Hermeticom

Trailing Edge Computers

Hermeticom specializes in "trailing edge" computers. The "trailing edge" consists of older, much cheaper computers that still do the job. But what job? The more exactly you know what you want to do with a computer, the less you will pay. Many expensive computers are bought by people who have little idea what they want to do with a computer, so they buy one that "does everything."

If you know that you want only a word processor, then you can find a laptop to run Word or WordPerfect for around $250. With a modem ($10-50), the same $250 laptop can process email. Another $50 buys a laptop fast enough to surf the internet. If you know that you will have an electrical outlet nearby, then a fresh battery isn't necessary. (Replacement batteries usually sell for $100, even for the cheapest laptops.)

Trailing edge technology not only costs much less money, but it is ecological. Computer production is a toxic business: throwing out functional computers encourages more toxic production, while filling the dumps with plastic, broken glass, scraps of metal wire, and heavy metals from batteries.

Don't join in the orgy of greed-driven production and ignorant waste. Take advantage of the best thing the first world has to offer: its amazing garbage. Most people avoid buying used computers because they don't know how to test them, and don't know how to do what they want to do with limited resources. Each Hermeticom computer is tested for physical integrity and each customer is advised in making the most efficient, and longest use of the (not) new computer.

Trailing Edge Technology Links

• Never Say Die, Wired Magazine 8.03