My first 'computer' was a Timex Sinclair. Then the Coleco Adam followed by an Amiga and then the wife got her 75mhz Pentium. Upgraded that until the mobo couldn't handle any more. The last computer she got rid of we gave to a friend who was thrilled to have it. I'm still hanging on to my AMD k6-2.

We are a throw away society. We have to be in order to keep production churning. Unless a product is consumable, sales will be limited. There is no such thing as planned obsolescence, but in the case of computers, you could say there is... You can plan on your computer become obsolete in about two years and out of date much sooner.

Ten years ago, who would have thought we'd have a problem disposing of our faithful whirring little friends.

It's only a matter of time now until you see an environmental surcharge included in the price of your new box.