Good Samaritan Rule?

From: Wayne M. Smith <wmsmith_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Sun Jun 24 20:59:03 2001

There is nothing quite like thinking you are doing "a
good thing" and being criticized for the "way" you are
doing it. There's something inherently offensive about
it. That's why so many states have passed so-called
"good Samaritan" laws, which prevent lawsuits such as
malpractice actions against doctors who stop and give
aid to accident victims.

Do the same rules apply to collecting and attempting to
fix computer equipment?

Today I posted some questions regarding an IBM S/23 I
am trying to get working (VCF 5.0 is coming up fast).
The 5322 unit I saved from a dumpster and found that
the display was badly burned and feeble. A year and a
half later I found someone who had a number of 5324
displays that he was going to pitch. I paid to have
one of the displays shipped from St. Loius to L.A., so
I could swap them. I suspected that this would work
because the IBM part nos. for the internal display unit
were identical. Today I swapped the displays, and it
was mostly a success. But, I think I've offended some
of you because I have, in effect, performed surgery
with a sledgehammer. Yet, this is the best I can do.
Although I'm an engineer, I'm an ME and my electronics
background is mostly directed to digital stuff. (So
I'm not a "doctor" which perhaps destroys the "Good
Samaritan analogy.) I don't have anything close to an
electronics lab (nor do I know anyone local that does)
and, aside from an EPROM burner, my most sophisticated
equipment is a voltage meter.

Should I simply not even try to do anything, lest I
risk criticism for doing it wrong?
Received on Sun Jun 24 2001 - 20:59:03 BST