Getting out of the hobby

[william degnan]

On Oct 15, 2016 1:06 AM, "drlegendre ." <drlegendre at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > There are still plenty of enthusiastic, younger folks who are most
> >> definitely into running the "genuine old hardware" - it's just that
> >>
> > this
>
> > list hasn't traditionally offered much of a draw for these users. As
> >>
> > noted,
>
> > the list was formed by and for users of the classic-era 'big iron'
> >>
> > gear,
>
> > many of whom have simply succumbed to attrition in one form or another.
> >>
> >
> Actually, it wasn't. I have been a member almost from day 1, and my first
> > question to the list founder (I think it was Selam) was 'Are
> >
> minicomputers
>
> > welcome on the list, or is it micros only?'
>
>
> If my previous observations on the genesis of the list don't match
reality,
> I'm perfectly willing to be corrected - in fact, I like what I've been
> hearing about the origins of the list. That said, the vast majority of
list
> traffic seems to focus on minicomputers "and up" (or, and back as it
were),
> and I assumed that it's always been this way.
>
> As another member recently noted, much of what tumbles past me on this
list
> is totally outside of my 'classic computer' world. Though, again, I'd have
> no trouble whatsoever geeking out - and fully - over some mini hardware,
if
> that's the sort of thing I could possibly have room for in my home or my
> life.
>
> This said, it's clear to see that most of the list traffic is well outside
> of the 8-bit / 16-bit micro era. And if the list is to survive over the
> long-term, then more of the micro kids like myself need to be brought
> deeper into the fold. Don't you think?
>

I am a member of a handful of lists related to vintage computing.  This
list has one of the broadest on- topic scopes and yes it is not centered on
8bit home computing.  There are not a lot of posts about Apples and
Commodores and such because a lot of the hardware problems that typically
come up about these systems have long ago been beaten to death. I think you
read more about minis and other types a lot on cctech because some of us
are attempting to work on "something else" other than just 8bit machines to
push into new areas and there is a lot of enthusiasm for it.  And there are
not as many sources of info, and these projects tend to be never ending :-)
.

FYI minis and workstations   overlap a longer tumespan than 8bit home
machines, there are a ton of hobbyists who collect and or support these
machines.   I was much more 8 bit focused before but at some point I
shifted to explore more vintage eras.  Both forward and backward in time.

I joined in the earlier 200x's .

I think my first post was in reply to someone who wanted to boot a GRID
laptop from an external drive and I happened to know the keystroke combo.

Bill Degnan
twitter: billdeg
vintagecomputer.net