>But most of those 'reasons for the hobby' don't depend on getting a
>bargain, and thus it's not unsporting/against the aims of the hobby to
>pay for a machine.
>
>OK, I know most of us (myself included) can't afford to spend as much
>money as we'd like on this hobby, and we'd love it if the machines were
>free... However, it wouldn't bother me to spend say \pounds 100.00 on a
>machine of particular interest to me, knowing that I would get at least
>that much enjoyment/education from programming it, repairing it, learning
>about it, etc. And I don't thing that's against the aims of the hobby.
All of my life I've collected one thing or another and come
from a family where most of the males on my father's side do the
same! The common thread that runs through each collection that I've
done over the years is that it encompassed things that I personally
found interesting. When it comes to this, I simply won't pick up a
machine just because it happens to be the popular one at the moment.
There are some things in my collection that I picked up just because
I happened to be in the right place when it became available so it
might not have been something I would've picked up otherwise. I'm
also a history buff, so there are also machines that I picked up
strictly because of what I percieved thier historical importance to
be. Oftentimes though something picked up due to historical
perception will also be seen as interesting in various aspects,
whether it be design or whatever.
As for price, it'd be nice to get everything for free, but
lets be realistic. I've gotten my share of stuff for free or next to
it, but I've also spent some decent money or a couple of systems that
I just wouldn't have gotten otherwise. It doesn't detract from them,
though the person who's intent is to turn around and resell them
might see it differently. Supply and demand dictates that these
machines will become harder to find with each passing year and we
should be prepared to deal with the cost associated with that reality.
Jeff
--
Collector of Classic Microcomputers and Video Game Systems:
Home of the TRS-80 Model 2000 FAQ File
http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lakes/6757
Received on Sat Jan 27 2001 - 13:43:31 GMT