User avatar
occi
Portugal

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 12:21 pm

I thought I introduce myself a little more in detail. Made a short video (not the best quality, just used a phone). Hope you like the setup :)

https://youtu.be/PlWGKJ_4bms

Cheers
Ole

User avatar
3D-vice
Germany

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 12:51 pm

Ahh, a fellow European. :D

Sei gegrüßt, Ole! That's a very nice video, the embodiment of a retro-man-cave. Glückwunsch zu diesem coolen Zimmer. <3 Hm... I think one does not say "cool" anymore, but since I'm born 1972, this is totally ok, LOL.

Cheers from Germany,
Marc

User avatar
McTrinsic

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:18 pm

Yes! That’s a setup and a collection!!

+1 for cool or even ‚geil‘ 🤣.

‘ 72 rocks.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm

Jaw Dropping games collection. Wow! I have a local friend who also has one that size or larger. He uses special software to organize and keep track of all of the titles, their condition, lists of what he's still hunting for, etc. Talk about OCD! I've pondered going down that route myself, but the good programs are quite expensive (and I think you have to subscribe to use them, which is kind of a turn off).

Anyhoo - thanks for making that video! Just fabulous.

User avatar
occi
Portugal

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:27 pm

Thanks guys, didn't know there were many Germans around here :)

Was just digging through some old photos. There is one from Christmas 85 (I was 10 then) when my brother and I got the C64. We look so excited and happy lol! God I miss the 80s computer time, everything was so exciting and new. Great time!

User avatar
occi
Portugal

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:34 pm

intric8 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:29 pm
Jaw Dropping games collection. Wow! I have a local friend who also has one that size or larger. He uses special software to organize and keep track of all of the titles, their condition, lists of what he's still hunting for, etc. Talk about OCD! I've pondered going down that route myself, but the good programs are quite expensive (and I think you have to subscribe to use them, which is kind of a turn off).

Anyhoo - thanks for making that video! Just fabulous.
Thanks man :). Like I said in the video the passion started out of a necessity. After the swapping/copying of games was not an option anymore I had to buy the original games. I remember to this day the time when I went into a local German games store and picked 1 game (it was "Strider" for the Amiga 500). The price was 89 Deutsch Marks, which was double of what my monthly pocket money was. So I thought "Damn, so I can only get 5 games per year?". The solution was obvious - buy used games and sell them at a higher price. So I started with 1 game and after around 8 or 9 years of actively trading, buying and selling my collection had grown to a little over 3500 games. Then "life" started (army time, college, work...) and for the past 25 years the games waited patiently in boxes.

Don't laugh now, but I am actually thinking about opening a retro gaming museum here some day. If that ever happens you are all invited to come!

By the way, you don't have to pay any subscription for the classic games. Unless I misunderstood what you meant by saying that. All the games I have are mine, no annual fees or subscriptions necessary. Just thousands of disks and boxes and handbooks, lol.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:41 pm

By the way, you don't have to pay any subscription for the classic games. Unless I misunderstood what you meant by saying that. All the games I have are mine, no annual fees or subscriptions necessary. Just thousands of disks and boxes and handbooks, lol.
Oh no, I meant for the software used to organize one's collection.

User avatar
occi
Portugal

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:58 pm

intric8 wrote:
Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:41 pm
By the way, you don't have to pay any subscription for the classic games. Unless I misunderstood what you meant by saying that. All the games I have are mine, no annual fees or subscriptions necessary. Just thousands of disks and boxes and handbooks, lol.
Oh no, I meant for the software used to organize one's collection.
Ah I see :). I actually did that by hand and with a type writer back in the 80s. Still have the old lists. But a more modern system certainly would make sense. One step at a time... right now I am just thrilled to see that the Amiga -- OSSC -- TV setup actually works. Also amazed that all the games still work. Was a bit worried that old disks lose data after 30 years. Myth?

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:38 pm

Oh, disks definitely die and fail, for sure. Interestingly, my C64 5.25 disks seem much less prone to death than the Amiga 3.5's. But even then, over 95% of my Amiga disks (and drives) work beautifully. I think everyone's mileage varies greatly depending on several variables, including:
  • Weather/Climate Control. Humidity? Hot/cold attic storage? Cool, dry place for 25 years (good to go), etc.
  • Were they shipped to various locations, including across major oceans? How many times? For example, my personal anecdotal experience receiving items from Australia, and even the UK, is basically the flip of a coin. I never buy disks from the UK or Australia anymore. I'm in the USA, and I think something about that travel just ruins things for some reason. Or, all those folks are shady! :twisted: I'm joking.
  • How often were they used in their lifetimes?
One thing about old floppy disks that is very true in 2020: they are very good for saving personal data securely (with backups). Why? Because 99.9% of the entire world population moved on over well over 15-20 years ago. CDs are nearly there, too. Only us weirdos still know how to use them and have the means to do so!

I have a friend who considered keeping his block-chain key on a C128 disk. Hah!

As of 5 years ago (and apparently still?) even the US Air Force nuclear silos kept their commands on 8" disks.
Last year, a broadcast of 60 Minutes surprised many viewers with the discovery that 8-inch floppy disks were still the preferred method of removable storage for the computers in a U.S. Air Force nuclear silo. That report indicated that changes were in the pipeline, but the security of this outmoded technology was difficult to replicate with modern materials.

Speaking to a representative of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command, I found that this was still the case some 18 months since that report initially aired. “The floppy disks and associated technology are tried and true,” I was told. “As you can imagine, we want to ensure the utmost in reliability and efficacy when operating such a critical weapon system. Therefore, if a system is ‘old,’ but still reliable, we are inclined to use it.”
-- Digital Trends

That's what I'm saying. Long live the floppy disk!

User avatar
Zippy Zapp
CA, USA

Posted Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:42 am

Wow, what a fantastic collection. Welcome! Happy to see another C64/Amiga fan.





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