Using older tech

[Badgermein]

I have a Playstation 2, so I don't really need that.
What I was confused at is how the most popular console in history is somehow hard to find today.

In my opinion, you just don't find Playstation 2s in the wild as often as you used too. Now what's taken that spot is the Xbox 360. At least, in my experience recently. I remember this independent video game store years back, pretty much the last one in my city, they had a HUGE stack of 360s up to the ceiling. I remember when you could walk into any store and find Playstation 2 games really easily. You still can find PS2 games in the wild, but now the selection is pretty limited to one of those off-road ATV games or Cabella's virtual hunting or whatever. You probably have more luck finding the consoles themselves than finding a decent PS2 game at a thrift store. Better break out the air duster though when you do find it.   

[SilkSkull]

So I've been debating replying to this thread because I'm still unsure of my opinions. I love using old tech for the nostalgia but when I'm using older hardware or software I find a lot of compatibility issues and slowdowns that have been all but erased. At the same time I have a deep love for old hardware because of the reliability and looks, I adore old firmware like windows 98, vista and 7. I also love old software because of how universal things were, I can't name something VLC couldn't do. I've reached a comprimise by using new hardware for my work, coding, gaming etc. I use virtual machines for old windows when I want to browse, play old games or do simple tasks. I use old hardware when it comes to console gaming all the time, I could never give up my N64 or Xbox 360. I still find a lot of issues with this current setup but as I work out all the issues it keeps becoming better every day!

[Cobra!]

I use virtual machines for old windows when I want to browse, play old games or do simple tasks. I use old hardware when it comes to console gaming all the time, I could never give up my N64 or Xbox 360. I still find a lot of issues with this current setup but as I work out all the issues it keeps becoming better every day!

If you ever get an old laptop that runs Windows 95 or 98, and start playing older software with that, that feels like playing an old console instead of emulating.

For me it’s hard to go back to VMs and emulators. It just feels “right” to use an actual computer from the era to play those games.

[creaturefeature]

I have a Playstation 2, so I don't really need that.
What I was confused at is how the most popular console in history is somehow hard to find today.

that mostly depends on where you live, I guess (specially when it comes to shipping), maybe It might be cheaper than I thought I dunno.

But at the same time I just find it much easier to just use an emulator anyway. But not all games are easily available through buying, no thanks to scalpers who have over priced or games that just were rarer due to not selling that many copies

[Tiffany]

I still use my old canon camera, my DS lite, etc I will use things until they can't be used anymore. Like I had a 11/12ish year old canon scanner and I recently replaces it bc I couldn't use it anymore since I couldn't find a replacement cord and I looked everywhere. I'm the same way with everything tbh, because I am cheap.

[JackFrost]

Later today i’m gonna turn my old android into a cool media player thingy! Put shows and music on an sd card. I might put linux on my old laptop i don’t use with only a 32 gb ssd. What’s a good android launcher to use? I want that old school look.

[lime360]

i used an old cell phone which is broken for a dumb reason

i also own an original nokia 3310, but the problem is that the sim card doesn't work correctly and i haven't found a charger for it.

[PurpleHello98]

As I write this, I'm listening to music on an iPod nano that was introduced almost 14 years ago, and if I ever go back to Windows, I'm immediately going to theme it to look like XP or 7 (maybe Vista); I guess you can see from this that I really love old tech! LOL. I think everything looked so much nicer back then, and was made with a good experience for the user in mind; in short, it was just a way better time. Also, flip phones!!!! But I won't talk about those right now; I could go on for hours, LOL! But it does seem so weird that Windows 7, which I grew up using on my mother's PC even until 2018, is "old tech" now, when it looks more modern and beautiful than Windows 10 or especially Windows 11 could ever aspire to, and then Windows 11 could ever be. But alas, I suppose time must pass, and we must trudge along and do our best to be contented with it.

[Cobra!]

I wanted to redo my website using my iBook G3 running MacOS9.2.2 and only tools available on that. Problem is, the hard drive started to fail shortly after I got everything installed... I managed to fix it and reinstall MacOS 9.2, and so far, it's been working fine, but I'm on the lookout for a replacement, preferably as close to the original thing as possible.

It's reminded me that things like that don't last forever. I love the sounds and the feel of more mechanical stuff like tapes, discs and hard drives, but something is bound to go wrong with them eventually, and while most parts are stock and can be replaced easily, there are some components that so far don't have replacements, like a laser for a CD player, or even a game console.

It's a pretty depressing thought, and definitely a drawback to using older tech, since these things have all got years if not decades or use before you get it.

[Gans]

definitely a drawback to using older tech, since these things have all got years if not decades or use before you get it.

@Cobra:
That could be seen from another perspective too. If a machine survived expectionally long, let's say 20 years, what hinders it to run even further? I know stories of people still running their back-in-the-day low-end 386 computer. My first 98 machine, also the cheapest possible at the time, is still functional with the original 16 GB hard disk.

I make my backups on old hard drives, that have proven to be running for 15 years or so.

When I go for bicycle hubs, I prefer the 3-speed-boxes of the early 90s, instead of the much more dynamic 5- or 7-speed. The old stuff exceeds them in reliability, so age is rather an advantage that showed, that it's a proven technology. Solid but slow.

Eventually, things will go wrong with them, that's sure. But will it outlast my need for it? Then it was a good invenstment I'd say.

Also, Adobe Pagemill was praised to be a good program to make a big, structured website. Maybe you can get it as Abandonware for you old Macbook.

[tenkai_no_perusona]

My lifelong proneness to nostalgia, alongside my involvement with the Web Revival and the digital gardening movement, had a different yet similar effect on me. I've been enjoying testing and using reimplementations/remakes of older tech/workflows. Some of it became commonplace in my routine, such as NsCDE being my DE, and my maintenance of a digital Zettelkasten after failing to keep an analog one.

[shevek]

An interesting article I found on the Low Tech Magazine about getting more value from older laptops. Thought it was fitting here for what Gans says.

The author, Kris, is an independent journalist and switched from buying expensive laptops that lasted roughly 5.7 years each to a 2006 second hand machine that cost 50 euros. Together with a new battery and a hardware upgrade, in the end they paid 150 euro total, and are happier with the material quality of the older tech. They calculate that if the laptop lasts as long as the other machines, or even just 1.7 years, it will have cost significantly less per year than their previous laptops; 10 times less, to be precise.
There are a few more infos in there about the financial and environmental costs of laptops produced, and a detailed history of each laptop the author has used.
Interestingly, one of the laptops Kris had was an Apple iBook as well.
The article concludes with a few tips on how to make an older laptop run efficiently and the advice to buy spare laptops.

[Cobra!]

@Cobra:
That could be seen from another perspective too. If a machine survived expectionally long, let's say 20 years, what hinders it to run even further? I know stories of people still running their back-in-the-day low-end 386 computer. My first 98 machine, also the cheapest possible at the time, is still functional with the original 16 GB hard disk.

I make my backups on old hard drives, that have proven to be running for 15 years or so.

When I go for bicycle hubs, I prefer the 3-speed-boxes of the early 90s, instead of the much more dynamic 5- or 7-speed. The old stuff exceeds them in reliability, so age is rather an advantage that showed, that it's a proven technology. Solid but slow.

Eventually, things will go wrong with them, that's sure. But will it outlast my need for it? Then it was a good invenstment I'd say.

Oh yeah, I think most parts of a machine can, at least in theory, be replaced and be made to run indefinitely. We do the same with houses, so why not technology?

I really do appreciate hobbyists making proprietary parts for old machines to keep them moving. Wish they would try and find a way to make new VCR heads and Laserdisc lasers, though.

I think I said somewhere here before that if I had the money and/or knowledge necessary, I would absolutely look into this!

Also, Adobe Pagemill was praised to be a good program to make a big, structured website. Maybe you can get it as Abandonware for you old Macbook.

Thanks for the heads up, will look into it!

[zanarkand]

the only old tech i use regularly would be old gaming consoles like my ps2 and nintendo DS lite. i do have a couple 35mm cameras i was getting into using but i haven't been able to afford to send the film off for development so those are kinda just sitting around. i have daydreams about switching to a flip phone and mp3 life but i don't think i could survive without access to google maps... but it is very appealing!!

[Alexandriarch]

the only old tech i use regularly would be old gaming consoles like my ps2 and nintendo DS lite. i do have a couple 35mm cameras i was getting into using but i haven't been able to afford to send the film off for development so those are kinda just sitting around. i have daydreams about switching to a flip phone and mp3 life but i don't think i could survive without access to google maps... but it is very appealing!!

Dear zanarkand,
  There are possible alternatives to gwiggle maps like the Garmin GPS III
My grandfather had one just like this that helped us through many long roadtrips.  There are many standalone GPS devices up through modern times.  I guess it is worth checking to make sure their satellites haven't fallen out of orbit by now or something 

There is talk here about Windows 7.  I used it up until last week, actually.  Now that Steam & many other programs are no longer compatible, I had to finally change everything over.  It was surprisingly painless, & I didn't even need to fiddle with drivers after installing an old graphics card from a garage sale. Still working on customizing the interface, but I was able to transfer my XP cursors over, no prob.

The computer is connected to a couple of CRT televisions for emulating games or watching shows.  I found one VGA to composite adapter at a thrift shop & another online.  It's a fun way to get some life out of a screen with no HDMI input, & it looks nicer than any of the funny filters on emulators.

Oh, right  -- so, using older tech:  Once, a high-school teacher said no one could use laptops to take notes in class, because they thought students would just goof around on the computer.  I asked if we could use typewriters.  He jokingly replied, "Sure!" So, the next day I lugged in my electric typewriter from the 1970's & hooked it up to an outlet in the back of the room.  Whirring motors filled the class with the percussive cacophony of a lawnmower engine, but you couldn't hear that over the "BATATATATATATAATTAATATATATAT ---   *PING*!!"  of the electric-assist keys & carriage return.  The teacher put up with it for a bit, but everyone kept cracking up & couldn't work on anything, so I had to put it away.  That was a fun typewriter.  I still have entries in my diaries from that era written on it.  Half the entries are usually about how much fun it is to use a typewriter.    Now, I use a mechanical keyboard that has almost the same feeling without deafening everyone nearby!  Life can be good.