The purpose of this paper was two-fold. To examine the hardware and software purchased, training taken, and benefit recieved by farmers recently purchasing micro computers and to demonstrate a systematic approach of evaluating software. Over five hundred farmers that use microcomputers were surveyed on farm size and type, personal and computer system characteristics, and perceived benefit from the computer. Farmers that use computers were found to be younger, have higher incomes and benefit more from their computer systems with time than averages for all farmers. The use of printers and/or modems appeared to be justified for all levels of income. Indicated optimal levels of hardware, software, and weekly use were derived based on past farmer experience. Thirty eight programs were evaluated as to ease of use, programming quality, and developer documentation and support.

Notre objet est une communauté de 300 à 400 passionnés-collectionneurs de vieux ordinateurs et de vieux jeux vidéo des années 1970-90, autrement appelés « vieilles machines », dispersés dans toute la France ainsi qu’en Belgique et en Suisse. Cette communauté est organisée en premier lieu par des forums sur internet bien qu’émanant d’associations locales. Ces forums servent à l’échange d’informations et de matériel de collection entre passionnés. Un système de valeur riche et complexe organise les relations sociales autours de l’amour et de l’utilisation des vieilles machines, d’une volonté de partage du savoir et du rejet de la spéculation. Le partage est au cœur de l’imaginaire et des pratiques de cette communauté. Il n’est pourtant pas la règle dans les économies qui l’entourent (eBay, brocantes, sites d’enchères divers). Or à l’époque des fondateurs de la communauté vers 1998, les passionnés pouvaient alors s’approvisionner gratuitement ou presque. Ils ont donc ressenti la mise en place d’un marché extérieur comme une forme d’expropriation. Ils ont donc réorganisé les règles de vie et d’échange au sein de la communauté pour contrecarrer la hausse des prix interne que générait la hausse sur le marché extérieur. Ils ont à la fois promu la notion d’échange mutuellement profitable contre l’idée de profit, organisé un système de tabou sur les prix réel des objets, tirant parti du statut de prescripteurs. Ils ont ainsi réussi à créer une niche économique, un marché à bas prix, à l’accès fermement contrôlé mais au sein duquel, une fois intégré, après avoir construit une situation par une « carrière » chacun peut profiter d’un système d’entraide généralisée. / This work is about a community of 300 to 400 hobbyist-collectors of micro-computers and video-games from the 70’s to the 90’s which they call “vieilles machines”. They are scattered all over France, Belgium and Switzerland. This community communicates through online forums although they belong to local offline associations. These forums are mainly used to exchange objects and information among collectors. A rich and complex system of value and representations organizes the social relationships. The main points are: the love of the “vieilles machines”, the will to use them, sharing knowledge and rejection of speculation. Sharing is the very basis of the social imaginary of the community. Sharing isn’t however the rule in neighboring economic systems (eBay, garage sales other online auction websites). Yet, during the first time of the community around 1998, when these objects were only obsolescent technical rubbishes, the community members could collect for free or very few money. Thus they felt as if they have been stolen when an outside market developed and prices increased. As a reaction, they changed social norms and exchange rules inside the community in order to temper the internal increase of the prices caused by outside market’s increase. They both promoted the idea of mutually satisfactory exchange and organized a taboo on the object’s real price using the position of major online opinion leaders on their subjects. They managed to create a niche economy, a low price market in which one cannot integrate easily but in which when fully integrated, after building one’s position through a “career” one can beneficiate from an extend system of generosity and mutual aid.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T14:16:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 REINALDO BOGOMOLOW.pdf: 4259930 bytes, checksum: 60c26d105deaf2a05db2e67a2ee82839 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-16 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / That work is to study scientific point of views from Brazilian policy to the market reserve into the informatics on years 70 e 80 and nearby and past periods of publication noted to the technology which was developed or made abroad to the production of micro computers and peripherals / O trabalho compreende uma sintese da produção nacional de micro computadores na década de 70 e 80, onde se aborda as questões que influenciaram o desenvolvimento da política cientifica de desenvolvimento tecnológico na área de informática do período