Article 3323 of comp.sys.apple2.programmer: Path: winternet.com!io.org!vanbc.wimsey.com!news.cyberstore.ca!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!news.rain.org!avsystem From: avsystem@rain.org (Adrian Vance) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2.programmer Subject: USA TODAY STORY EXCERPT Date: 2 Jul 1995 23:07:34 GMT Organization: RAIN Public Access Internet (805) 967-RAIN Lines: 112 Message-ID: <3t78rm$7h2@news.rain.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: avsystem@coyote.rain.org X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] This is an extract from the 'USA Today' June 27, 1995 arti- cle on page 4D - HOME TECH "Loyal users cling to comfortable old computers" by Leslie Miller The extracts and content that follow, only pertain to infor- mation text, regarding the Apple II computers. Relating, distribution via electronic media and posting of this Apple II extracted text was granted to me, by the authority of USA Today publication. I've put this together for review by those who are visually impaired and/or those that can't get the USA Today article to read, for one reason or the other. So, please distribute it far and wide. Post or include it where ever you feel it will be useful. Charles T. (Dr. Tom) Turley, Ph.D. Executive Coordinator -1WSW 115 Santa Clara St. Brisbane, CA. 94005 v(415) 468-1609 email: gbmaidsf@wco.com 'Apple IIs... developed in the late 1970s and early '80s are dinosaurs in a world where technology moves so fast that today's top-of-the-line machine may seem barely adequate in a matter of months. Computer makers, of course, would love to see people go out and drop thousands of dollars on new models. But stalwart loyalist...want to show the world that their old machines, often bought used for less than $100, still haves lots of life left in them. Several million people are estimated to still be using these "orphan" computers, so-called because they're no longer made or supported by their manufacturers. ...The best thing these people can do is get a modem. Once they get a modem, they will find there is a lot of support available (on-line) and, more importantly, find out they are not alone. Many users have souped up setups with add-on hard drives, printers, even CD-ROMs and scanners. You can go right up to the big boys... from playing games to writing your novel to surfing the Internet. Some may wonder why anyone would want a clunky old dinosaur when new computers are more powerful and often easier to use. One reason is money. Some orphan computer owners stay because they don't want to keep spending $2000 every couple of years. Others know them from the inside out and can do For some, taking in orphans is almost a matter of principle. It's sort of like rooting for the underdog. PCs and Macs have plenty of advocates, or at least buyers, so they don't need us. Even if it wasn't the most popular thing, it seemed like everyone else had Apples... For technical types, the antiques hold other attractions. Orphans' programmer parents love to wax poetic about the concise, elegant code written for the old machines, although its beauty was probably lost on most laymen'... "And while do-it-yourselfers may adore tinkering with the hardware, the single reason for keeping an old computer has nothing to do with the computer itself, but the software" says Adrian Vance, "if you are used to, happy with and hooked on a particular program, why change?" Vance runs AV Systems Inc., a Santa Barbara, Calif. producer of Apple II software, primarily for schools. He estimates 1.4 million Apple IIs are in school use, but there's also a loyal fol- lowing in the home market. "We get daily phone calls from people with trembling voices seeking software", he says. 'Although software continues to be developed for orphans...anybody who's still doing it is in it for the love of the machine, not for money... There's sort of a charm in using something that came out before PCs were invented. They're a lot cheaper, too. You can buy all the software you need and pay less than one title on a PC. Orphans aren't for everybody - they're not exactly plug-and- play... there users are fiercely loyal... Until those people all go away, old computers are going to stick around.' Resources for vintage models > Apple IIs. To find a user group near you, call the Apple User Group Connection (800-538-9696) or call Quality Comput- ers (800-777-3642), which publishes a newsletter and keeps a list of local groups. Many links to Apple resources and FAQs are on Nathan Mates' home page on the World Wide Web at: (http://www.ugcs.cal- tech.edu/~nathan/apl2.resourc.html); Sequential Systems of Lafayette, Colo., which has supported and serviced Apple IIs for 10 years, also has a home page at (http://www.hyper- mall.com/sequential/). Where to find good homes for those orphan machines > Sell it on-line Many Usenet news groups on the Internet are devoted to various kinds of computer, such as Apple IIs (comp.sys.apple2)... -END OF FILE-