[Coco] KIDS REACT TO OLD COMPUTERS

[Andrew]

I enjoyed that video, but here's something that wasn't mentioned in it, 
and that I doubt those kids (and many of today's adults) realise:

There we have in the video, a computer that is arguably around 35 years 
old. That computer was working just as it was designed; the floppy still 
booted into a game. The computer still...computed. One could still 
easily use it (provided one knew how or had a manual) just the same as 
when it was first made.

Now, granted, likely someone somewhere might have done some 
"refurbishment" - but then again, maybe not. I know, for instance, that 
my Color Computer system from when I was a kid still works OK, and I 
haven't done much other than replace a floppy drive and blow some dust 
out...

The question that wasn't raised, though, was whether those kids think 
that the phone they were shown - a phone with '185 times' the power of 
that older machine - will still boot up and work perfectly 35 years from 
today?

I tend to doubt it, personally. For one, the battery - likely a LiPo - 
won't last that long, likely - you might not even be able to get it 
replaced, because of some custom manufactured size or format that will 
probably not last the span of 35 years (unlike "standard"-sized battery 
cells which have lasted close to 100 years).

But let's say it does (or we can power it from a wall charger). Will the 
phone power up, then? Maybe - maybe not; perhaps by then, tin whiskers 
from lead-free solder (thank to the EU and RoHS) may render it useless.

Maybe we get lucky, though, and that's not a problem; so - did the 
touch-screen survive? Those tend to go bad just from general use - but 
again, let's suppose it still works ok.

Let's hope there isn't some kind of password or something else on the 
device preventing our access.

Can we use the device? Maybe? Some apps might work, some might not. Some 
might require a network (wifi or cell-based) that doesn't exist any 
longer. Or maybe the manufacturer no longer exists, and it can't get 
updates or other information to "approve" it's ability to boot up. Or 
maybe it was reported lost or stolen, and the IMEI number reported? Or 
maybe the software just doesn't work any longer because it tries to 
contact a server before allowing access - and those servers no longer 
exist or can't be reached...

But that old Apple? There's a good chance that you'll be able to plug it 
in, turn it on, and boot that floppy for a game again, or at least be 
able to program in BASIC or something like that. The hardware will 
likely still be chugging along in another 35 years, while today's 
hardware - well, its fairly unknown whether it will last at all.

I tend to wonder if kids will care, though? I'm sure back when I was a 
kid, there were kids with computers who didn't think that their computer 
was special. I loved mine; I still love it. It was a great part of 
making me what I am today as a software developer. It opened a 
completely new world for me, one that I am still exploring.

I don't know if any kids today have this kind of bond with their 
machines like some of us did back then - do they? And if they do, will 
they have to face the prospect that their beloved friends will not work 
when they get older, and perhaps want to fire up another game of Flappy 
Bird or 2048...?

-- 
Andrew L. Ayers
Glendale, Arizona
http://www.phoenixgarage.org/