derived.

[[Cueball]] is in his car. He says that there is a weird sound and asks if the  car mechanic [[Hairy]] will take a look. Hairy asks him to open the car's {{w|Hood (car)|hood}}, exposing the engine, to further identify the cause of the problem. Cueball then says that his hood latch, the lever used to open the hood, is also broken. The solution, according to Hairy, is then to discard the car, and "replace" it with a new car. 

In reality, fixing the latch on the hood is a simple task for a skilled mechanic and would not justify writing-off the car. When a car is malfunctioning, the usual response is to attempt to repair it. A car is designed so that many of the parts can be replaced or adjusted. By contrast, when a computer or electronic device is malfunctioning, it is often judged to be more expensive to repair than to replace, and the usual action is to purchase a new device. It is generally possible to replace each part of a desktop or laptop computer, but harder to do so for more integrated devices such as tablets, and almost impossible to repair individual components with faulty or damaged integrated circuits. Thus, Randall notes in this comic that while it does make sense for electronic devices, the "solution" of replacing an object instead of attempting to repair seems absurd for many other expensive items.

The title text refers to data stored on a computer or electronic device. Before replacing the device, it is recommended {{w|backup}} all your personal files, so that you have future access to them, and to remove them for security. Randall likens this to having your friends and family exit the vehicle, or making backup friends and family before the vehicle is thrown away.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball sits in a car arriving from the left while Hairy stands in front of it and points to a big black hole on the right behind him.]
:Cueball: My engine's making a weird noise. Can you take a look?
:Hairy: Sure, just pop the hood.
:Cueball: Oh, the hood latch is also broken.
:Hairy: Ok, just pull up to that big pit and push the car in. We'll go get a new one.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I'm sure the economics make sense, but it still freaks me out how quick companies are to replace computing devices instead of trying to fix them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Computers]]