Re: What GSE-Reactive Really Needs to Make

[heuser.marcus@freenet.de]

Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>
> Nonsense.  The situation you describe is a simple result of the
> passage of time.  Very few young people see a compelling reason
> to devote time and money to a thirty year old platform, as one
> could reasonably expect.

When people ask me (37 years) what I do with my time and I tell them
truthfully I get looks like "Should we get him in mental custody right
now or should we wait until it's too late?"

So I guess with younger people its even worse.

Its kinda ironic that we now have the cheap systems via ebay, the
"universal" worldwide communication platform, cheap access to knowledge
(programming manuals and stuff) and a lot of experience (which could be
taught) - and it boils down to a community of only several hundred(?)
people.


> New products of interest to the enthusiast community are always
> welcome and generally supported by the community.  They are seldom
> the reason that someone *joins* the community.  (Though the CFFA
> and CiderPress certainly make life easier for Apple II's to live
> in the modern world.  ;-)

Ack.

> If you really want to increase the size and vigor of the Apple II
> community, generate publicity for it.  "Market" it to the younger
> generations as cool, interesting, inexpensive, and fun!  (Which it
> already is, without any new development.)

I think "inexpensive" as a buzzword for the youth isn't really working
(anymore).

> The C=64 "joystick" model requires some serious (soldering) hacking
> to attach a keyboard and disk(s).  It was intended to sell for $30,
> but was bombed out at $10-$15 when it failed miserably in the market
> as a nostalgic game machine.

There is also no Atari-8-bit "joystick", no Tandy or whatever...

> Don't confuse Geri's good technical work with market success, or
> with changing the C=64 (or any other) world.  ;-(

Exactly.

bye
Marcus