SOL feeding frenzy?

From: John Foust <jfoust_at_threedee.com>
Date: Tue Dec 15 16:41:49 1998

At 02:46 PM 12/15/98 -0600, Doug Yowza wrote:
>That's an idea. Do you think there's a greed gene we could test for?
>The point was that there's more than one motivation for selling something,
>and money alone isn't always it.

If someone paid $6,000 for something, and someone else paid $100,
which person is more likely to preserve the something?

>I have no problem with high prices being paid, but I have problems with
>high prices being *publicized* because it directly affects me and the
>hobby in a negative way.

>We can no longer assume that everybody on this list is
>interested in the preservation of old computers, so it doesn't make sense
>to offer "special" deals here with the expectation that the machines will
>get "special" treatment.

You know the joke about the guy who goes to the doctor and says
"It hurts when I do this" and the doctor says "Don't do that"?
Well, you're right. You can't expect to make a public announcement
and somehow control the outcome after the sale.

If someone really wants to preserve a system, would it be so hard
as to hand-pick someone to get it? Let's say you had an old Terak.
You do a simple web search and see this nice guy in Wisconsin with
a Terak museum web page, and you decide to give it to him instead
of selling it on eBay for $10,000. Problem solved.

Oh, but wait you say - we aren't talking about people who want
to preserve systems, we're talking about people who want to sell
them and get as much money as possible for the transaction.

>But this isn't a rant about prices, it's about expectations of behavior in
>this "community."

There is no community. You've been believing too many techno-pagans
in the pages of Wired. :-)

At 12:43 PM 12/15/98 -0800, Kai Kaltenbach wrote:
>I feel compelled to point out that I know all of the classic computer
>collectors here, and I am only aware of one millionaire in the world ever
>paying stupid prices for old junk, and he's the founder of some independent
>web design company, he does not work for MS.

I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular. Sorry about that.
I recalled someone else complaining that some xxxx_at_microsoft.com
bidder was walking away with systems on eBay, and assumed it
was true.

> I am not aware of anyone who is _buying and
>selling_ classic computers for a profit.

There's the Bob guy, the antique reseller, right? Good for him.

At 04:19 PM 12/15/98 -0500, Max Eskin wrote:
>That right there is a very important statement, on par with "Carthago
>delenda est". I agree with you completely.

What do you think you can wipe out, and how?

>I guess the old days of
>innocence are gone. It's not just an Enrico Tedeschi every few months,
>there are actually people trying to make money off this hobby.

Hobby? Who said it was a hobby? There are obviously some people
on this list who have made it their life's work.

- John
Received on Tue Dec 15 1998 - 16:41:49 GMT