When to let it go? Never. As long as You live. At the same time, there goes a red line not to cross and which you should put yourself --- there are many other things which You must AVOID as they are distractions from hobby, but those distractions are nuissance. So there is also a need to SET TIME for this hobby and not just hoarding the items (which is Gear Acquisition Syndrome), as that last one is really exhausting.
Dont we love our lovely hobby?
hobby can be in a three different forms of them -- learning, doing, collecting. But we need it in order to feel fine and thats what the boys do. All ages. But girls dont.
After reading all these posts here... then I came to conclusion ---
The ideology is just simple --- if you live for it, then have it. People still read books, love vinyl records, yet despite the fact they are possible to read/listen from computers. Despite emulations it is not the same as holding a vinyl disc or reading a physical book, as it is not in the comfort zone for those who prefer to read the book. ALso thats why people go to cinema, instead of watching movies at home.
1. Some things are which make you happy, provide comfort and nurture you. Keep them. They are the precious ones.
2. Some are which provide zero enjoyment, but are not under our control - the latest modern systems. Those become as useless and obsolete just as the giants say they are obsolete, but you
got them in first place becouse otherwise you could not make your job. THOSE ones are not needed. Those are things which own you instead.
3. About physical or emulation is the one rule -- get physical things and keep it, if it makes you happier. worrying makes your life shorter. Just like old dudes need their own home environment (after moving they end up much sooner than expected), so it is needed to keep also all other in your comfort zone and under your control and it is natural to avoid all enforced rules.
It is much better than to regret 20 years later "why I did not got that while I had the chance" or making excuses ("emulation..."). Money you can get always more, otherwise the inflation will just eat it up. Also the one ressource - time - you cant get again.
The only things which is meant to trash away is the new computers and "just becoming obsolete" 5 year old computers - those are artificially establishing but provide zero joy. They are those what I really do not need it, while the organizations try to establish silly things "it is needed to you" while I really do not need them -- (ID-card readers, while I can get away with a paper instead!).
ynari wrote: Retro hardware is great, but it's important to keep up to date with modern systems too.
But can you explain WHY important? About modern system there is no benefit to my hobby nor health, it only creates new expenses, but corporations have made its development process mainly becouse of its commerce of its own to keep it rolling and they try to push it also to other life areas even where it is not needed. Just to keep and expand.
Well... I just elaborate more, but well, just add your arguments too! I am interested to see where it leads or where it ends with which conclusions. 😉
new technology in general in electronics of course... great, if there are tools available while talking about the processors and programmable things. But now it has ended. Becouse the software is not sold but "licenced" and thus rubbish to work later on, becouse I cant just to take out from the closet to work on the same old project 20 year later on again to check something.
ALso the new programs act the similar way -- the ones which use the server or the online program (FreePCB for example was such which used online autorouter , while I had no idea about that until it was offline). So, I have got several lessons about these new software items which are "called back" and quit working, while the much more obsolete programs work on much better and require old hardware still.
My thoughts about all that here elaborated in detail...
Lets call those nuissances trendy computers and all other artificially created "needs" by companies, becouse in first place we really do NOT need them and neither we want to have them, but STILL they are the ones who endlessly try to push and make you dependant on it until you catch yourself from the thought that you need it, becouse something says "not supported anymore, upgrade", while behind that there is actually just the business ideology, scareware and nothing more. Thus the limits are artificially implanted, just like the newer hardware drivers versions are not supporting this or that "old" platform anymore.
If not really thinking "what am I doing?", then it leads to confusion and not living really fully.
I know a man who is using now more than 20 years the same computer with his LPKF milling machine and its software. Nowadays I do not imagine the software which still works after taking out the closet 20 years later! Nowadays it is very possible the situation that the fresh installed software which was used only at once wont work after the computer is switched on year later (it says "new version is out, new platform is out, buy again", right?).
I think thats never a option for a old tired man who does not live for forced-on endless upgrade circle. He does NOT need "new other things", or "new way of doing things". While he was working in a cell-phone company in engineering section he was a early version adopter, but once he quit he said "From now I do not buy a new telephone next 10 years atleast". What a attitude change. 😉 Also all is organized just to minimize all costs and to keep it that way and happy with it and all that offline is working perfectly.
So, based on all that the real danger is from the trendy software which closes down its "support", and not the 20 year old machine with that old software perfectly working and going on.
Some things about the new technology I still like, for example Blu-Ray burners, and Blu-Ray discs, new packing algorithms/codecs but of course I would have just ignored all that if those wont be possible to integrate into my existing systems and only becouse I can put them in a closet and they are still there.
But at the same time "trendy" things like "cloud" I despise becouse they have habit of vanishing (what a pun), dependant on internet connection which is fragile and missing often. So it just is not like my server in my LAN at my reach on the troublesome times.
IMHO about newest hardware and software there are improvements, but it is all lost in newest ideology of software sales -- the company charges money but take that software away later again by their vicious way of ending support as their programs need to "call home" in order to function. Or the program is not really sold, but "licenced" with the same price like in the past the oldfashioned offline version was. That way is also the FPGA/CPLD developments environment, about which I had the nasty experience lately.
And of course lets not forget the non-desktop items -- how often people now are forced to swap their iPads, iPhones and such things becouse this or that does not work anymore? I never use them as I cant really make myself something to them, and it requires mobile internet or requires wifi, but all can be done much simpler way or better -- just without it.
So, I beg to humble differ, becouse so far it all raises the question -- is it all that fuzz about development about hardware then really necessary? In my computer the only ones scream for update and thus dictate the "upgrade" are some websites which require newer browser, which dictates the requirement for a newer OS, which dictates the requirement for a newer machine! Otherwise I would never do it for just this simple function -- to pay bills. While at the same time I see no reason why the newer browser should not be supported by the older os system too.
There are many situations where old programs and hardware is more than enough. But the companies try to render it not to be this way and longevity, reliability is not their goal. BUt I do not live for their expectations that I should go along with their enforced updates becouse to me the ideology is to buy just one time and to use forever once it is enough to me and I stick to my routine.
What about if you make software Yourself? Or hardware? While if I make a ISA expansion board, then I do not make it just to redesign it over after 2 years, neither I do my own programs from the scratch again just becouse it is 2 years old! In reality the complex software development takes so much time that when finishing, then those "giants" have already dictated that the newer platforms (or also hardware) is the one to use.
And yet we hear so much about that you should conserve energy and to not make so much trash, but all this is flushed down when it meets the corporations interest about sales.
Also at home home environment there shall be no place for that, becouse at home shall be "my home, my rules, my control" about everything. Just like there is no place for computer in a bedroom, it is for sleeping.
Becouse of that my fellow radioamateur uses a quite modern computer no more than once in a month - just for paying the bills and here it all ends. I understood radiohams this way -- nothing more required as it is nuissance and headache otherwise. In ideal way there should be no place for a software which wants to "call home" or other backdoors as they make him restless. There can be how many software versions out but it is never needed as he sits on the middlewave hamradio band and goes hunting/fishing.
So -- The only things with expiration date shall be allowed only for food, but never for a computer software or hardware! Yet the M$ and other computer corporations think otherwise.
What about simple life areas which was without computers before? Now THATS the nightmare becouse it is phasing out the other alternatives. The institutions say it is becouse people wont use it but actually they agitate to use the more electronic channels. But this is NOT the freedom, development. this is the technological bolshevism!
Also worst is that the computers requirement are pushed into areas where it is better to live without it as it creates a huge dependency chain in order to do something with a computer while on a oldfashioned way it was ONE plain paper (be it a document or a cash).
Now in a millenia its all pushed on people with all that making a vicious dependency chain, by trying to enforce it via activities which was possible to do WITHOUT computer involvement (e-voting, paying bills) and later it is worst if it is the only option.
Becouse with computer you need not only a piece of junk but there are requirements for a 10 dependant chain expensive things. (count up what "fresh" things you need in order to buy a plane ticket from distance -- electricity, computer, os, browser, e-bank or credit card, working internet connection hardware and subscription for it AND the servers and routers all working outside your reach). Oldfashioned way is simple -- cash over counter with human other side. 😉
And several other "services" have longer dependency chain (for example network stream service subscription compared to oldfashioned cd-player).
You do not agree with everyone on the street if they say "go to another side!", dont you? But the people do not really think so when it comes to about "new" computers and software things.
So, this way that all hardware and software development in this form does not really benefit the users, but it benefits only software companies as they can take users more under their own control, replace humans with machines, while still keeping the prices high... name whatever life area you like.
Also I counted that there are dark sides about the technology development, if just using it uncautiously or in excess.
I remember that while I was using the chats, usenet, newsgroups on 1994, it was not up to everyones knowledge and thus very few ones knew how to use internet. I thought that 4 hours in a day was a way too much but, ... it was not even close to what happened now when all that fuckbook and pseudosocial networks were pressed on to masses! Now people do it constantly, all the time; reading every 2 minutes their phone and while they are around the table, they all are writing texts instead of talking!
Back in the past there was some similar scream about excess TV watching -- There were times when it was decided that the TV with its 100 channels is the death of the family communication -- becouse before TV arrival the friends, colleauges, cousins were talking to each other and playing at least. But after that TV arrived, then their only entertainment is to watch TV silently.
All that shit like this happening in background, make me despise citys. Otherwise, just the idea of building, the retro hardware with 3.5MHz CPU speeds is amusing and relaxing while living in the forest or doing some woodwork / antenna tower work.
So, a new technology yes, but that would not make sense, becouse most common denominator of people have the computer just for communication and entertainment, it is all there already,
and the only things which happen or change is the politics behind it by limiting more and more the freedom and invading privacy instead. (oh yeah, still even those who say that they have nothing to hide, still mind privacy intruding, and have also curtains at home!)
(well, it would be dream if it would be for astronomy calculus, music making, etc..., however it is very likely opposite - the use of not at all so new hardware will be in use instead.)
So, I really propose somewhat going back like it was before where computers by memory size was considered like this: 64..128kB SMALL, 256kB medium... and so while 12MB memory computers were for institutions usage.
