> the entire argument about keeping antique hardware in operation on
> ecological grounds makes no sense except in a hypothetical world where
> only two machines exist.
Clearly, there's a limit beyond which it doesn't make any sense any
more, but it usually makes sense to keep operating old electronic
devices as long as they can do their job. That usually means at least
10 years.
No need for any hypothetical world. As a first approximation, every
machine you don't buy is another machine which is not produced.
Regardless if that machine you don't buy is new or used.
Now, the OP's situation seems quite different, since it doesn't seem
that the machine has been in use recently. So it's about reviving old
hardware. I suspect this falls squarely in the "retrocomputing"
category, which is a more like a sport: it's not expected to do anything
particularly useful other than provide a sense of achievement, and
opportunities to discuss your experience with like-minded weirdos.
Stefan "just another weirdo"
