Re: various vector...

> Chalk this up to a really bad day (see my post on RGVAC,) but
> I need to comment on this. There should be NO commerce on
> vectorlist. Already, one other person has emailed me saying that he also
> has Star Wars boards that he'd like to sell (he'd even beat Clay's
> price,) but hasn't posted them for sale to the vectorlist, out of respect
> for the no commerce policy. Fairness dictates that, in a situation like
> this, I allow this person to post those boards for sale (why should one
> person be allowed to post them, but not others?) but allowing anyone
> who has Star Wars boards for sale to post them is in direct conflict with
> the spirit of the vectorlist: No commerce, technical discussions about
> vector-based arcade games. This puts me in an awkward place.
>
> Hence, although the "official" policy hasn't changed (i.e. NO for
> sale posts) enforcement of the policy will. In the past, commerce has
> been tolerated, but no more. Certain commerce-related posts WILL be
> tolerated, for example:
>
> - Repro/Remake stuff for vector-based games only. All Clay's
> vector kits qualify, all vector game CP overlays qualify, etc. (Repro
> stuff for raster-based games will be tolerated on rasterlist.)

Clay's comments about this are correct; the reason that people make the
repro/remake stuff is to provide someone out there with a solution to a
problem; either they would like the game, but can't get it, or their
control panel is ruined, and they need a replacement. But doesn't an NOS
or original control panel/PCB solve the EXACT SAME PROBLEM?

I see vectorlist as a resource. Normally, it is a technical resource;
someone has a problem and it needs to be solved. Some are trivial ("How
many of these were made?") and these are discussion. But I'd say most are
repair oriented. To solve their technical problem, we give technical
advice, and repair advice. But wouldn't offering parts for sale be a
means to and end to solve the same problem (ie, game/parts is not
working)?

I know what you are saying; "they should e-mail them privately". Well,
why don't we email our technical solutions privately? Because we want
others on the list to know as well. And I think even if the person does
not accept the boardset, now others will know that one is available
through them.

So "Pull" commerce seems appropriate; who best to refer to about vector
parts than a bunch of vector groupies? However, I understand where you
guys are coming from: You don't want the list to become "Al's Bargain
Bin". Yet I think just about all vector resource can be considered
"uncommon" at this point and time, and thus these available parts should
be considered another valuable resource on the vector list.

Full games, however, are not parts; there is nothing "technical" about
purchasing a game, plugging it in, and playing it. Leave this stuff to
e-bay and rec.games.video.arcade.xxxxx.

So that's just the opinion from a guy who would like to see more vector
games restored. And this is accomplished by the making ALL vector
related (but only vector specific) parts available to the vectorlist,
whether they be repro/replica or NOS/original.

Mark Jenison
Received on Tue Jan 11 15:42:37 2000