I believe I see where you're coming from, Tony, but I don't see things that way
myself. I like to drive a nicely functional, well appointed and comfortable
car. I HATE working on the things, though I hate even more trusting the
meathead at the service station/garage to do it.
As for me, I actually dislike repairing other people's designs, and, in fact, my
own as well, but I put up with that. I've had very little of my own hardware
break down, yet, whenever I get into someone else's it amazes me that it worked
at all. Moreover, I seldom fail to find things that should have been omitted,
often among the stuff that's not working right. I don't collect computers, I
don't seek out "old" hardware, in general, except perhaps to prove a point,
though I've got a lot of it, but only because I got it when it was new. When I
appear to be seeking out "old" hardware, I'm looking for parts.
To me, a computer that's not computing, even if only for a moment, is rubbish,
or maybe a spare parts supply, and little else. If it can't easily be made to
compute, and can't be used to make something else compute, then I don't want it.
Now, I know that's not your viewpoint, but I'll bet I'm not the only one around
who doesn't see repairing badly-designed, or even well-designed but broken
hardware as "fun," though I do enjoy getting something that I'd otherwise have
to scrap or cannibalize to work. If it doesn't do something I want done,
however, out it goes, albeit not always quickly.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Duell" <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 11:53 AM
Subject: Re: Ebay madness
> > I'm not above a bit of soldering to repair a system either. But then I'm
> > not going to make it my lifelong ambition to buy/acquire dead machines with
> > a view to repairing them. Life's too short, and besides, I'm a klutz with a
> > soldering iron...
>
> This is an atitude that I can't seem to agree with... To me, part of the
> computer collecting hobby is repairs/restorations. It wouldn't be so much
> fun if you didn't have to get inside the machines and fix them.
>
> And how can life be too short for a hobby? A hobby, surely, is what you
> do because you enjoy it ;-)
>
> -tony
>
>
Received on Sun Aug 05 2001 - 22:45:59 BST