ftp archives disappearing?

Dave McGuire wrote: Yes, that is infuriating. I emailed a question to the manufacturer of a piece of test equipment that I have here, and the response was "that product is obsolete". Well that's interesting...I use it every day, it works great, and the company hasn't released anything better since then. Despite what corporations seem to think, true obsolescence is determined by the USERS and the CUSTOMERS, not the vendors. There's a big, big difference between "this is obsolete" and "we'd like to sell you something different now". Now, of course there's the matter of unreasonably expecting a company to spend the resources to support a product long after it has been discontinued. But again, that's not "that product is obsolete", that's "we don't make that product anymore and we can't spend the resources to support it". BIG difference. Infuriating. -Dave -- Dave McGuire Port Charlotte, FL Billy: I agree that "obsolete" has different meanings for different people. For you, if it still functions, then it is not obsolete. So a model A is not obsolete because it still works. But for a manufacturer, more than just supporting a product - does it still generate revenue? That is what "works" means to a business. The product may be great, it may last for 50 years. But if it doesn't generate revenue, it is obsolete. You look for functionality - OEMs look for revenue. Obsolete then has multiple meanings depending on your viewpoint. I consider the Apple II obsolete - yet my machine still works great. I think you are saying that to you, the Apple II is not obsolete. By your criteria, is there ANY machine, computer or otherwise, that is obsolete? Can you give us an example or two of an obsolete machine? This is of great interest to me, because I'm in the middle of a new market (TVs with hard drives). All hard drives made today are regarded by the manufacturers as obsolete after 5 years max. (The parts are no longer made, the interface is different, the tooling is gone, etc.) There is no PRACTICAL way to extend the obsolescent point and still stay in business. But TVs are expected to have a normal life of 15 years before becoming obsolete (in the eyes of the industry, not the user). It's a big dilemma for us. Billy