Selling keyboards without the terminal

[Doc Shipley]

On 10/19/18 12:18 PM, Daniel Seagraves via cctalk wrote:
> 
>> On Oct 19, 2018, at 10:34 AM, Bill Degnan via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>
>> Here is a great example of why the keyboards and terminals are getting
>> separated
> 
> 
> Keyboard fetishists are vermin; They are destructive and have no redeeming qualities, and should be treated as such.
> 
> I had one of them spend the better part of an hour going on about how I had achieved “the holy grail of collecting” by having more than one “Space Cadet” keyboard, fawning about how superlatively perfect they’re supposed to be and everything else pales in comparison. They’re a status symbol in keyboard fetishist circles. According to him they auction north of $5000 for even non-working examples. I have no idea why. GNU Emacs can't use most of the “special” keys - The Lisp Machine itself doesn't even use most of them - and control is in the same relative place as modern keyboards instead of being where the caps lock key is which was the "mostest hacker-est” thing last I heard. I think it’s just conspicuous consumption - Having one proves you’ve got the dosh to waste things other people must work hard for a chance to get.


   That's just nasty.  Your invective, that is.  There are idiots in any 
enthusiast group, and predators.  Including this group, if we're honest. 
  You want to talk conspicuous consumption?  How many on this list, 
myself included, have spent a fortune on old computer hardware, and then 
another fortune housing it?

   I'm one of those "fetishists" - I do love me a nice clackety 
keyboard.  And not for nothing, but my experience with '80s- and 
'90s-era mechanical keyboards is precisely why I do.  I build my 
keyboards from new parts, and I think paying $5/switch for parts from 
the old Apple Extended Keyboard II is just silly, but I have a hard time 
blaming anybody for pursuing what's important to them.

   You guys want people to stop scavenging those irreplaceable 
treasures?  Ante up, pure and simple.  I've seen the same thing over and 
over in the vintage computer circles - guys wailing and wringing their 
hands about classic machines going to keyboard scavengers, or gold 
recovery, or whatever the Demon du Jour happens to be.  And then they 
won't pay the price of shipping to keep the thing out of the scrap pile.

   I have a 5140 Convertible that I tried to sell awhile back in the 
vcfed community.  I got a lot of lowball offers and a lot of rants 
veiled as warnings about those godless scavengers.  From the same 
cheapskates of course.  In the end, that system is worth twice as much 
as desoldered parts as the best offer I got.  Survey sez all that 
wailing and teeth-gnashing is bullshit.