Bay Area: IBM 4341 and HP3000

[Fred Cisin]

> > Now, question to ponder, was the market for automobiles *created* and
> > manipulated into existence by market makers and public relationists?

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015, Al  Kossow wrote:
> Automobiles were used by individuals for four generations, the models
> are built to appeal to different personalities and social strata.
> A significant number of people in three of those four generations fixed
> their own cars, so they had some knowledge of how they worked.
A "significant number" of people prior to PC fixed and programmed their
own computers, so they had some knowledge of how they worked.

> Consumer computers are commodities. You throw them out, and since their
> performance improves orders of magnitude over time most people could
> care less about trying to use an old one.

Most current cars are commodities.  (Kia, anyone?, YUGO???) You throw them
out, and since their gas mileage and reliability improves magnitudes over
time, most people could care less about trying to use an old one.

> A person in 2015 can pretty easily pick up how to drive a car from their
> great-grandfather. They might even remember the car their
> great-grandfather owned. If you could find one, only an expert who knew
> where to look would have the faintest idea how to use a computer from
> the 1950's or would want to try.

Besides me and you, . . .
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to adjust ignition timing?
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to use a manual choke?
What percentage of current "drivers" know how to crank start?
(and if they tried, they would probably recreate the apocryphal legend
about WHY Kettering developed the starter motor)

> if you wanted you use it, you wouldn't be able to because the network
> infrastructure that makes it function will be gone.
leaded gas, and some of the other early fules) are kinda hard to come by.


> So, no, there is very little in common with the base of people
> collecting cars and computers and there will never be a popular movement
> to preserve them other that as a platform for playing games.

Most obsolete cars and computers end up kept for nostalgia, or as
ornaments and toys.
Few, other than ARDs, use the really old ones for their daily driving.


--
Grumpy Ol' Fred     		cisin at xenosoft.com