18 May
2010
18 May
'10
3:37 p.m.
Tony Duell wrote:
A computer is not a piece of fine art. It's
purpose it not to look
beautiful. Its purpose is to compute. A machine with perfect cosmetis
which doesn't work is not a computer. On the other hand some of my
machines, with the odd crack in the casing, incorrect keycaps, and the
like, most certainly _are_ still computers.
That's very much my philosophy too, though having a nice looking well
kept machine is nice, having one that doesn't look quite as good but
works is better.
One of the reasons I have no problem breaking waranty seals, or
replacing bits of a machine so that it works, even if it isn't
'original'. After all who want's an original machine that doesn't work.
Hell I've even been known to build clones of original machines so that I
have an example (Acorn Atom and Dragon Alpha prototype, though I do have
an original Atom now).
For pretty much the same reason, all the books I have, have been read
even if they are reasonably valuable first editions etc.
Cheers.
Phill.
--
Phill Harvey-Smith, Programmer, Hardware hacker, and general eccentric !
"You can twist perceptions, but reality won't budge" -- Rush.