Forward to the Past

I hang on to old tech, you never know when the "net is going down.

I dug out an old computer that uses DOS and a 9 pin dot matrix printer. This printer has printed a full box of paper without jams. Floppy disc drive that still function perfectly. Once in a while, there is a floppy that wont format, but I pass a strong magnet over the surface, and it cleans it up and then it will format no problem.

I had been looking for an application to allow me to write and print without the use of nosy "secure" windows applications that are always being hacked. No spell check- I do my own editing, etc.

Newby's would not know where to start with text driven commands. No simple click and go commands. Well there might be some "oddball" nerd somewhere that was isolated and used grandpa's old DOS computer and more than a few retired users of DOS still around. It is a relief to be able to go totally off line and feel more secure even though it requires more effort, but it is good for the grey matter wrinkles.

I used to print all my employees' pay checks on the dot matrix printer, because it cannot be modified by software once printed. Isaac Asimov said the could not even read his original stories stored on floppy discs. It pays to hold on the the old stuff sometimes.

When a major CME hits and wipes out most modern tech, the Ham radio operators and old systems will still be around. I have installed a DC static shielded field and a Faraday shield around my components just in case.

Paranoid? Probably. Sometimes paranoia will destroy ya, but sometimes it will save ya.