OT-ish: Build-it stuff

Don Y (dgy at DakotaCom.Net <mailto:cctalk%40classiccmp.org?Subject=OT-ish%3A%20%20Build-it%20stuff&In-R eply-To=> ) wrote: Sun Jun 11 15:08:28 CDT 2006 Hi, The discussion re: SBC6120 got me thinking (something I try hard to do only on special occasions! :> ) It's disturbing that it seems so hard for the OP to scrape up enough interest to justify parts for another build. Which brings me to my question(s)... *Why* aren't people interested in this sort of thing? - lack of interest (i.e. PDP8? what's *that*??) - lack of collector appeal ("Ah, but it's not a REAL '8!") - lack of space ("Hand me a shovel; I'm digging a sub-basement") - lack of CASH (<frown>) - lack of skills ("Now, *which* end of the iron do I hold??") - lack of time ("Honey, little Bobby set himself on fire, again. Can you please put it out?") I obviously have a good idea what the reasons COULD be. But, I'm curious as to what they REALLY are! In the interests of candor, maybe replies off-list are better? And, don't interpret this as JUST pertaining to that particular product/project. I'm curious as to how receptive (resistant!) people are to *any* sorts of projects like that (even if they are "already assembled") Thanks! I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes... --don ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Billy: I don't know the answer to your question. I'm certain that a lot of it does fall into some of the categories above. Another factor might be cultural. I find a significantly greater interest in DIY projects of all kinds in the UK. Whether it is the chicken or the egg, they also have access to better parts stores (for hobbiest quantities) and excellent magazines. The Dutch magazine Electuur is translated into English and published in the UK every month as Elector. It has excellent construction articles, readily available firmware, and even the PCB layout for most of the projects. We have nothing like it in the States. For whatever reason, the UK and to a lesser extent, the EU have kept the interest alive. Perhaps some of our non-US members can shed insight on why. Billy