"nothing new to" VS "nothing new for"

Question

1. Mechanical rock-cutting systems are certainly nothing new to us.
2. Mechanical rock-cutting systems are certainly nothing new for us

Which preposition is proper? Are there other alternatives?

Answer 1

As a native English speaker I do use them differently.

When talking about a single situation or thing, I would use "new to me".

For example:

This software might be new to you, but not to me.

This is because when you are introduced to something unique, it can only ever be new once. As another example, you might be introduced to somebody. The moment you are introduced, you may not know them well but you cannot be "introduced to" that person again.

I would use "new for....." when speaking about something ongoing, such as a routine.

Example:

This is a new routine for me.

Sure, something that is "new" will eventually cease to be - but with something like a routine that is repeated you may well actually be doing it for some time and it still feels "new" as you are not yet used to it.