> > >
> > > On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with spending money
> > on a machine
> > > if you will then enjoy programming/using/repairing it. I
> > don't regard
> > > that as not 'sporting'.
> >
> > It's like the difference between the quaterback of the team
> > saying he won the superblow because he was on the field and
> > the owner saying he won the game because he paid the players
> > to do it.
>
>
> Perhaps somebody could expain the aims of this hobby of ours. Is it to :
>
> Obtain as many machines as possible without caring what they are
Probably not.
> Obtain as many of particular types of 'interesting' (to you) machines
Almost certainly.
> Getting (again) the machine that you 'used as a kid' and enjoying those
> ancinet games again (say)
Still got the machine I learned to program on (a Sinclair ZX Spectrum +2A).
Still works, too :-)
> Getting machines that you dreamed of owning many years ago and could
> never aford back then
Don't think that applies to me.
> Getting machines that have particular hardware (or software) features
> that you find interesting, whether or not you've ever heard of the
> machine before
Hmm... Depends on whether I've got enough place to store the thing.
> Preserving a piece of computer history
Yes.
> Programming a machine that is really simple enough to fully understand
Definetly.
> Repairing a machine that's built from parts you can get and understand
When it breaks :-)
> Learning about the operation of a computer by understanding a processor
> at gate level
Yup.
> I guess for me it's many of the above and more besides.
Same here.
> 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.
I wouldn't mind spending about ?50 on a machine if it was in decent (read:
working) condition. I've successfully restored a reel to reel tape deck and
I'm going to get myself a few MOS KIM-1s (one to keep going, the rest become
parts donors if need be) and keep at least one running. I'm going to test
and reform/replace the capacitors if necessary, and make sure the CPU/clock
circuits/LED display/keyboard still work. And if the keyboard fails I'll get
myself a Protolab membrane keypad kit and build a new one!
--
Phil.
http://www.philpem.f9.co.uk/
philpem_at_bigfoot.com
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Received on Sun Jan 28 2001 - 15:16:20 GMT