How long computers can last isn't really relevant here. What's relevant is how fast new systems get developed, and whether a given system can be blamed for some action a few decades down the road. For instance, let's look at HTTPS. It was implemented to secure web traffic, but also plausibly can be used to lock down who can publish websites (eg. by refusing to issue certificates). However, in its current form it's not really problematic because there are many easy workarounds (eg. using http, adding an exception, etc.). Suppose 5 years from now all the browser/OS vendors go rogue and lock everything down. All web traffic must be conducted via HTTPS with a valid certificate, and all of the workarounds are removed/patched. Can you point to the introduction of HTTPS and say "see I told you! 1994 was the beginning of the end for the open web. We really should have opposed it when we had the chance!"?