I, too, am disturbed by eBay's effects on the
classic computer world.
But for me, around here, I have a very hard time finding ANY older
hardware. A pdp11/53 or a MicroVAX is the best one can hope for in
this area these days; finding a pdp8/i languishing in a storeroom is
nigh impossible here anymore. I buy a LOT of stuff on eBay
(Mr. Spreadsheet tells me $70,364.16 in the past 2 years), including a
supercomputer and a car, and for all our complaints about it, it has
allowed me to get my hands on some stuff that I've been looking for
for a VERY long time with no success. Sure, I wind up paying more for
it that some people here might consider reasonable...but the alternative,
for me, is often *not having it at all*.
Excuse me? $70k spent on stuff from ebay in two years? Some of
us don't have the budget for more than a few hundred a year for
stuff...
And the fact that you pay more than is reasonable (and it appears
you have the deep pockets to do that) has a direct affect on the
prices of things for the rest of us... No wonder prices on ebay
are unreal.
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work):
gentry!zk3.dec.com |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home):
mbg!world.std.com |
| Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL:
http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg KB1FCA |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+