Computer Upgrades Don't Have To Be Endless

Dave Lee is a technology nut. If it's a computer, or related to computing, Dave will look at it, use it, take it apart and learn all about it. Dave has a pedigree too. He's the former Treasurer and VP of the Toronto Atari Federation which was, during the late 80's and early 90's, among the largest computer user groups in the world. Dave began life with the command line, graduated to 8-bit computing and programming, then moved through all of the forays into TOS/GEM, Amiga, Mac OS and ultimately (in 1995) Windows. Along the way he did a stint in the recording studio business, organized computer shows and exhibitions and generally got into lots of technology action.

The beauty of the simpler times for computer technology nuts in the 70's and 80's was that choices were comparatively limited. Computer stores were few and far between until 1985. The true computer technology nut had to know his way around the electronic surplus store bins. Radio Shack was still highly regarded. The true computer technology nut had to be very comfortable with a soldering iron. The true computer technology nut had to know a bit of programming.

Things changed in the mid-90's. Technology went mainstream and resulted in some serious polarization between disparate groups of technology nuts. Now there are the old hands (and millions of new converts) who are always looking for deals on plug 'n play components to assemble the most efficient and cost effective systems, and the 'Modders who spend almost as much time on cool case configurations as they do on outrageously priced high-end hardware and performance enhancements. More . . .