I am catching up with this thread kind of late (I subscribe to a dozen LEM lists, and they tend to pile up).
My first Mac was a donated Plus in the fall of 1997, and if it were not for that first hand experience, I would probably not even consider using Macs exclusively or collecting them by the dozens and giving them away. You're right about the economics. Unless you have lots of money and spare time or can find yourself an organization to give you a grant to do this, you can lose plenty of money at this. It's an unfortunate fact of the world today: if something is "not profitable", it's not worth doing. Too bad you can't easily measure the economic or social payoff in empowering hundreds of people (with a Mac, of course). In the long run, society will be better off: Apple will have new customers whose first Mac was a donated 7200; employers may have a larger pool of skilled applicants who have a computer at home, so they can at least fill out an online job application; hundreds of poor people will be better informed as citizens and voters because of their access to the internet; lots of people will learn that Microsoft did not invent the personal computer, or the internet, and that there is a choice. In the long run, society benefits. In the short run, it's unprofitable. Go figure. I'm doing the best I can (like Raino, and others) to fix up these discarded Macs and distribute them. It's not easy, but it is oh_so_satisfying.... Bill Goosby R.A. Cantrell wrote: >The costs of acquisition, >labor storage and transportation pretty well wring the profit out of the >deal. Any money he can get from "retail" buyers like me is a bonus, but is >actually just another round of selling his time cheap. Then I get a chance >to sell my time cheap. If I paid myself minimum wage and actual expenses, I >couldn't sell the stuff I sell at the prices I sell it at. A word to the >wise among aficionados and collectors though, they ain't making any more >of this stuff, and when it's gone, it's gone. If there's a machine you >"love," get a spare everything. There's no economics in warehousing junk >unless you mark it way, way up. Ask the boys at Shreve Systems if you don't >believe me. "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; and small minds discuss people." - Jackson W. Nanje -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
