You can solve many of your repair problems ahead of time by buying a computer easy to service.
That’s one reason I got the Kaypro rather than the Osborne.
You also want to find out how often the machines break down. Try—whether it’s a computer or a printer—to get an MTBF figure. That stands for “mean time between failures.”
Failures? That sounds fatalistic. But face it. Neither people nor machines go on forever.
MTBF figures are like political polls and deodorant-commercial statistics—subject to gross manipulation. But they’re a start.
Also, consider if you want to pay for regular maintenance, which, in one year, might cost more than a tenth the price of the computer?
Or should you gamble without a maintenance contract?
Here’s a rule of thumb. Don’t gamble if (a) your system is large and complicated or (b) you’ll be up the creek without a paddle if the computer is out of service too long. The second condition is particularly true if one or more of these conditions prevail:
a. If you own just one machine.
b. If it’s an oddball machine—not a commodity like an IBM or Kaypro.