FPGA VAX update, now DIY TTL computers

[Jules Richardson]

Chuck Guzis wrote:
> The rule of thumb for the computer industry has been "better faster
> cheaper".  I paid almost $3000 for a bare-bones 5150 with 64K, one disk
> drive (single-sided) and a monochrome display adapter.   What will that
> $3000 buy now (adjusted for inflation)? 

A sh*t PC, but some support arrangement to keep replacing bits as they 
break? :-)

> But sometimes old is better.  I play a tuba made in 1915 and own several
> that are over the century mark.  These are exceptional instruments that
> modern manufacturers have tried to reproduce with only fair success.  And
> there are terrible old tubas that deserve nothing more than to be
> disassembled and used for parts.

I'm like that with cars - I hate modern vehicles, not only from a design 
point of view but because of the investment car manufacturers have made 
in technology. OK, so the technology works - until the point that it 
doesn't, when failures tend to be rapid, catastrophic and costly. I'd 
rather have simple technology that might make a vehicle more tiring to 
drive, but where I at least know what it's doing at any moment in time 
and I can fix it at the roadside using materials to hand if needs be.

I'm much the same with computers - I'd rather it be simple but 
well-engineered such that I can understand the processes involved and 
dive in to fix stuff myself if it does go wrong. Hardware hasn't been 
like that for what, 20 years? Software does fair a little better though 
so long as you stick clear of anything by you-know-who...

 > Some of the more innovative Apple and Sun hardware represents some
> brilliant minds at work.  But the PC?

Indeed. Proof that you can make the public buy junk if you have a big 
enough name. Heck, look at Windows - it's crud, but it's not even 
*cheap* crud. Proof that it's not a case of "must produce junk in order 
to keep the cost low". Have a big enough name and you can peddle 
anything to the masses at any price and they'll still lap it up.

cheers

Jules