Vintage computing - Old Operating System and Software on Top of Ancient and Slow Hardware?

-
Old Operating System and Software on Top of Ancient and Slow Hardware? - Not quite that. When we say vintage we mostly assume it is charming in some special way and then usable also. You was a kid and saw your dad or grandpa  using it. Or we wanted this particular thing in the past but couldn't afford it and now you find it on Ebay and think again.

The world of Vintage Computing emerged almost unnoticed . May be because PCs and Laptops and their influence on us and connection with us had to go through some evolution. But here we are. People are buying Vintage Laptops. My friend told me his story. One day last year he saw IBM ThinkPad 600 on Ebay. It was in good cosmetic condition, but was listed "for parts or  not working" due to not booting, giving errors. This classic IBM laptop was expensive business grade engineering masterpiece 20 years ago. Build as a tank, with gorgeous and best among laptops keyboard. With hinges sturdy no matter how long you was using it.


My friend used to work as IT engineer in one organization 20 years ago and had experience with both IBM laptops and Microsoft MSDOS and Windows 95/98 family of OSes - most common software running on those old laptops. He decided to give it a try. He bought the laptop for $30 and spent another $3 for replacing dead CMOS battery in that laptop. Magically laptop booted to Windows XP Desktop. Laptop had Pentium II CPU running at 300MHZ and had 128MB of RAM memory installed. This was obviously not enough for Windows XP and he decided to go back to Windows 98 - which is what this laptop was designed for and built, and luckily he had one Windows 98 installation CD left from the past. Windows 98se - the last and best OS fully compatible with DOS mode .

In fact it is built and installed on top of MSDOS. And ThinkPad 600 laptop with Pentium II running windows 98 just fine. You get a nice desktop - no any difference from what you get in windows XP, Vista or 7 - they are all same in their structure and organization - Control Panel, Start menu etc. Though there is a bonus when you have Windows 98 desktop in front of you - you can play old DOS mode games - famous Doom2, Heretic, Quake, DukeNukem3D and thousands more, probably still on CDs in your friend's garage.
 

Long story shot, after feeding his nostalgia, playing and tuning Laptop and Windows 98, he decided to sell it. He spent quite some time restoring past glory of this vintage, so he raised the price and it was sold for $200. Since then he restored and sold more that 20 of different Thinkpads.

Who is buying these vintage laptops? I would divide them into 3 categories. First are people who actually will be using these laptops in their work or business. There are still many specific applications developed for some company or organization and they require MSDOS mode, also some places still use equipment with Serial (RS232) and Parallel ports, which are no longer supported by modern PCs and laptops. Second category are those who just want to feed their nostalgia , play old DOS games. And Third category are passion people collecting old laptops, whole lines manufactured by IBM, COMPAQ, etc.

So vintage computing is passion, nostalgia and still functional niche.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Facebook has much to cheer about. As has become increasingly clear, the public no longer seems to care about their digital privacy or security

-
Image
T his week was both fantastic and terrible for Facebook. Its latest earnings report shows the company has become an unstoppable force whose user growth and profits are immune to its never-ending parade of privacy and security breaches. Even the FCC appears willing to back down from its confrontation with the company and slap it with a fine that amounts to just a tiny fraction of its quarterly profit, making even legal violations nothing more than the cost of doing business. At the same time, Facebook confronts newly emboldened regulators around the world all clamoring for their own chance to bring the world’s most powerful gatekeeper to heel. The only problem is that Facebook may already be unstoppable. Facebook has much to cheer about. As has become increasingly clear, the public no longer seems to care about their digital privacy or security. Despite breach after breach after breach after breach, users aren’t leaving and aren’t demanding any changes to the company’s business
Read more

FreshBooks is One of the Best Cloud Software Solutions in Finance & Accounting for Small Business Owners

-
Image
FreshBooks is the current holder of FinancesOnline’s Best Accounting Software Award for 2018 and has the highest customer satisfaction rates of all similar apps in this category. As you will find out in this review, there is a long list of reasons why our experts considered FreshBooks for these prestigious acknowledgments. Freshbooks is popular among businesses for streamlining client invoicing and time tracking processes. Built with small and growing businesses in mind, the software packs a robust set of features that are offered in flexible, SMB-friendly pricing plans. In fact, freelancers who want to optimize their sales cycle and collection can easily deploy the software. This gives them the ability to customize the branding of their financial documents by modifying its design, colors, and logo to be more professional. FreshBooks is a reliable and fast accounting suite that turns otherwise complex financial management into an enjoyable experience. Creating professional-lookin
Read more

Facebook Sues New Zealand Firm For Selling Fake Likes On Instagram

-
Image
F acebook has filed a lawsuit in the US against a New Zealand-based company and three individuals that it says have been selling 'fake likes' on Instagram. Through websites such as SocialEnvy.co, IGFamous.net and Likesocial.co, says Facebook, Social Media Series Limited and its directors made more than $9.4 million by selling fake engagement to Instagram users. The three directors of the company have been named locally as Arend Alexander Hubert Nollen, Leon Francis Hedges and David James Pekka Pasanen. Facebook says it sent cease-and-desist letters to two of the company's directors in July and December last year. "We previously suspended accounts associated with the defendants and formally warned them in writing that they were in violation of our Terms of Use, however their activity persisted," says Jessica Romero, Facebook's director of platform enforcement and litigation. Read more at Forbes
Read more