Lack of knowledge and stupid pricing in shops

[vexorg]

I was looking for some old memory, 72 pin simms with parity.
I passed a shop that had a lot of old laptops and PC in the window and on the shelves.
I asked if they have any older 72 pin simms with parity, and got "do you mean like an SD card?". Tried to explain, he wasn't getting it.

Then noticed he had old computers on the topshelves, BBCs, spectrums, dragin32, msx.
The BBC B had 16k (at £240), I said isn't that the BBC A, he looked and shrugged.
Then pointed out that the spectrum 128k has 1982 beside it, and it was released later - just a blank look.

Gave up and left.
The shop a few doors along is a well known one for PC parts, just asked on the off chance if they have any old simm memory. The guy hadn't heard of it. He puled out some old DIMMs from a drawer, and said no, much older. He said "ah, like DDR2"

Why does anything that now gets this "vintage" tag have silly prices tied to it, and those with it have no real idea what it is.

[lovebug]

I get angry when these things happen

[Boydie]

72pin SD card????
Hate to try to fit that in my pocket!

[tnash]

Where are you that you still have computer shops? The closest we have are places advertising "laptop and phone repair" which are mainly vape shops!

[vexorg]

Glasgow, priceless computing was one of them, it's managed to survive somehow.

[SarahWalker]

For the record, 72 pin SIMMs are around 25-30 years old, even DDR2 is nearly 20 years old. It's not the 90s anymore.

[vexorg]

For the record, 72 pin SIMMs are around 25-30 years old, even DDR2 is nearly 20 years old. It's not the 90s anymore.

???
so I just dont bother adding more memory to a old system now?
Most people here are older, and know how old things are since they were there when it was new.

[1024MAK]

I fear that in the general population, due to the continuous introduction of new technology and new models (not just computers) that are more advanced than previous models, knowledge of older technology (where people actually had any) fades fast.

You also see some people failing to put in any effort to get details and facts correct in listings on trading sites like eBay. With the various models from the various companies form the 1980s being incorrectly described.

My favourite story, which is now over ten years old, is that of an apprentice that had been put with my team. I asked this apprentice to make a test call to test that a conventional “land line” telephone worked correctly. But they did not want to do this. I asked why. It transpired that they had never used a normal telephone before!

Mark

[vexorg]

It makes you feel really old when talking to my kids about school, and they look confused by chalk for the blackboard, and after explaining they ask "is that like our smartboard?"

[tricky]

I think I have for 1MB sticks somewhere, possibly out of an alt386sx or maybe my second pc but the chances of finding them are very low

[julians]

I was looking for some old memory, 72 pin simms with parity.

I've a box of 72 pin simms and some of them will be parity ones (there's definitely SGI Indy simm pulls in there), although they'll all be mixed up and if labelled, probably incorrectly...
I'll see if I can find the box over the weekend.

Julian.

[vexorg]

I got some off ebay, the parity is not common, and cant be EDO, all very specific, plus went for 16Mb as it'll max it out for not much extra.

[SarahWalker]

For the record, 72 pin SIMMs are around 25-30 years old, even DDR2 is nearly 20 years old. It's not the 90s anymore.

???
so I just dont bother adding more memory to a old system now?

Don't go into a shop and be surprised when they don't know what 30 year old SIMMs are?

[vexorg]

When they have BBCs, spectrums, dragon 32s, and very old PCs on the shelf then it's not unreasonable to think they may have old memory.

[geraldholdsworth]

So, whereabouts in Glasgow is this shop?
I'm down there next weekend, so might be able to take a look.
(wish I knew about it when the wife and I were waisting time while my son checked out Stratchclyde Uni last week).

[paulb]

When they have BBCs, spectrums, dragon 32s, and very old PCs on the shelf then it's not unreasonable to think they may have old memory.

The machines may have old memory, but maybe not the people who work there!

[BeebMaster]

It's not the 90s anymore.

When did this happen? I'm sure it was 1989 the other day, I remember going to the picture house to watch "Back to the Future II".

[SarahWalker]

I was 2 years old in 1989, so can confirm that was a while ago!

[Cybershark]

When they have BBCs, spectrums, dragon 32s, and very old PCs on the shelf then it's not unreasonable to think they may have old memory.

Aye, but an equivalent would be spotting some old stereo equipment and expecting the shop staff to know the ins and outs of thermionic valves

[BeebMaster]

I think though, without over-egging it too much, all this is a symptom of the general unfitness for purpose of any customer-facing worker in any industry anywhere. When did any of us last think "What a helpful, caring and knowledgable shop assistant/receptionist/telephone customer services operative/doctor/lawyer/poll tax department enquiry officer/politician/pizza delivery man" ?

[Coeus]

Aye, but an equivalent would be spotting some old stereo equipment and expecting the shop staff to know the ins and outs of thermionic valves

We had a shop near us until fairly recently where the owner did test, repair and sell old thermionic valve audio equipment. In the end, age caught up with him. I don't think he died, though he may be dead now, but he was a older man with restricted movement even when he was running the shop.

So, I think the number of people who are expert on old technology will dwindle. A few people may take an interest and learn about things too old for them to have used in their heyday, but most won't and most of the expertise will among those who encountered those things when they were new.

It does leave a question about those selling older items. With a site like eBay, at least buyers can communicate with the seller, i.e. the person who originally owned it. With a shop that sells second hand things there are two transactions, the sale from the original owner to the shop and then the sale to the new purchaser. If the shop relies on information from the previous owner there may be times when the new purchaser knows better and calls them out on it, or is duped and then complains.

[vexorg]

So, whereabouts in Glasgow is this shop?

Technically Argyle St., but not in the centre, over near kelvingrove.

At the lights where pc world has been knocked down, and close police station is

Edit: here, roughly, ///relay.really.calm

[sweh]

When did this happen? I'm sure it was 1989 the other day, I remember going to the picture house to watch "Back to the Future II".

Was flicking through youtube recommend music playlists and found one "oldies but goodies"... they're all modern songs.

I mean 1990s onwards is modern, right? RIGHT?!

[BeebMaster]

I just remembered (because of the reference to chalk a few posts back) an amusing thing which happened during the screening of "Back to the Future II". This was in the days when cinemas, at least the Roxy in Oldham, which even then was the only remaining cinema in the town, still had an interval during the films. In this case they put the interval part way through the scene in the alternative 1985 where Doc E L Brown is explaining with the use of a blackboard what in the blue blazes is going on. The curtains just closed in the middle of it, with the film still being projected over the curtains for a few seconds, and resumed after the intermission without rewinding the film at all, so I didn't have a clue what was going on till it came out on video!

[vexorg]

They need to bring back the intermission in movies these days.

[BeebMaster]

Yes, and The National Anthem at the end.

[paulb]

Yes, and The National Anthem at the end.

Didn't have you down as a Radiohead fan, BeebMaster!

[BeebMaster]

Radio 4 12.59am nightly head, maybe!