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Electronics as a hobby costs real money. Software as a hobby costs nothing --- beyond a computer which everyone already has; hobbyist or not.

paddw 3y ago
I think this question is specifically about the early 80's, although I think that argument is certainly relevant today.
- AdrianB1 3y ago
  Computers like Commodore 64 or Sinclair Spectrum were relatively affordable and available in the 80's. They disappeared in the early 90's (replaced by PC compatibles), that answer is only a few years off.
  - sacnoradhq 3y ago
    The TRS ("trash") 80 also. Shout out to the Amiga: expensive, different, and interesting. Apple and Mac classic were 2 of those things.
nickthegreek 3y ago
Computers were not cheap in the 80s. However, my father, who did a lot of electronics projects in the 80s did pivot to computers and it changed my life.
- sacnoradhq 3y ago
  I remember going to the independent computer stores of Silicon Valley. There were many enterprising Asian rim immigrant merchants selling components from jewelry display cases. For hardware, there was WeirdStuff (large bin of SPA shareware on dot-matrix print labeled floppies), Halted/HSC (used and new electronic parts and odds-and-end), JDR microdevices (when commercial engineers needed real tools and parts), and Radio ("Rat") Shack. Retail software: the original Fry's Electronics branched out, NCA Peripherals, and Egghead Software. Later, the CompUSA tech hypermart came along and squished most of the independent stores and regional chains. Micro Center was one that endured. PixelUSA in Campbell always had the latest in prosumer DIY computer gear. Central Computer Systems (CSS) is less of cramped computer parts hypermart that is more of a convenience store; they also had almost every free and paid computer magazine and semi-commercial open source media distributions from Slackware to Red Hat (pre-Enterprise) Linux. ---- Electronics. My dad was an electrical and A/C mechanic who got started with HeathKit with his father, who was also a mechanic. My dad was too impatient and not interested in teamwork or doing things together. From a young age, I knew generally the fundamentals of how passives (RLC), current, voltage, motors, and safety around electricity. I had the gray plastic front Science Fair 200-in-1 kit.

paddw 3y ago

I think this question is specifically about the early 80's, although I think that argument is certainly relevant today.

AdrianB1 3y ago
Computers like Commodore 64 or Sinclair Spectrum were relatively affordable and available in the 80's. They disappeared in the early 90's (replaced by PC compatibles), that answer is only a few years off.
- sacnoradhq 3y ago
  The TRS ("trash") 80 also. Shout out to the Amiga: expensive, different, and interesting. Apple and Mac classic were 2 of those things.

nickthegreek 3y ago

Computers were not cheap in the 80s. However, my father, who did a lot of electronics projects in the 80s did pivot to computers and it changed my life.

sacnoradhq 3y ago
I remember going to the independent computer stores of Silicon Valley. There were many enterprising Asian rim immigrant merchants selling components from jewelry display cases. For hardware, there was WeirdStuff (large bin of SPA shareware on dot-matrix print labeled floppies), Halted/HSC (used and new electronic parts and odds-and-end), JDR microdevices (when commercial engineers needed real tools and parts), and Radio ("Rat") Shack. Retail software: the original Fry's Electronics branched out, NCA Peripherals, and Egghead Software. Later, the CompUSA tech hypermart came along and squished most of the independent stores and regional chains. Micro Center was one that endured. PixelUSA in Campbell always had the latest in prosumer DIY computer gear. Central Computer Systems (CSS) is less of cramped computer parts hypermart that is more of a convenience store; they also had almost every free and paid computer magazine and semi-commercial open source media distributions from Slackware to Red Hat (pre-Enterprise) Linux. ---- Electronics. My dad was an electrical and A/C mechanic who got started with HeathKit with his father, who was also a mechanic. My dad was too impatient and not interested in teamwork or doing things together. From a young age, I knew generally the fundamentals of how passives (RLC), current, voltage, motors, and safety around electricity. I had the gray plastic front Science Fair 200-in-1 kit.