Anders- wrote on 2023-01-19, 10:48:No need to be sorry, I just call things as I see them, same as you do.
When it comes to hoarding I'm in a similar situation, I'v […]
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Tetrium wrote on 2023-01-19, 09:45:I don't see how it would work that way. Or at least how this would work on a forum like Vogons. […]
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Anders- wrote on 2023-01-19, 00:45:Of course there's gatekeeping, it comes in the form of hoarding and monopolizing of various retro sources, one can observe it on […]
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Of course there's gatekeeping, it comes in the form of hoarding and monopolizing of various retro sources, one can observe it on this forum.
A small amount of people keeping big collections of old gear is exactly what keeps it out of the hands of folks looking to get into the retro world.
Same goes for locations where hw/sw can be found, it's commonplace to brag about made purchases, but actually sharing sources/tips and risk things being picked up by others?
Sure, one can keep telling oneself "I just have a small collection of retro systems that I deserve, it won't keep anyone else out", but that's exactly what it does.
I don't see how it would work that way. Or at least how this would work on a forum like Vogons.
I'm one of those people with a larger hoard which was accumulated back when nobody wanted the stuff (including most people who at the time had no interest in it) and I found people with similar interests here.
And it comes across as strange to me to want to see it this way, as there are a lot of people here who will sell at lower price than the so-called market prices. Heck, there's even a thread about giving stuff away and it's been active for several years now I think?
If there is any general consensus about this, it would be that there early hobbyists are part of what helped forge this hobby into what it is today as they helped prevent a lot of this old stuff from getting to hardware heaven 😜
And tips have been shared a LOT here including where to find stuff cheaper. Unfortunately these sources will eventually run out. Same thing with people selling off their collections.
I'm sorry, but what you wrote here doesn't really come across to me as well thought out nor as something that actually happened. Or at least not when it comes to PC retro computing.
No need to be sorry, I just call things as I see them, same as you do.
When it comes to hoarding I'm in a similar situation, I've saved quite a few items from "hardware heaven" mostly back in the day when there was no obvious monetary value in old electronics. But that was then, grabbing stuff today isn't necessarily about saving things from being scrapped, but rather from being picked up by someone else.
Is there really a need for a person to keep, say, +10 486 systems for personal use? Sharing the resources could easily get a few folks new to the retro-hobby something to tinker with.
And as for sharing tips, they are of course only shared after one first have picked up all the goodies. Not very often we see a post saying "Shop xxx looks good, I walked by yesterday and they seem to have a large collection of nos/etc.", do we?
My point of view is that hoarding is most certainly not "for the good of mankind", but rather us grabbing all the stuff we can for personal enjoyment - if that means keeping things out of the hands from others, so be it.
It's their stuff, so imo they can do with it what they want. Just let them.
We've had people on this forum overclocking certain motherboards till death (one was some black pearl motherboard or something along those lines). Personally I wouldn't do that (plenty reasons not to do so, one of them being that even overclocked it's still dreadfully slow compared to todays hardware), but in the end it's their stuff and they can do with it whatever they want.
For the good of mankind? Ehh, I guess that sort of thing is just not my thing. I collected out of interest and because I liked the distraction and I've had so much fun doing it! ^^
Personally I enjoy seeing others enjoying their hobby in the way they like it. I particularly like the diversity in what people tend to, so to say, specialize in as we can learn from eachother and enjoy eachother's stories.
Personally I don't like these old parts having become so much harder to get (in many cases) and especially with how expensive certain parts have become but in a way this is inevitable as there are factors beyond the control of the ordinary retro pc hobbyist.
The elitism in that youtube video, seems like some kind of narcism to me. Just let that dad enjoy the hobby he wants to. If people want to use an M2 drive in their 386, let them even though personally I'd probably never do it (or perhaps I should say 'never' do it because you never know 😜 😜 ).
And the jealousy thingy is also kinda inevitable. I learned to just be happy with what I do have instead of eternal yearning for the stuff I don't have. I don't have a single Roland thingy and I absolutely LOVE how it can makes certain games sound! <3
But I can be perfectly happy just using some 'mediocre' sound blaster as long as it's at least half decent.
Some others will absolutely want the better sound cards for a myriad of reasons and virtually none of them are wrong. Just let people enjoy the hobby in a way they want to and this goes for any specific hardware or software item.
For example, win98SE or WinME? Both will work better in certain situations and objective arguments can be made for either. Which one one picks is really mostly a matter of personal circumstances and experiences and personal tastes. Just let them.