3 ms·

> it's as quaint as it is bizarre these days. You wouldn't say that about an aftermarket for, say, vintage car parts, would you? To be specific, if you buy yo

> it's as quaint as it is bizarre these days. You wouldn't say that about an aftermarket for, say, vintage car parts, would you? To be specific, if you buy yourself an original VW bus, you won't be on your own when you try to service it. Amiga just might be the VW bus of retro computers (probably Commodore deserves this title better, but the analogy works the same way). It'll be alive for as long as the feelings associated with it are understood.

_jal 7y ago
Exactly. Some niche products have such a following that they are recreated after the original producer stops making them: http://polaroidoriginals.com/ http://polaroidoriginals.com/ History, if you're not familiar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Originals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Originals
- romwell 7y ago
  Here, though, I'd say it was not exactly a niche product: Fuji Instax has been on an upwards curve the whole time Polaroid was messing around with its product line. But yup, I agree with your point.
  - jdietrich 7y ago
    Fuji Instax is still pretty niche and survived largely because of Fujifilm's extremely diverse portfolio. Polaroid didn't so much "mess around with its product line" as "go bankrupt twice in a decade". The revival of Polaroid instant film was difficult, painful and wouldn't have happened at all if it weren't for the fanatical devotion of a number of key players outside of Polaroid Corporation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation#Bankruptcy_and_the_%22new%22_Polaroid_Corporation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation#Bankruptc...
    - romwell 7y ago
      Polaroid arguably discontinued their instant film business because they bet on Zink[1] Zink is a Polaroid technology that powers many instant cameras. I own a Polaroid-branded one (Polaroid SNAP), and it's awesome: it never ceases to amaze people. And when I tell them that yes, they can keep it, and it's also a sticker, their eyes light up! I've made friends with this new digital iteration of the technology. But when the Impossible Project was started, that tech was still very far from being mature; and many people still prefer the look and feel of the instant film. They are different products. Still, it wouldn't be fair to say that Polaroid didn't try to stay relevant in instant photography. Ultimately, Zink is a success - although it's a separate company now. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zink_(technology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zink_(technology)
kbenson 7y ago
Less like a VW bus, and more like a 1920's Lincoln (the 1980's is relatively ancient when it comes to personal computing), and not only do you have the community of vintage enthusiasts to help you restore it and get it in running condition, there's some company selling aftermarket entertainment systems, and they offer kits for the modern Accord and Camry, as well as 1920 Lincolns... So yes, kind of quirky and bizarre.
bane 7y ago
I think what really sticks out to me, more than other retrocomputer scenes, is that not only is software that should have long been turned over for free or gone open source being sold, but the business model for the software is all very 1990s. "Buy here, $199.99 and download" seems anachronistic to where most other scenes have gotten to. I mean, these companies must move what, tens of licenses per year? I would bet that many of them would do better just to give the software away for free (as in beer) and put a patreon link on the home page. I honestly really admire the Amiga scene's incredible tenacity, but can't also help but find it just a hair amusing.

_jal 7y ago

Exactly. Some niche products have such a following that they are recreated after the original producer stops making them: http://polaroidoriginals.com/ http://polaroidoriginals.com/ History, if you're not familiar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Originals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Originals

romwell 7y ago
Here, though, I'd say it was not exactly a niche product: Fuji Instax has been on an upwards curve the whole time Polaroid was messing around with its product line. But yup, I agree with your point.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  Fuji Instax is still pretty niche and survived largely because of Fujifilm's extremely diverse portfolio. Polaroid didn't so much "mess around with its product line" as "go bankrupt twice in a decade". The revival of Polaroid instant film was difficult, painful and wouldn't have happened at all if it weren't for the fanatical devotion of a number of key players outside of Polaroid Corporation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation#Bankruptcy_and_the_%22new%22_Polaroid_Corporation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polaroid_Corporation#Bankruptc...
  - romwell 7y ago
    Polaroid arguably discontinued their instant film business because they bet on Zink[1] Zink is a Polaroid technology that powers many instant cameras. I own a Polaroid-branded one (Polaroid SNAP), and it's awesome: it never ceases to amaze people. And when I tell them that yes, they can keep it, and it's also a sticker, their eyes light up! I've made friends with this new digital iteration of the technology. But when the Impossible Project was started, that tech was still very far from being mature; and many people still prefer the look and feel of the instant film. They are different products. Still, it wouldn't be fair to say that Polaroid didn't try to stay relevant in instant photography. Ultimately, Zink is a success - although it's a separate company now. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zink_(technology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zink_(technology)

kbenson 7y ago

Less like a VW bus, and more like a 1920's Lincoln (the 1980's is relatively ancient when it comes to personal computing), and not only do you have the community of vintage enthusiasts to help you restore it and get it in running condition, there's some company selling aftermarket entertainment systems, and they offer kits for the modern Accord and Camry, as well as 1920 Lincolns... So yes, kind of quirky and bizarre.

bane 7y ago

I think what really sticks out to me, more than other retrocomputer scenes, is that not only is software that should have long been turned over for free or gone open source being sold, but the business model for the software is all very 1990s. "Buy here, $199.99 and download" seems anachronistic to where most other scenes have gotten to. I mean, these companies must move what, tens of licenses per year? I would bet that many of them would do better just to give the software away for free (as in beer) and put a patreon link on the home page. I honestly really admire the Amiga scene's incredible tenacity, but can't also help but find it just a hair amusing.