18 Mar
2007
18 Mar
'07
11:03 a.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "der Mouse" <mouse at rodents.montreal.qc.ca>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 1:35 PM
Subject: Re: Don Maslin/Archiving system software (was: ftp
archivesdisappearing?)
I think you have to look at how many people played the violin in 1720
compared to now, many musicians today play electric guitars these days that
did not exist in 1720.
The problem with computing today is that people have shifted to the internet
and web based tasks along with movies and music which the older machines can
not do or do well.
A 1720's violin is as useless to Metallica as a C64 is useless to a youtube
fanatic.
Of course the
answer is that a violin made in 1720 is every bit as
useful as it was when it was new; something that can't be said for an
old computer.
Depends on your definition of "useful". Old computers still do
everything they ever did (well, unless they need repair - but the same
could be said of violins). It's user expectations that have changed.
Not that this alleviates the problem, which is that old computers are
*seen as* less useful than they were when new....