16 Dec
1998
16 Dec
'98
4:58 p.m.
Tony Duell wrote:
Now, if it causes no intereference outside your house,
who is to know or
care :-). OK, if %random-public buys a computer he should be able to
assume it'll not interfere with his TV in the same room. But if you build
one, then provided it only wipes out _your_ TV and not those of your
neighbours, then there's no real problem.
Yeah, that's why my ex-mother-in-law had to switch from her TRS-80
Mod One to a Compaq "Portable". The neighbors around her condo
finally found out what was fuzzing up their soap operas. I wound
up with the computer, which was later stolen from my car (and no
doubt trashed when the thieves discovered its resale value was
approximately zero -- 1986 was not a year it would have a serious
value even to a collector, let alone a pawn shop). Mind you the
rather older 8-track deck under the dashboard of my VW was not
stolen, even though it had the Radio Shack cassette adapter in it.
The Mod One and Apple II were the _reason_ the FCC came out with
rules concerning interference by personal computers (and other
home electronics). The S-100 hobbyists had never existed in the
large numbers to cause action. Once appliance computers shipped in
real quantity, the government took action. THe only previous
equipment that caused TV interference, ham radios and such, were
already heavily regulated anyway.
--
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram@cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.