< It's all a matter of time, place and comparison. What was DEC charging < for a box, OS and BASIC at the time? An 8E with basic, enough core and tty would likely be about 14-18k maybe less. Used it could be in the under $3000 range in '77. In 1972 I was offered a pdp-8I with he works(TTY, RS08, DECTAPE, 32k core) for a mere $10,000 operating! It was a bit steep for me but a new chevy truck then was $3300. < >Absolutely. I agree 100%. If he had priced it in the range that a < >hobbyist could afford, and proportionate to the cost of the system ($50 < >for the kit?) then people would buy it. Its nothing to throw down $25 < >$50 if you're getting a manual and support with that. < < Pish-posh. In 1978, we're talking about a bunch of scroungy ex- < or current- ham radio operators who'd cross the street to pick up < two pennies on the sidewalk. Even today, why do people routinely < pirate software that can be had for $20 in the CompUSA discount bin? That characterization was at best inaccurate. The members of LICA (LI computing ASSOC) were less than 25% hams, many(60%) were professionals in the industry (mostly large iron). Most were techs and hard wroking slobs that the price of a KIM-1 was stiff for them and $350 for Basic was several weeks pay. Allison