Today my wife...

[Hatta]

My GF's father is really big into antiques and collectibles. So much so, that my little vintage computer hobby isn't really all that remarkable in comparision. I keep it all in the basement, and she doesn't complain much at all.

You do have a point about how prices have risen over the past few years. My first "vintage" computer was a lot of Commodore 128 stuff back in 1999. I got 2 whole setups, with 1581 drives even, for $20, abandoned it all when I went to college. Last year I spent $60 on just a C128 and 1571 and considered that fair.

Fortunately, I'm about done buying hardware. I have an 8 and 16 bit PC from every major manufacturer except Sinclair, and an IBM compatible PC from every era from 8088 to my Athlon XP. That and every major gaming console. As long as it all keeps running I'm good.

 

[Jimmy]

I am building an out building to house "His Junk" as my wife describes it. I have not seen her this happy in years to know I am moving the vintage computers out of our (her) house, or maybe it's she knows I am probably going with the computers.

 

[Smack2k]

I have to say, it's WONDERFUL that I have found this thread...I thought I was the only one with the wife and collecting old computers...but my wife's dislike comes from the fact that I recently changed hobbies as I finished up the first one.

I collected Pro Wrestling Videos for about 10 years, but finally had everyting I wanted, so I needed to turn to another hobby as I am a collector at heart and have to be "into" something. Seeing my love for computers and the fact that I have been into them and had soo many over the years (all that eventually went away), I decided to go back and collect both vintage computers and vintage game systems next. I did this for a few reasons, one being to get everything I had as a kid back as well as get the ones I either didnt get or didnt know that much about and learn them as well as I can (like systems that pre-dated my time with them). The other reason is to hopefully show my now 2 year old son (as he gets older) where things were, how they worked internally and out, and how far we've come with today's technology, in the hopes that he learns to appreciate what he has, as well as take an interest in what makes them run (I work in IT as a Senior Systems Administrator).

My wife, on the other hand, as others have said, considers it "junk clogging up the house" and I "dont need it!". I too have a man cave, but with the systems I have already in there, along with my shelves of wrestling videos, its pretty full. Any ideas of moving it have been dashed by her..so I am also working on getting a large shed installed in our backyard so I can move all yard equipment to it and setup my "dream computer lab" in the heated garage and do some serious work on the machines!

Then I discovered this forum a few weeks ago and was hooked. Finding this thread tonight really made me feel like one of the group, especially after reading everyone's posts!!

Nice to not be alone with the wives dislike of this great hobby...Dont they get that we LOVE this stuff and it makes us happy? I do everything for my wife and son...GIVE ME THIS!!!

 

[Trixter]

Nice to not be alone with the wives dislike of this great hobby...Dont they get that we LOVE this stuff and it makes us happy? I do everything for my wife and son...GIVE ME THIS!!!

My family and I have a good relationship -- I've asked them to help me with various things and they like "helping" dad. It bleeds through sometimes; the other day my son wanted me to install Fallout on his laptop, and two days after that he wanted me to drag out one of the luggables and play Zork on it.

They also know that, if I had to choose between the collection and them, I would choose them. If we became financially insolvent, the collection would be among the first to go.

 

[Smack2k]

IT is 100% certainty that my wife and son come first....and always will! But in the few moments of "dad-time" you'd figure they wouldnt care what you do..especially when the word no NEVER comes out of my mouth for ANYTHING they want to do...and hell, all I want to do is go down stairs and either turn on and play or take apart and fix old machines...THEY SHOULD LOVE THAT...we could be going out all the time and never home...

In the end, I couldnt have a better wife overall, but calling my stuff junk really bothers me!

 

[alker]

nice thread ;-) my wife also had a similar attitude like most of you described... until I sold one of my "junk" old computers for a very high amount - now my wife feels a bit more comfortable with the junk in the house *g*

 

[Flack]

...and her friends were discussing the hobbies their husbands enjoy. One of my wife's friends commented that her husband gets very excited when one of the cards in his baseball card collection increases in value. She thought it was weird. My wife then pipes up and says "oh ya..you think that's bad? My husband collects old computers." After which her friends all agreed that my hobby is the weirdest of them all.

...we're so misunderstood.

There are lots of older software programs written to keep track of people's baseball card collections. Technically, I think that means our hobby can beat up his hobby.

 

[idflyfish]

There are lots of older software programs written to keep track of people's baseball card collections. Technically, I think that means our hobby can beat up his hobby.

haha indeed.

 

[Mr.Amiga500]

I don't have the problem that others in this thread have. My wife doesn't complain at all about my computer collection.

She does occasionally joke about my comment, "Think about the resale value!", knowing that I'd never sell anything anyway.

 

[ebaybrad1]

I don't have the problem that others in this thread have. My wife doesn't complain at all about my computer collection.

She does occasionally joke about my comment, "Think about the resale value!", knowing that I'd never sell anything anyway.

I just got rid of the wife...lol