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Technological obsolescence



Ah, the never ending problems of ancient computers.  The best example I have
found was a historical society in Maryland, I volunteered at, where they
still kept all of their databases on a 'portable' Samsung computer (circa
1988), which read double density 3.5" disks and ran Word Star 5.0.  This was
in the mid-90s, and when that finally went caput, they stormed the local
pawn shops and found something comparable, that would serve long enough to
download the files and print them off.  I believe they spent $3,000 on the
original Samsung, and about $50 for the 'replacement' and a printer that it
could relate to.  After all, how many 20 year old computers can interact
with a new HP printer with only a USB port?

In the end, printing these documents out in the first place would've cost a
lot less.


C. Harrison S. Wick, M.L.S., M.A.
Archivist, Head of Public & Technical Services
Black Film Center & Archives
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

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