Interesting thread with some good observations. I don’t get on these forums much these days, but I used to practically live here when I was actively collecting a few years ago, and I recognize a few names. Hope all you guys are well!
I’m not sure the scene is declining. It’s just changing and we are getting older. As people have said, new platforms have come along (Facebook, Youtube) and lots of the activity is happening there. Newer generations are coming through and to them a vintage computer (with the associated nostalgia element) is something running Windows XP. Retro gaming is also huge, and the interest can be as much in the software as hardware.
I administer a Facebook group in NZ (New Zealand Vintage Computing). If anything it’s activity is increasing and we’ve spawned meetings off it (See
https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2021-10-24-2nd-southern-NI-computer-meet.htm) . I used to run phpBB forums for the community here in NZ, but the admin just got too time consuming and hard, with SPAM, bots and security constant issues. In the end I stopped new membership and encouraged people to move to the Facebook group. This was controversial within the users. Some were very Pro- and some very Anti-. Facebook is not ideal. At the user end, engagement is quick and easy but it is not good for considered, thoughtful and easily retrieved detailed discussion. From the administration side though, it’s much less work for me.
For myself, my interest in the hobby is still there but it’s not what it once was. My main interest was microcomputer history, but after learning about classic (and not so classic) models, writing about them and getting hands-one experience through collecting and repairing, eventually you come to a point. A point where you are happy with the knowledge and insights you’ve gained as to this period of tech history that so impacted your life…and you move on to other hobbies and experiences. Also, having 60 odd working machines starts to become a burden when you are pushed for space, you are getting older and it’s harder to lug them about and work on them. I’ve sold about ½ my collection and intend to further prune it down further to a core nucleus of about 8-10 favourites. I’ve no regrets. There are still emulators to play with and I’ve got other hobbies and activities (singing, hiking) to keep me busy. For example one tech-related interest on the go at the moment for rainy days is learning more about Linux.
Anyway, I think the new layout is just fine and will still be dropping in occasionally.
Best wishes to all.
Tezza (Terry Stewart)