[Coco] torn on getting a coco...

[Boisy Pitre]

It seems to me you're asking questions that you already know the  
answer to.

On Dec 13, 2008, at 5:46 PM, Michael Robinson wrote:
> I am looking into ordering a grade A COCO 3 and I may want the memory
> upgrade.
>
> So the memory at $40 and a coco 3 at $50 plus shipping, what would  
> that
> be total?

The total would be $90.  I'm not sure what point you're trying to make  
by asking such a basic question.

> It's not the $2k that my coco cost without a 512k upgrade, but it
> is still a lot.  Plus, this is without a joystick, something
> cloud9 doesn't sell.  Couldn't I get my nephew a Pentium 4 and
> install Linux to it for this kind of money?  All he has is a
> tape drive and my mult pak interface that works with his coco
> 2.  It is legal to reverse engineer unsupported hardware, why
> doesn't cloud 9 do that?  I don't like the part about buying
> a used computer, but I can see why that is.  Radio shack doesn't
> make coco's anymore sadly enough.
>
> It started out as maybe $50 for a coco and that possibly being okay...
> Well, I figured it should get a memory upgrade.
>
> Here are the downsides I see to getting my nephew a Coco 3:
> 1) No C programming.
> 2) He doesn't seem to have any Coco 3 games let alone 512k coco3  
> games.
> 3) No joystick and no way to get one.
> 4) I have Diecom Product's Gantlet II, but it doesn't work with
>   drivewire and it definitely won't run off a tape drive.
> 5) I could see about an SVD disk drive, but they are limited and
>   they cost $110.  This virtual disk drive may not support Gauntlet  
> II.
> 6) I don't have any functional disk drives.

Surely you realize that a Linux system would represent a better value  
for your money given your list of requirements.  I'm not sure what the  
point of this post is.  Is it to point out how expensive a hobby like  
the CoCo can be vis-a-vis modern commodity computing?  That's a no- 
brainer that I think everyone here appreciates and understands.  Is it  
to criticize Cloud-9's pricing policy?  Others have made it abundantly  
clear why prices are the way they are.

Again, it seems like you're asking questions that you should already  
know the answer to.

At this stage in the game, we all know that the CoCo is a hobby that  
harkens us back to another time when computing was much more simple  
and fun.  And a hobby is just that: a hobby.  People spend inordinate  
amounts of money on their hobbies, be it hunting, fishing, sailing,  
flying, etc.  The CoCo is no different.

If you really are torn between a CoCo and a Linux system, then I think  
you may be missing the point of why Cloud-9 is in business and what  
expectations of the vast majority of our customers hold.

Regards,
Boisy G. Pitre
--
Tee-Boy
Mobile: 337.781.3570
Email: boisy at tee-boy.com
Web: http://www.tee-boy.com