Classic computing goes mainstream....

[Jules Richardson]

On 02/08/2015 02:07 AM, N0body H0me wrote:
>> Oh dear! Mentioning values like that on the BBC is not going to make it
>> any easier for the genuine enthusiasts, who don't collect for the
>> monetary value.
>>
>
> Actually, it's been a bitch for quite some time now; lots of guys with
> deep pockets driving up prices on machines we could get for very little
> money back in the day.

To be honest, the arrival of Ebay (whatever year that was, a long time ago 
anyway) was where I saw the turning point being - prior to that it was 
great fun finding this stuff, chasing up possible leads, and having a good 
old chat with the owners. People were generally in it for the purposes of 
finding homes for items and saving them from landfill.

These days people are more inclined to see what sort of prices *some* 
examples of what they have are fetching on ebay (with the inevitable 
auction feeding-frenzy driving the numbers up) and equate that with market 
value.

> grit my teeth if I have to pay the occasional premium for a part I
> need to get something working.

I find that a bit frustrating - when it came to "common" systems, I always 
kept a few basket-case parts machines around for the purposes of not only 
keeping my own "good" machines going, but also to help out others, and I 
remember when plenty of other collectors were doing the same.

I get the impression those days are gone though, and that sourcing small 
bits and pieces via the likes of ebay (where there's a chance that I'm 
dealing with someone who is destroying viable restoration machines) is the 
only way now.

> It's still interesting, but it hasn't been cheap in a long time.

One of my issues is that this stuff isn't going to stay running forever - 
no matter how well it's looked after, ICs and storage media will fail. It's 
a shame that it can't be enjoyed simply and cheaply now, and only treated 
as some kind of expensive antique when it's no longer functional.

cheers

Jules