"Real Computers" (was Re: Trivia Question)

From: R. D. Davis <rdd_at_rddavis.org>
Date: Sun Feb 23 16:32:01 2003

Quothe Tony Duell, from writings of Sun, Feb 23, 2003 at 07:17:45PM +0000:
> > A good part of my collection are boards, chips, drives,
> > and other old equipment that is not easily available now.
>
> Sure... I've got _boxes_ of obscure spare parts (but I never seem to have
> the one I really need...)

Same here.

> Actually, valves seem to be a lot easier to find that ASICs for
> 5-year-old PCs... :-)

Very true... planned obsolesence taken to extremes.

> The claim was that parts for 'old' PCs were still easy to find new. Even
> if you take 'parts' in the PC-goon sense to mean PCBs, drives, etc I
> still find this hard to believe. There are many subassemblies once
> commonly used in PCs that are no longer available new...

As the electronics "recycling" programs become more active, we're
going to see far fewer parts for many things... Next, we'll be seeing
those "environmentally sensitive" people turning over unwanted
inherited collections of tubes/valves and tube/valve equipment to the
recyclers as well, not to mention computer collections. After all,
some of those parts or systems could contain something toxic, or,
something that could injure a child with a low IQ who might try to eat
a miniature tube/valve containing mercury, and, worse yet, some of
that equipment may have been stored in a room with... *horrors* lead
paint on the walls! (sarcasm intended)

In reality, all of this recycling has less to do with helping the
environment than it does to help large corporations increase their
volume of sales. Hence, destructive recycling, rather than re-use of
complete computer systems, cars, assemblies and parts, etc. is
creating much environmental damage for the sake of greed; it's mostly
about political favors and corrupt government playing games with
naive "environmentalists."

> Actually, I can't remember the last time I saw an AT (as opposed to ATX)
> PSU or case listed by the PC suppliers...

Are not ATX power supplies a good example of, to a large extent,
needless complexity?

-- 
Copyright (C) 2002 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals: 
All Rights Reserved            an unnatural belief that we're above Nature & 
rdd_at_rddavis.org  410-744-4900  her other creatures, using dogma to justify such
http://www.rddavis.org         beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.
Received on Sun Feb 23 2003 - 16:32:01 GMT

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