All too often I hear comments like, “Since I got my TS2068, the TS1000’s have been sitting on the shelf, awaiting a trip down memory lane.” Another variant is, “As far as I’m concerned, the ZX81 is dead and gone” (the next time I hear that one, I think I’ll scream.) Recently, the favoured comment of this genre has been, “Just got a new QL; I now have no more use for the 2068.”
The attitude that underlies such comments is quite understandable. Our culture is deeply steeped in a philosophy of disposable technology. Planned obsoloscence has become as much a fact of life as taxes and phone bills. When your vacuum cleaner breaks, you get a new one. When a new “food processor” hits the market, the old blender, which made perfect banana smoothies all these years, gets the boot. Most automobiles are purchased, not because of a real need, but because we simply got tired of the old one. Another factor, of course, is that mechanical things wear out; they reach a point where the repair of a machine costs more than a new one.
Enter the computer. IC’s and related components do not wear out. Other components (such as electrolytic capacitors) actually last longer under constant use than if left inactive. If something goes wrong with a computer, the cause is almost always something minor (and mechanical) such as connectors and switches. In a very real sense, a computer gets better with age; any manufacturing bugs have long since been taken care of, and components have been “burned in” for stable operation.
I’m not about to argue that the ZX81 is “just as good” as the 2068, though I’ve been known to do so. Nor do I contest that the QL is truly a quantum leap over the 2068 (and even most of its expensive contemporaries). The advance of computer technology over the last few years has been truly remarkable, to say the least. If you’re fascinated by a new machine, by all means buy it! If you find yourself limited by your present system, by all means upgrade it!
What I AM saying is that any computer, by definition, is a MULTI-FUNCTION machine; just because you found a better machine for managing your files or for playing Scrabble doesn’t mean that your older “inferior” machine isn’t still capable of other tasks. People who blithely call ANY computer “obsolete” are missing this point completely. The situation is completely unlike a Compact Disc player (for example), which makes it painful to go back to those old scratchy records and hissy tapes.
Find something new for your old computer to do! Hardware hackers know about “dedicated” machines for controlling outside devices like houses and telescopes, or watching for rainfall and burglars. The idea of dedicated computers extends to software as well. The “Mandel-Plot” program that appears in this issue is an example of a program that can take days or weeks to run; do you really want to tie up your new machine with such a task? Your old TS1000, however, will be perfectly content to spend its time crunching away for days on end; when its done, it will spit out something that just might amaze and delight you. Very possibly, it will even get you started on a new hobby within the framework of your computer interest.
Finally, you are already familiar with your old system to a greater or lesser degree. Does it make sense to throw away all the expertise that you so arduously gained, just because someone turns up his nose and says, “You’re still using THAT thing?” He’s only demonstrating his own narrow-mindedness, so don’t even bother arguing. Just be secure in your own knowledge.