Boot the wife or boot the Apple?

[Keatah]

Girlfriends.. use 'em, booze 'em, and loose 'em. NEXT!

[Omega-TI]

Smart men know that they need to boot up their wifes interactive program, examine her software and exercise her I/O port on a regular basis to satisfy the priority routines in their firmware. Once that is accomplished, the FOR / NEXT logic will allow secondary access to the classic computer without hassle. Then there will be no need to dispose of either model.

[cjameslv]

Smart men know that they need to boot up their wifes interactive program, examine her software and exercise her I/O port on a regular basis to satisfy the priority routines in their firmware. Once that is accomplished, the FOR / NEXT logic will allow secondary access to the classic computer without hassle. Then there will be no need to dispose of either model.

Ha smooth!

[Grimakis]

Just keep the rare stuff, sell off duplicates and documentation that takes up space on eBay.

[Keatah]

I might do just the opposite. So lazy when it comes to this sort of thing. I've been wanting to nix all the Apple /// stuff for years.. I don't know if it would be worth it to sell common items on ebay or not. So much time for little return? And documentation lends a lot to a physical set-up. I'd mostly keep Apple published documentation and 3rd party books. PDF all the way for magazines - simply too many of them!

 

Anyways me and the wife now have a simple agreement that craigslist and estate hauls have to be "staged for inspection and vetting" in the garage. I can understand that. I don't care if critters or disease crawl out, but she does. Now I just need something to haul to test out this new compromise and see if it works.

[Turbo-Torch]

Only 5 years and counting....

 

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?28738-Apple-II-and-III-mega-haul-coming-up-for-sale-soon

 

Why the big change of mind when so many locals wanted to come by in person to pick up items?

[Keatah]

Smart men know that they need to boot up their wifes interactive program, examine her software and exercise her I/O port on a regular basis to satisfy the priority routines in their firmware. Once that is accomplished, the FOR / NEXT logic will allow secondary access to the classic computer without hassle. Then there will be no need to dispose of either model.

 

True enough. I'm also getting her going with ebay. I told her I'd give her half of what I flip something for if she takes care of setting up the auction and packing the stuff. I used to like doing it, but I found it more rewarding to spend time going through the stuff and picking out the odd rare bit of kit (when it happens). I still make a profit. People seemingly pay anything for Apple material. Don't know whether they're fools, or see a potential future deal.

 

Years ago you could pick up a //c for $5.00 at a goodwill type thrift market. Years ago, the 2004'ish time frame, when the mom'n'pop shops were still there to accept used computers, you could get a //e for free. They were glad you were going to take it off their hands.

 

Now both those models go for $100 - $150. II+ units flip for $200, $300, if they're nice. More with accessories.

 

Some dreamer has a bog-standard //e going for $16,000. Absolutely nothing special. That's ridiculous, everybody knows that. A realistic price for everything would be $600 or so. It wouldn't fully surprise me if some rich flunky buys it. If that happens a whole new precedent would be set. In any case Apple II stuff is gaining momentum.

 

What isn't gaining pricewise are floppy disks. A new box of 10 can sometimes be had for less than $12. Now that flash memory options permeated the market no one wants to mess with magnetic media other than for nostalgia. And 1 box of disks will do nicely to fill that need.

[Keatah]

You can always replace material possessions, but you can't replace a loved one. If you love her then learn to compromise and live with having less stuff. But if you don't love her anymore and want out of the relationship then those are feelings that you may have to come to terms with, without using the acquisition of more stuff as an excuse for them.

 

True enough too. I compromised by not bringing dirty stuff into the house. It'll get sorted in the garage from now on. I'm also, like I just said, getting her involved with ebay more. Too tedious for me nowadays. It's a new thing to her so the interest is there.

 

In the end I only have sentimental attachment to my original Apple II stuff. And that all fits in the trunk of a car, maybe a bit more. It's not a lot of stuff. So it's manageable. The other shit I bought from ebay in the 2000's, and more recently from garage sales and estate sales. So I have little interest in it other than what I can flip it for.

 

Over the years, I've had fun watching Apple and Atari stuff steadily increase in value. Not so much with Commodore or TRS-80 stuff. At least around here. The Atari stuff is better built than the equivalent Commodore systems. Seems to have more active development too. The TRS-80 stuff doesn't seem to hold the new generation of classic/retro gamer much. So it's falling by the wayside.

 

To think at one time I was so hard up to get into TRS-80. Glad to have stopped with the Pocket Computers - however cool and unique they may be. Can't speak for the CoCo series.

[Keatah]

As for her ultimatum -- how much of the house/living costs does she cover? If it's most of it, then maybe she has some right to complain. If you're the covering most of the costs, then you have quite a bit of leverage and a right to a reasonable amount of space.

 

The other question is: How much space is she using up with her stuff? If it's a lot, is she being fair when the tables are turned?

 

We'all try for 50/50, but like anything else its gone this way and that way over the years. Space is fairly divided. I didn't measure it out and make a chart or anything.

 

 

Just remember.... The Apple will keep you warm at night. When you have a rough day at work... Your Apple will "tell" you everything will be okay. Your Apple won't care if you go out with your friends. And your Apple will not make you choose. Keep the comp, ditch the wife.

 

But then again, I've been married and divorced twice... So I may not be the best person to give advice on this.

 

In reality though, she should realize that this equipment is important to you. And even try to understand why its important. My girlfriend did that with my BBS and my retro gaming and found that she likes it. If she hasn't already tried to understand. .. She may find that she enjoys it (or at least isn't hostile towards it.)

 

There could always be a deeper issue that is bothering her and the anger about the computer equipment is an outlet for that concern she has.

 

I hope everything works out for both of you.

 

I think it already has. It's been months, and since then I've bought home a couple of 3x3x3 cartons of stuff, sorted it in the garage. And began having her post some of it on ebay. That's her involvement. Apple stuff is great to flip. It's probably a fad.

 

 

 

im the opposite

 

when we first got married there was something retro tech in like every room, today its a apple mac LC2 with an apple IIe card in it (which gives me a 16 bit 68k mac and a apple IIe enhanced with hard disk and VGA monitor support in one box) and a 8086 laptop

 

I have no desire to horde old stuff unless its a diamond in a goat's ass ... and luckily I can't afford many of those

 

now I still buy it, quite a bit and I will get a stash going but its all for the intent to sell... buy, clean, pimp, sell for profit for next passing toy, and it stays in my 1 car garage (which started off from day one that a car will never stay in the garage ... even for work I do that in the driveway unless its freezing outside)

 

That seems to be working. 90% of the stuff I bring home gets sorted and sold, or simply thrown out now. I skim the top 5% and occasionally add something to my collection.

 

Having too much stuff can not only be a physical burden, but a mental burden too - just knowing its around can pull and tug and gnaw. Even irritate and pull one down.

 

Spring is in the air, moving sales are starting soon..!

[Keatah]

2 more estate sale hauls coming next week. Think there could be some classic computing material in there. Might even be some PCs.

 

I discovered if I don't barge into the house with all of it at once and keep the dirty stuff outside everything remains peaceful and there are no dust-ups.

[82-T/A]

So... the original post is over 6 months old now, and I see you mentioning eBay.

 

 

Here's the way I look at things... and just to mention... in your first post you said... "another" room?

 

 

Stuff can be fun, but there's more to life than "stuff." I find that experiences are much better than ownership of something... for the most part. Now, I understand having lots of stuff in your closet or room can be cool. Going in there and playing that, and re-living happy times in your life. But rather than dwelling primarily in the past, make new happy experiences.

 

Don't let your stuff OWN YOU. Would you be embarassed to have someone come into your house right now? If the answer is yes... either you need to clean up, or you have too much stuff.

 

 

Your life is yours to live, but you chose to bring another person into your life (your wife), so you must make some concessions. By virtue of the fact that you said you want "another" room... makes me think that maybe you've got too much stuff. But that's just me talking... what do you think?

[Keatah]

The older one gets the more important experiences become. That's why I'm beginning to believe a lean-mean collection (what I had as a kid) will be the best. Better than a hoard, NIB or otherwise.

Select parts of the house and some garage space is essentially un-usable. So to help me get rid of it I "hired" the brother-in-law to either put stuff on ebay or just dispose of it. I don't really want to deal with the day-to-day tediousness of ebay listings, asshole buyers, or packing and the journeys to the post office. We split the sales. Nor do I have time to test and verify everything. It works best for me to sit in front of a box, check whether I had it "back in the day" or not, and flip the item into one of two piles. Keep or dispose.

 

When I get involved in the ebay process I lollygag too much and nothing gets done. Too lazy, you know? So the hired help seems to be moving it along much better than me.

 

I've only got a couple more commitments for estate sales pickups then I'll be done with that route too. There's a few holy grail bits and pieces I'm after. a couple of disks, a couple of cards, some printed material. Nothing that won't fit in a small box. So we shall see. The amount of clutter is definitely going down. More than half the Apple III stuff is gone. And the goal is by end of July to have it all gone.

 

While he's rolling with that. I'm gathering my original II series stuff. So far I've got about a trunk's worth that's a definite keeper. Then we'll do the rest, in bulk, like we're doing now.

 

Plan is to have it cleared and organized by September.

 

For example, I don't need 4 CP/M cards, but two. 4 Disk II units + parts instead of 16 or more. 1 Integer ROM card will suffice the other 3 can go. 3 Supa'serial cards instead 8 or more. I have very few magazines left, they don't sell well on ebay, so I threw them in recycling and switched to PDF's. There's a few keep-sakers, but no more voluminous collections. No need.

 

Again, I'm interested in the material I had as a kid. Not the shit and junk I got on ebay years after.

 

---

 

I thought of renting storage, again, though the junk seemed to somehow come back into the house. And it does nothing for the mental burden.

 

It's been fun. But it's time to move on.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Keatah

[82-T/A]

I thought of renting storage, again, though the junk seemed to somehow come back into the house. And it does nothing for the mental burden.

 

It's been fun. But it's time to move on.

 

 

Yup... exactly!

[eightbit]

I was collecting "everything" so to speak for a very very long time. I started as you did. I got rid of things I didn't have as a kid (well, most things) and it slimmed it down a bit.

 

Then I took it a step further and got rid of disk media and drives. I know people will want to shoot me for saying it, but they are kind of worthless nowadays...at least to me. Unreliable media that you never know when is going to just stop working and mechanical drives that are prone to developing issues. Back in the day I personally had very few ties to disk based retail software anyway (I pirated a lot...not proud of it...but I did) and I just enjoyed using the machines and playing with the games and software. Nowadays there are so many great ways to do this in much more reliable and space saving ways.....like the CFFA3000. When I got it I ditched all of my drives...and all of my disks. I did the same with other classic computers (Amiga, C64, Vic).

 

The only software I will actually collect for these machines are cart based games if I come across them. Drives and controller cards take up a lot of space. I still have two boxed 1541 drives that won't sell and are taking up a quarter of my bedroom closet space!

[Keatah]

Disk drives are genuinely obsolete for practical use. But the have important nostalgic and sentimental value. They are vital for recreating the vintage experience.

[eightbit]

Disk drives are genuinely obsolete for practical use. But the have important nostalgic and sentimental value. They are vital for recreating the vintage experience.

 

 

I can understand the sentiment. For me however, good riddance. I hated the media back in the day personally. I was an avid coder and I can't tell you how often I cursed the damn things for losing important data for no apparent reason. It wasn't until I received my Lt. Kernel commodore hard drive (a whopping 20MB) that I started feeling a bit safer with my data. Personally I am stoked to finally do away with floppy disks

[Keatah]

I've rather had good luck with Apple Disk II drives. But not the C64/1541 units, those are terrible in speed and reliability.