Altair prices

From: Jeff Kaneko <jeff.kaneko_at_ifrsys.com>
Date: Thu Aug 13 18:32:30 1998

At 01:21 PM 8/13/98 -0500, you wrote:
>> I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I find myself extremely
>> depressed by this. Does anyone know (personally) the fellow who put in
>> the high bid? Will the Altair be something of inherent value to him,
>> or is it simply an investment?
>
>I haven't looked at the URL but I'm sure I don't know anyone involved.
>
>It IS depressing, isn't it? I've been thinking about this aspect of computer
>collecting for a while. Someone on alt.folklore.computers said that he had
>verified the authenticity of an Apple I system (complete with original cover
>letter receipt signed by Steve Jobs, etc.) just before it was shipped across
>the country to a new buyer.

I'll tell you why it's depressing. We had such a good thing going-- the
whole
world was (is) dominated by the PeeCee, nobody but us *real* hobbyists cared
about the interesting "old" stuff. It was a *real* hobby-- anyone with a
*couple* (meaning two) of dollars could get into the act.

ALl you needed to have some truly interesting stuff was a voltmeter, a
terminal,
and just a little luck.

Well, kiddies, the party's over. "Investment Grade" antique technology is
here to stay, it seems. Well I'll tell you what, guys. They can *have* it.
I'll have nothing more to do with "Investment Grade" computers. One
experience
was enough to show me the level of perversion that can be attained with this
mindset.

>As I drooled over this, I realized that it's an extremely desirable thing to
>have (and this one in particular sounded rare) but the economics are just too
>warped. There are only a handful of these machines, right? And they just
>change hands and the prices go up. Also, it may be desirable to have, but
not
>to USE. The RAM is expandable to almost 64K (though I've never heard of this
>being done) but there's only one slot and the only card built for it was a
>cassette interface. The display is slow because it uses a shift register.

Yeah, it wasn't that great of a machine, even in it's own time (although, of
course, quite historic). But such was the lot of the hobbyist at the time.

>I'm just too practical, I guess. I believe in collecting things to use them/
>have fun with them, and the rarity of the Apple I is at odds with this goal.
>I too have to wonder at the motives of the buyer of this Altair.

It's all a matter of goals and priorities. There are goals that will
produce a
productive outcome if reached, and there are some that will produce a bad
outcome.
This is a good hobby, because even schoolkids withoout alot of money can
enjoy
the 'rush' of putting an old system together and running it (something *I*
couldn't
do when I was a kid).

But when it becomes a hobby for the rich, upper classes-- as many of the
'traditional'
hobbies have become-- then something will be irrevocably lost. Hopefully, we
are still a decade or so away from the complete commercialization of our
hobby.
I can't bear the though of the classic computer going the way of the
baseball card,
and the comic book . . .

>There IS the possibility that this is an elaborate "sour grapes" argument,
>given that I have neither an Apple I nor an Altair. :)

And what I'm saying is that you don't need them to enjoy the hobby. In
fact, I'm
convinced now that having *anything* that's considered 'Investment Grade'
would
*preclude* you from experiencing the enjoyment factor. Our Pre-PC heritage
is so
vast and diverse, there literally must be something (else) out there for
everyobody.

Jeff


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Received on Thu Aug 13 1998 - 18:32:30 BST