Well my interest in computers started in my teens. I liked tinkering
with hardware and playing with OSes, but growing up in the 2000's, the
technology landscape had already "stagnated" into PC dominance. I
suppose there's only so much messing with Linux and other FOSS operating
systems you can do before you yearn for something different.
Getting hold of a BBC Micro in my early 20's definitely scratched that
"something different" itch, and i found i quite liked it. 10 years later
and i've got a house full of tinkering projects. The vintage computing
bug bit me well and truly in my early 20's, when i was old enough to at
least know the basics of what i was doing.
It generally helps to be exposed to this stuff at a young age. For me, i
just found modern tech to be quite "mundane", and yearned for something
different, so seeked out vintage systems on my own back. I guess it's
the same for car mechanics who have a classic car they tinker with on
the weekends, or electricians and electrical engineers who mess around
with vintage AV equipment as a side hobby. Some people might have seen
their object of desire in old TV or films, or went to a museum or show
and saw something that intrigues them, and felt it would be worthwhile
persuing the desire to have their own to tinker with. Of course, there
are those that get into it when they're older. I'm pretty sure Adrian
Black didn't get into vintage computing until fairly recently, and he's
got a few more years on him than i do.
Where people who get into a hobby revolving around vintage technology of
whatever caliber they choose, actually get their inspiration from, will
be different for everyone. But the fact that there's 150 year old steam
engines still working today shows that you don't have to have used this
stuff in "anger" to have an interest in preserving it.
Cheers,
Josh Rice
On 19/05/2024 16:46, Tarek Hoteit wrote:
Thank you, Josh. How did your passion start with classical computers? Maybe
this helps in understanding the generation?
Regards,
Tarek Hoteit
