[freedumb2003]

>>Isn’t that cute. How many over-40s can repair or re-purpose electronic gadgets now? Answer: nearly none.<<

How many under-40s can do it? Answer: nearly none.

Very few components today are fixable — all are disposable.

But I am willing to wager hard dollars more over 40s can build a PC from scratch (myself included) than the Playstation generation and younger. It would amaze me if anyone under 40 could change a battery on a Galaxy.

[wally_bert]

It’s been a few years since I put a PC together, give me an hour or so.

[LonePalm]

FWIW - I built my first computer (Zenith Z-100) 33 years ago.

I taught my kids about cooking, electronics, and basic electrical & mechanical home repair as they were growing up.

They turned out pretty good.

"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[discostu]

I CAN build a PC from scratch, but why would I want to? Too much work, no real reward. I’ll do it at work, where I’m paid to keep my test machines running. But if I’m not getting paid to, I’m paying somebody else to. My wife’s computer went wonky last month, I had the choice between sacrificing the day Googling on my machine to try stuff on hers, or unplug it and take it to my favorite shop. 3 days and $60 it was fixed and I got to enjoy my weekend. One of the nice parts about adulthood is running out of things to prove.

[familyop]

"Very few components today are fixable — all are disposable."

You're referring to computers? Most computers only waste the time of many human beings, although a few of the more technically inclined young people can gather technical information and store it for long term use or use a computer as a control component to get a production run out only a little quicker.

There are components for other, much more useful things, like home built heavy equipment. By the way, with some research and minor tools for electrical work, computers on some of the slightly older vehicles can be replaced with more solid components.

"But I am willing to wager hard dollars more over 40s can build a PC from scratch (myself included) than the Playstation generation and younger."

With whole peripherals, like cases with power supplies, mainboards and drives?

"It would amaze me if anyone under 40 could change a battery on a Galaxy."

"Change a battery" in an old Ford? That's useful, but a good welder, for example, can be made at home with cheap components, if the supply of imported junk dries up due to, for example, repudiation of debt.

[SgtHooper]

They’d be lost finding the hood latch.

[__rvx86]

Give me ~$3500, and about two and a half hours. One stunning PC coming up...

• 6GB RAM
• 500GB/1TB magnetic HDDs
• Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 2000 (32-bit+P.A.E.), and both share the SSD!
• 128GB SSD for disk-intensive operations
• Visual Studio 2008, 2014 (one targets NT 5.x, the other NT 6.x-10.x)
• 1GB VRAM GPU (AMD-based, or NVidia, even)
• 1000BASET wired network interface, and there are some motherboards that include an 802.11 interface ON THE DIE.
• Last but not least, one of either a USR x2 or a LTE modem.

Incidentially, there is not only a Fry's in the next town over, but TWO electronics outlets! I'm like a kid at a candy store! One of them has been in business for the last 30 years.

I should probably put up a want ad somewhere.