But the 10 year rule is simple and not without
precedent (it's roughly
the way other things are judged "antique" -- if I remember correctly
the "magic number" is 100 years for furniture and housewares and 20
years for automobiles). That's why we have it, we know it's not
perfect but it does provide a clear cutoff.
Actually after 20 years an automobile is considered a Classic, I think it's
40 - 50 years to be considered an Antique. With the frequency that new
computers are introduced 10 - 15 years is probably a good definition for
classic and 20 - 25 for antique.
-- Kirk