Why do some of us collect old computers ?

For me, it's because I find it fascinating to watch an industry grow up that I was around for the beginning (at least pc's). Some of the machines in my collection were ones that I always wanted but could never afford. I lusted after a KIM-1 when I was in high school, but couldn't afford one. Now, I have two and one belonged to Stan Ockers, one of the co- authors of "The First Book of KIM" and it was used to debug and print out the code listings used in the book. Apple II's were out of my reach as were Macs. Now, I own a dozen or so. The main focus of my collection is education. I exhibit at area libraries and I'm talking to local schools about giving presentations to their CompSci classes. Too many kids (man, now I sound like an old guy.............) have no clue about where their fancy PII 3d DVD-enhanced boxes actually came from. (Of course the kids who use Macs are a much brighter group overall............oh, stop it.) I just feel that to better appreciate today's technology you should have an understanding of where it came from. Plus, having tangible examples always makes history palatable for me. Actually, all the above is really just fancy words to justify my incurable case of packrattitis, and so far my wife is buying it......... Paul Braun NerdWare -- The History of the PC and the Nerds who brought it to you. nerdware(a)laidbak.com www.laidbak.com/nerdware