Re. imsai 2 (OT) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

23 Aug 1999

What you've said here is EXACTLY the difference between "Antique
Collectors"
and various sorts of hobbyists.  As was pointed out earlier, the IMSAI Front
Panel, in its mint, therefore non working, condition is MUCH more desirable
and hence valuable to the "collector" than the one, working perfectly with
well-thought-out well-documented modifications to make it compatible with
the environment for which it was purportedly intended.

That means that the antique collector has different reasons for wanting,
hence, obtaining and keeping, artifacts from the past.

For Antique Computer afficionados, that means that those items which serve
best, in this case, to "connect us to the past" by virtue of emulation, or
by simple repair/modification in the interest of "making it work" are of
little interest to the collector.  He want the "real McCoy" as it was
minted, not working and "alive" as it should have been.

Dick

-----Original Message-----
From: Sellam Ismail &lt;dastar(a)ncal.verio.com&gt;
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
Date: Monday, August 23, 1999 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Re. imsai 2 (OT)

...
 On Mon, 23 Aug 1999, Max Eskin wrote:

> In general, what is the meaning of an antique? In many cases, it is exactly
...
 > something that is old. However in the case of a
computer, I think that an
> exact copy is perfectly valid. We are trying to preserve computer history,
...
   and computer
technology, not old plastic, after all. What should concern
 people (IMHO) is the particular arrangement of keys on the keyboard, or
 gates on a CPU, or whatever, i.e. functional characteristics. 
Interesting point.  From a logical standpoint, an emulator can be just as
much the original machine as the original itself.  However, I think the
psychological impact of an "antique" is that it has passed through many
hands before it arrived in yours, and the personal history that each
individual machine possess is what is desired.  It connects us to the
past.  Something peculiarly human.

Also, humans are creatures that desire tangibility.  We want to see the
machine, feel it, look inside it, experience the sights and smells as it
fires up, marvel at its elegance (or lack thereof), tinker with it in
three dimensions, point it out to people as a source of pride.  You can't
do that with an emulator.

Sellam                                    Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
...

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