Re: WHO???

[CUTblakeney@home.com (Jeff Blakeney)]

On 21 Aug 1999 15:24:01 GMT, wbdesnoy@acs2.acs.ucalgary.ca (Byron
Desnoyers Winmill) wrote:

>You will recall that the longevity of the copyright is intended to serve the
>interests of the author, while setting limits to ensure that material of
>significant social value is allowed to survive.  But I would also argue that
>those same laws define an unreasonable period to preserve works of significant
>social value.

This is the point where I always say, if you don't like the law, try
to get it changed.  If it isn't changed then it is still the law and
we must obey it.  :)

>That means that the value of this material would be lost to all but historians.
>And how material historians will lament when they discover that we were so
>eager to shamefully destroyed all links to our past.

I'm all for archiving the software and I'd love to see a way for
people to restore their dead originals.  I don't know what the legal
implications of this are and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to
do either of these tasks.  It would take a lot of work.

When I say archive, I don't mean an FTP site which turns around and
illegally distributes the software it is supposedly archiving.  That,
I know for a fact, is illegal.

>Going back to my earlier comments,  you will find that I said the only places
>that I could find affordable second hand components was through individual
>dealings, thrift stores, and that software consignment store which is not so
>far away.

Ah, but now you've thrown a wrench into the works here.  Affordable is
a very subjective term.  To many, spending $200 US for an accelerator
card for a 10-12 year old computer is just foolish but to others it is
a good deal.  All I was saying was that the stuff is available if you
really want it.  I didn't mention price because it can vary so much
and everyone will have their own view on whether that price is good or
not.  You have to be the final judge of what you are willing to pay.

>Now it may be said that I am frugal with my software, but I take
>a deal when I find one.  To me, $30 US for AppleWorks with
>documentation is not one of those deals when I can pick up a copy
>of ClarisWorks (still in the shrink wrap) for the Macintosh for
>$20 CAN.  You are familiar with the state of the Candian dollar
>and can confirm that that is half the price.  Come to think of
>it, I paid less for a fully equiped compact Macintosh and
>ClarisWorks than I did for my adequate IIgs.

That's because Macs and Mac software aren't worth as much as Apple IIs
and Apple II software.  :)

Seriously, there are a lot more used Macs and used Mac software on the
market right now than Apple II stuff so it just makes sense that the
Mac stuff will be cheaper.  Older PC stuff can be had for a song now
too.

>But don't get me wrong: while my IIgs makes a poor IIgs, or classic Macintosh,
>it makes a fantastic IIe.  This is because IIgs has a crisp display (have RGB
>monitor), can fit all of my useful software (Sneeze, ShrinkIt, Kermit, FrEd
>Writer, Apple's ProDOS utilities, etc.) on a single 3.5" diskette, loads stuff
>faster (re: 3.5" floppy), had tonnes of memory (if only it could be used for
>something other than RAM drives), and is easier to attach to my modem (re:
>modem cables can be swapped with my Macintosh).

But the IIgs is so much more than a IIe!  If it wasn't I probably
would have switched to PCs full time.  :)

I can understand what you're saying, though.  I upgraded my IIe to a
IIgs and used it as a fast IIe for a least a year before I got the
extra hardware I needed to actually use it as a IIgs.

>Same country, just the other end.  I can say the same about Apple computers
>out west though: everybody seemed to have Commodores.  My exposure to Apple
>machines were through school.

In high school I used TRS-80 and Commodore computers.  I heard the
name Apple once between grade 9 and 10.  When I moved to Germany and
started grade 11, the computer store there got in Apple IIe systems
and I got my parents to buy me one after I played with it in the store
and read a couple Apple II magazines.  :)

>When buying things online:
>
>Outragous prices seem to be par for the course.  $15 US + shipping quite
>easily makes a DSDD floppy drive for Apples and Macintoshes twice the price
>for new high density drives on a PC.  I finally found a drive for $15 CAN
>though.  The shipping was quite reasonable too, since it was coming from
>300km north of here.  And I still think that that is steep.

Never underestimate the power of haggling.  :)

Again, there are a lot more high density drives available for the Macs
and PCs then there are double density drives available for the Apple
II so it stands to reason that they will cost a little more.  If you
can find stuff locally, you will definitely be better off.

>The local buy/sell papers are not much help either.  Ads can stay in there
>for months and only get one or two responses.  Usually these deals fall
>through because of price or location or, in the case of the last guy, he
>was trying to deal with a new baby in the family.  Though I have managed
>to get a super serial card that way.  <grin>

We have a buy and sell "magazine" here that allows individuals to
place free ads.  I've seen Apple II stuff in there from time to time.
If I ever feel I have the room, I'll post a want ad in there sometime
too.

>But I will gladly take one
>of those Apple 1Mb memory cards off somebody's hands.  You can even keep
>the memory chips, since I can populate the board myself.

If no one else gets hold of you about a memory card, get back to me.
I still have to check my pile of stuff to see if I have a memory card
to send to a guy in Montreal.  If I have more than one, I could
probably send you one too.  I know I have at least one Apple 1 MB card
with 256k installed on it but I'm not sure what else I have.

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