Treasure them

[SuperBuickGuy]

I have a laptop I bought 10 years ago for $200 brand new from Staples. It has a CD drive and serial port.... go find one like it now. What's really precious is it cannot run Windows 10 - which is actually a bonus.

Remember, what is old is valuable.

And I add this - USB ports operate at such low voltage that electronic noise can be a it-won't-work issue. There are USB amplifiers (not right term but I'm sure whoever remembers the term will help here), but noise is an issue.

and finally, I've been tempted to start building new, old-system computers because there are a lot of companies out there who simply need a new computer not replace a multi-million-dollar device

[squirrel]

i've been threatening to get rid of the 50 or so old computers I have...but still they sit here....

I guess I could sell them to you?

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Computer planned obsolescence is a bigger scam than even the V8 rip-off we're discussing that other thread. I tell everyone "my computer has a virus . . . Windows 10."

Our "family" Lincoln sedan also has a Microsoft virus too . . . Sync (which is hands down the WORST "FEATURE" on any Ford-built car since Iacocca's killer exploding Pinto). How anyone with a scintilla of a brain in the Glass House thought Microsoft could supply anything that would reliably work is a titanic mystery. I'd be checking bank accounts, because somebody had to get paid off to sign off on Micorsoft Sync.

Do they even test-drive this computer crap in cars before they approve it for production?

[Eric]

Time waits for no one.
rocking an xp decktop and a w7pro laptop. I have a decktop running w95. it shows it's age when on the net, but is used mostly for scans of shop manuals, and such.

[squirrel]

Computer planned obsolescence is a bigger scam than even the V8 rip-off we're discussing that other thread.

Personal computers haven't really had planned obsolescence...they've just been subject to Moore's Law.

But the computer in a modern car, that you can interface with through a touch screen....that's a fantastic case of planned obsolescence. You now need to trade in your new car every two years, just like you do with your phone.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Touchscreens are great for mobile telephones and iPads. They suck in traffic at 70+ mph. It's hard to improve on the functionality of knobs, directional switches, and levers for functions one might need to safely access at speed.

"Yessss", I admit I sound like the old folks lampooned in this episode of the old "Top Gear" . . . .

[RockJustRock]

I love old computers. Enough ram and an SSD will make anything fast. 16 Gb and 240 Gb and you're good to go.

[squirrel]

The really old computers can only address 64k of RAM, you know....I still have a couple of those.

I don't have 16gb of ram in anything. This one I'm using now is way overkill with 8gb. 4 would be fine, 2 is all I really need. :Yes, I'm still running w7.

[RockJustRock]

16 seems like overkill, I know, but I felt it the first time I took a system from 8 to 16. With DDR3 prices low, why not? People complaining about Win 10 should stay AWAY from Android. A new O/S every year or two and each one a bigger resource hog. Pity needing 2 Gb of ram in a freakin' phone!

[squirrel]

maybe if you play games (besides freecell) on a computer, more ram is good. I don't. Firefox is the biggest memory hog on this one.

I think my phone has 3gb ram. The phone only cost $100, though. I guess google gets a lot of subsidies.

[RockJustRock]

It's strange. It's almost like the machine handles tasks differently based on the amount of headroom available. The interaction between the display processing gets weird too. It was like going from 1 Gb to 2 Gb on video cards. My gaming is very basic on less than HD resolution but the seat of the pants said different. CPU is the one area everyone, even Tom's Hardware, agrees there is overkill. But AMD and Intel keep slugging it out and AMD keeps it relatively affordable.

[squirrel]

I haven't bought a new cpu for five years...they got to the point of diminishing returns a while ago.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Wouldn't a real period-correct HAMBster use an IBM System./360 with some 9-track tape drives? Or ENIAC?

(Just kidding . . . It's a JOKE for pete's sake)

[squirrel]

if I could, I would. I got an (original) XT on the WWW close to 20 years ago, back when we had a phone line, etc. I quit using a modern motherboard in an old IBM case several years ago....but I have built a few.

[SuperBuickGuy]

In the medical device world, companies are paying millions for state-of-the-art machines but suddenly realizing that even though the machine works exceptionally well (after all, there have been few upgrades to the human body in several thousands of years) - it is a huge issue, just like car manufacturers have to bet millions on what's going to happen in 2030, medical facilities bet even more. Heck even hospital beds have computer interface.... serial interface.... unlike cars, though, you cannot just change the computers because the FDA gets all persnickety when you start making changes to things they approved.... the short is they shut you down if you make changes without their approval.

I get most of you joke about 'old' stuff, but a very large amount you pay in medical costs and insurance stems from obsolesce. While I get that some changes are for market protection or the shiny babble effect (phone charger plugs are a good example of this) - much come from the desire for better products. Most new laptops don't have a place where you could even wire a serial port....

There is even a company out there that makes military stuff which basically sells you old stuff for 10x what it cost new, but contract demands aside, there still is room for the HAMB of computers. What would be nice is if such existed for consumers as well - switches do wear out.... even silicon ones.