3 ms·

Yeah it looks like the SD card reader adapters have more computing power than the Atari 800 itself. So why even bother with the Atari?

perl4ever 8y ago
Well, one possible reason that you might not have thought of is that modern hardware (and software!) has so many hidden layers that you never know what you are running. Like PCs have Minix, and CPUs besides the main CPU, and so on. So you might look at something old like the Atari 800 and say, well, I know basically what it is. By comparison, a modern PC is like the horror movie trope of a thin humanoid skin over writhing innards. Because computers are so cheap and tiny that a device has vastly more than you are aware of. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine Some people are taking classic cars and converting them to electric power, without changing the fact that they are basically un-aerodynamic deathtraps and without even getting rid of the manual transmission. That may not be what you consider optimum, but it is logical given some peoples' values.
- tdumitrescu 8y ago
  > Some people are taking classic cars and converting them to electric power This is one of my dreams! I own an awesome 67 Pontiac wagon which is a lot of fun, but after decades of riding in modern vehicles you just can't help noticing how much louder and smellier everything is with an old carbureted v8. It's wonderful to be able to pop open the hood and make sense of what's going on in there, but I'd still trade that engine in a heartbeat for a quiet electric in the same exterior.
  - perl4ever 8y ago
    https://evwest.com/catalog/ https://evwest.com/catalog/
- teddyh 8y ago
  If you feel that you could reasonably trust SSD and USB adapter boards, I don’t see why you couldn’t also put the same trust in a minimal computer, like an ARM board or a RPi or similar, both of which are still technically usable for modern tasks. It’s not a binary choice between an Atari 800 or modern Intel CPU, you know; there are other options.

perl4ever 8y ago

Well, one possible reason that you might not have thought of is that modern hardware (and software!) has so many hidden layers that you never know what you are running. Like PCs have Minix, and CPUs besides the main CPU, and so on. So you might look at something old like the Atari 800 and say, well, I know basically what it is. By comparison, a modern PC is like the horror movie trope of a thin humanoid skin over writhing innards. Because computers are so cheap and tiny that a device has vastly more than you are aware of. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine Some people are taking classic cars and converting them to electric power, without changing the fact that they are basically un-aerodynamic deathtraps and without even getting rid of the manual transmission. That may not be what you consider optimum, but it is logical given some peoples' values.

tdumitrescu 8y ago
> Some people are taking classic cars and converting them to electric power This is one of my dreams! I own an awesome 67 Pontiac wagon which is a lot of fun, but after decades of riding in modern vehicles you just can't help noticing how much louder and smellier everything is with an old carbureted v8. It's wonderful to be able to pop open the hood and make sense of what's going on in there, but I'd still trade that engine in a heartbeat for a quiet electric in the same exterior.
- perl4ever 8y ago
  https://evwest.com/catalog/ https://evwest.com/catalog/
teddyh 8y ago
If you feel that you could reasonably trust SSD and USB adapter boards, I don’t see why you couldn’t also put the same trust in a minimal computer, like an ARM board or a RPi or similar, both of which are still technically usable for modern tasks. It’s not a binary choice between an Atari 800 or modern Intel CPU, you know; there are other options.