> > > > Welcome back tim
> > > > Have you been looking around for computers in Guyana? Anything interesting?
> > > Looking? Yeah... all over... but in a country where a XT's a status
> > > item... I haven't been very successful. I was able to get a complete
> > > XT system with tons of unopened software, manuals, etc. (As well
> > > as a brand-new IBM ProPrinter I) from the person right below the
> > > Ambadassor at the Embassy here. Of course, the XT's no biggie,
> > > but the naunals, etc. are.
> > No Homecomputers or obscure pre PC stuff ?
> Not to be a presumptuously snobbish American or anything but in Guyana?
:) Shure, exactly in Guyana. I found that the percentage of
unusual computers rise linear with the 'unusuality' of the
place you are looking. Of course, the total number of computers
available is falling rapidly, but if there is one, the chance
of not beeing a 08/15 type computer is quite high. I made up
three possible reasons. First if somone in such a place buyes
a computer he is a) weathy and b) educated - already unusual.
Such people tend to go for rather individual choises. Second
to buy a computer in this environment isn't a decision made
between two hot dogs - they are collecting facts to buy the
right one (like most of us did in the 70s) - ok, this attitude
is fading like it did in the US and Europe during the 80s, but
only recently - maybe also forced due the missing of low to
mid class alternatives to the Wintel PC. Third the lifetime /
time of use is a lot longer due missing replacement. Computer
sales in this countries are still rising the numbers of installes
systems, while we (Euro and US) have already reached a level
where replacement is part of the market. If a computer is to
be replaced lets say in India or Romania, the old one will be
used again, istead of beeing scraped - for shure!
I don't know about the far east, arab or south american
situation, but in the east the PC took only over _very_
recently (1995/96...). In Russia, a C64 or an Amiga or
Atari XL ist still a valuable home computer - shure, they
won't get the price like a few years aga, since the Taiwan
PCs give an upper limit, but people are still looking to
get them. And in Africa it's almost the same (You still
can find French and Britisch homecomputers).
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
Received on Thu Dec 24 1998 - 08:34:45 GMT