Heathkit...

of their designs. They seemed to be about to incorporate the ideas of (the scope-cal example) into other basic test equipment, equalling the quality of HP et al -- not so much in fancy boxes, though they were also nice-enough: but in bang/buck with no apologies for the specs.

Lack of demand killed them :( I see that as akin to the MBA love for the M$ onesizefitsall mindset, a morphing of nobody ever got fired by choosing IBM.. Companies as well as individuals could have profited from using their products, had bizness not entirely forgotten what, "cost effective" might mean. (Most were available assembled, too)

So I saw their demise as We Lost and also.. an early symptom of the dumbing-down of all things. Fewer and fewer care to learn ~ how *anything* "works". Just...

Consume. Can't set your VCR clock? - we'll have that difficult info transmitted to you!

Can't figure out Why you might want to put certain 'files' into certain 'directories' ? Hah: we gots Windoze and automatic updates (and lock-in and data collecting about You) for ya..

Heath: another canary, dead in the mineshaft..

{sigh}

Ashton

Post #31,218 by admin 3/7/02 1:16:25 PM Reply	Heathkit... I built their TV, doorbell, motion sensor... lots of things. I used to get up on Saturday morning and solder circuit boards down in the basement while wearing my bathrobe. I actually lived 25 miles north of Heathkit's location. Was fun to go down there and look at everything. It was a sad day for me when they closed down. :-( Regards, -scott anderson "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
Post #31,227 by a6l6e6x 3/7/02 1:58:23 PM Reply	Re: Heathkit... Yes, it was sad when they closed shop. I'm still using their garage door opener, metronome, and the basic oscilloscope. My daughter has the "handed down" Heathkit walnut hi-fi cabinet. Alex "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." -- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Post #31,230 by Ashton 3/7/02 2:30:40 PM Reply	Especially sad: it wasn't due to lack of "quality" of their designs. They seemed to be about to incorporate the ideas of (the scope-cal example) into other basic test equipment, equalling the quality of HP et al -- not so much in fancy boxes, though they were also nice-enough: but in bang/buck with no apologies for the specs. Lack of demand killed them :( I see that as akin to the MBA love for the M$ onesizefitsall mindset, a morphing of nobody ever got fired by choosing IBM.. Companies as well as individuals could have profited from using their products, had bizness not entirely forgotten what, "cost effective" might mean. (Most were available assembled, too) So I saw their demise as We Lost and also.. an early symptom of the dumbing-down of all things. Fewer and fewer care to learn ~ how anything "works". Just... Consume. Can't set your VCR clock? - we'll have that difficult info transmitted to you! Can't figure out Why you might want to put certain 'files' into certain 'directories' ? Hah: we gots Windoze and automatic updates (and lock-in and data collecting about You) for ya.. Heath: another canary, dead in the mineshaft.. {sigh} Ashton

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