At 08:09 PM 12/15/98 -0600, Doug Yowza wrote: Tony Duell said "Doesn't that rather depend who the people are?", and you say something similar, and I must say I agree - but my point is, unless you know something about the character of these buyers, you don't know whether they're planning on preserving the machine or not. To use my deflated Microsoft millionaire example, that person is perfectly capable of paying $6K for an Altair and then paying someone to insure it's up and running. Is the "Computer rescue squad" concept only good for acquiring machines, or is it for hire to help keep machines alive? If an old machine's ROMs fail while it's being held by a speculator, chances are they'll pay to have it fixed, if the price for a working machine is significantly higher. Overall, I think these (supposed) higher prices are a Good Thing for the preservation of old computers. It means fewer will be scrapped, and more people will know they should be saved, either for their cash value, or for their sentimental value, or both. And again I must emphasize, tales of these inflated sale prices are highly anecdotal and not fact-checked. Perhaps we should sooth our souls by believing these buyers are conscientious instead of uncaring. With the dearth of evidence or direct testimony, we might as well wear rose-colored glasses. Hmm, good idea. The unscrupulous could set up fake computer museums, testifying to their good character, placing poor quality but honest photos showing the lovingly restored and maintained machines, and then beg for donations of cash and old computers. You E*Trade speculators, you're destroying the good ol' stock broker lifestyle, playing day trader, denying an honest commission to a starving professional - and I bet you don't even care about the fate of Netscape or AOL or Xoom, do you, as long as you're making a profit? :-) - John