16 Nov
1997
16 Nov
'97
4:50 p.m.
On Sun, 16 Nov 1997 19:26:14, Mr. Hotze remarked to us:
Possibly (out for MUCH revision...) is the definition
"Any computer
which has aged sufficently to be considered "outdated" by the computer
market and has historic signifiance, OR is 10 years old or older."
Given the marketplace today for "commodity" computers, what you buy
today is, by definition, obsolete as there'll be something "better"
along tomorrow. In a word - "why bother?".
Age, also, alone, does not make a classic. I doubt that the standard
run-of-the-mill '386 PeeCee will ever amount to anything except to,
perhaps, archaeologists who dig one out of a landfill. There were too
many of them made, and they were (are) regarded as "disposable". Look
at the construction - modern machines aren't made to be repaired any
more than a disposable cigarette lighter is made to be refilled. They
burn out, you toss' em, and buy another one.
Such was not always the case. Pre-PeeCee, machines were usually
constructed very carefully. I don't doubt for a minute that engineers
in the early '60s envisioned their creations happily hummimg away
in the year 2000 - the boxes were built to last. Pop the hood on the
latest thing to come down the 'pike - it's all ASICs, custom silicon,
and surface mount stuff on wafer-thin boards. In short - not built
to last. Nor is it designed to.
That, of course, is just my opinion. And a cynical one, too.
______________________________________________________________________
| | |
| Carl Richard Friend (UNIX Sysadmin) | West Boylston |
| Minicomputer Collector / Enthusiast | Massachusetts, USA |
| mailto:carl.friend@stoneweb.com | |
| http://www.ultranet.com/~engelbrt/carl/museum | ICBM: N42:22 W71:47 |
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