Hardware/doc preservatoion, was Re: rarest computers.

From: Bryan Pope <bpope_at_wordstock.com>
Date: Tue Aug 3 08:08:36 2004

And thusly Jules Richardson spake:
>
> People on this list seem pretty good, but I come across lots of
> collectors / enthusiasts elsewhere who just want the hardware to play
> about on, with no thought about preserving associated data.
>
> Of course, always make a point of asking about software or documentation
> when accepting hardware from someone. Over here at least, experience has
> been that typically the owner assumes this to be unimportant and doesn't
> even mention anything they might have. Sometimes they dump the docs and
> software *before* offering the hardware to anyone, which is *really*
> annoying!
>
> It's not just the technical documentation or software that's important,
> but the user-land stuff that tells the story of how the machines were
> actually used in daily life. In 50 years time, long after the hardware's
> stopped functioning and replacements for custom parts aren't available,
> it's this aspect that I expect people will be interested in.

Another part of documentation I love to collect is all of the associated
magazines.. Not just for the articles but also for the ads. These also
show a snapshot of that time.

Cheers,

Bryan Pope

P.S. I have to admit I also like the pics in the mags too.... ;-)
Received on Tue Aug 03 2004 - 08:08:36 BST