[Coco] A bit more of CoCo history dies...

[Bill Cousert]

Just about all electronics these days are disposable. It's cheaper to buy a new one than fix the old.

I bought a Vivitar digital camera a few years ago for $100. I cracked the LCD display and called to see how much it cost to fix. They said $150 plus labor. I tossed it in the trash.

But I don't think the situation is as bad as it looks. 30 years ago, a TRS-80 model I with dual drives, expansion interface and 48k RAM cost nearly $5,000 (probably more than $10,000 in 2009 dollars). Today I can get a really nice notebook computer for less than $400. I think the savings more than make up for it.






________________________________
From: Stephen H. Fischer <SFischer1 at Mindspring.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2009 11:18:58 AM
Subject: Re: [Coco] A bit more of CoCo history dies...

Hi,
Here in Silicon Valley, it is no better.

> From a high of over two dozen electronic surplus stores, the number has 
shrunk to three and I expect the number to go to zero soon.

Five years ago I made one of my last trips to the surplus store that was perhaps the first one here, and has moved five times.
There was a sign outside I read from the expressway that another move was going to happen about a year ago. It did not move.
I noted that all of the IC boxes were upside down indicating no stock.

I have in my electronics room more parts that can be used by experimenters than I saw in the store perhaps.

Some continue online, Jameco has become the number one place to get parts like I could get by walking into just about any one of the two dozen years ago. Web orders only now, but I am able to drive toward San Francisco to pick up the order. The last time I paid more for the shipping than the part ordered.
---------------------------- Why did the parts disappear?

Simple, the companies that were selling the excess parts to the surplus stores are no longer using them.
And the companies that bought them no longer have any need to buy them.

SHF

----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Swygert" <farna at att.net>
To: <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 5:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Coco] A bit more of CoCo history dies...


>  just keep the small pieces and parts you can't get anywhere else in most towns. > -- Frank Swygert


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