Any IBM Power / AIX fans out there?

[Cameron Kaiser]

> It appears to me that you consider there are 2 options : Risk the 
> hardware by doing it yourself when you don't know what you are doing or 
> get a professional to do it.
> 
> There is, IMHO, a third option, and it's the one I always take. That is 
> to learn to do the job properly yourself by practicing on non-valuable 
> items. Even buyt things with the express intention of taking them apart, 
> knowing you might not get them back together again. I've certainly done that.

How does that change what I would do for *valuable* items? If I know someone
out there is able to repair it better than I, and the machine means something
to me, I think it would be *irresponsible* not to take advantage of that.

Or should I just futz up all my weird items just because I could learn
something by wrecking them? How pragmatic of you.

> > If it was some PoC machine that I knew I could get another of, or was
> > busted and there was nothing to lose, then fine, I'd probably mess with
> > it. But I'm definitely aware of my limitations, and I don't see a learning
> > experience in ruining unusual hardware trying to learn to fix it (in
> > particular when a far better alternative to self-repair is available).
> 
> I disagree that it's 'far better' to get somebody else to do it. To me 
> the best thing is to learn something. That's one reason I play about with 
> classic computers, of course. 

I'll be happy to remind you of this when I ruin some rare item attempting to
'learn something.' Until then, I'm calling in the cavalry.

-- 
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 Cameron Kaiser, Floodgap Systems Ltd * So. Calif., USA * ckaiser at floodgap.com
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