Response to angry mob about IBM workstation and other issues.

Hey David, you’re all good in my book man, keep safe

Ignore the haters. That is all.

I love your videos and support you on here as well, I wouldn't say your arrogant... This is completely my personal opinion I would say sometimes your response/comments can come off the wrong way or can be taken the wrong way."Like a text message" you cant tell tone and this is why I woudlnt say its a huge deal, I doubt its on purpose. Keep up with the good videos !! PS I dont know how anyone could take that comment was racist , you just made a comment on someone looking like someone ( happens all the time, esp a famous person ).

I like your videos and I appreciate you explaining this! I probably have different political views on some or maybe even many issues and because I love political discussions, I would love to talk to you about politics if I knew you personally and over a drink of our choice or something. But I won’t bother you with that on YouTube or via email or something because what’s the point? Also, there’s a context to statements as well. I cringed a bit when you said your electrician looked like Morgan Freeman, but I had seen enough of your videos that I had some context and knew that, at most, it was a statement not completely thought through, nothing more. Personally, I would not have made that statement in a public video because I know it might appear racist and it’s not a statement that adds a lot to the video, but something appearing racist and being racist are quite different. Either way, none of this affected me enough to not sign up here to support you a little. I hope other people will also see how much they got out of your channel which is essentially why they’re now criticizing you. If you had an obscure channel no one watches, people wouldn’t get so angry. Hopefully this makes sense in writing. 😉 So I hope you’ll get through this ok and I’m looking forward to many more videos from you!

Pay no mind to “the mob”..

My grandparents were farmers. The things my grandpa fixed with a dremel or plugs. It might not always look fantastic, but he made things work! Also, these were prototypes - the machines never made it to the shelves. They might be completely crap for all we know, overengineered - what not. But certainly no historical icons.

Probably i will say something that someone else said in the previous 200 comments. I think the biggest source of complaints was the "does-not-fit-the-mold"iness of that video. And that is because of the rushed nature of the video - which you admitted. On the other hand : whoever goes crazy because of that is simply stupid. (calling you names, or calling for not supporting you) You are doing an amazing work and i am happy to be one of the supporters of yours. keep up the good work. And ignore the haters ps: finish the projects pressing you - we will be here :)

I guess if you ask around there are worse insults than being called morgan freeman. None the less thank you for the video, keep up the quality work.

The goldbergs. Was that your secret project?

I appreciate your honesty, and you have my full respect and support. Thank you for being great - no matter how hard it can be.

Having looked into that political issue just out of pure curiosity I can say with confidence I don’t agree with your stance on those matters. But who cares? I love your content I love what you do and you seem like an awesome guy and you have the right to your own beliefs and opinions just like everyone else!! I recently became a Patron again after taking a COVID financial hiatus and I’ll continue to support for the foreseeable future hopefully upping my donation in time. Please don’t let any of this get on top of you!! At the end of the day for the vast majority of your watchers it’s “free” content, you owe them nothing, don’t let them own you.

Thank you, David, for this video. I joined here to offer my support as I do enjoy your videos regularly and feel like the outrage is unwarranted. I may not agree with you 100% of the time, but I do with this video. Cancel culture is toxic. Our opinions need not be so binary! I feel like many people just look for something to hate about things that others appreciate as a way to seek attention. It was a pleasure meeting you, however briefly, at CR as you dropped of the machine a couple weeks ago.

Also: while I disagree with your political views in the specific matter 1. it has nothing to do with the contents of this channel. 2. What kind of world would it be if we were to stop interacting with people that have different views than ourselves?

David, keep on doing your thing, because no matter what you do, someone will hate it anyway. You have inspired countless people to take on their own projects, you give everyone the opportunity to learn from your successes and failures and you do a great job managing an enterprise like this youtube channel which has just grown so much.

Can't wait for your new studio! When i saw you testing with the multimeter, I was thinking, why not just connect the screen. Oh well, probably to work on it, not a bad idea. When you switch the power, the flash... yeah, been there, ... after something like this, you think, maybe I should have looked inside the monitor, and so on and so on. So, when I see you do that, I think: "You Stupid". Because I would feel stupid myself. Then 2sec, I think, I should comment and say he should have done ... this, or that. Then I keep thinking, and I come to the conclusion, you're not an idiot, you simply made a mistake, like we all do. No point in pointing that out. I suppose some people don't get to that 2nd part? :) When looking at that part of the video, I do notice one thing,... it's voiced over, like you do a lot. In this case, it maybe sounds a bit dry, ... in that moment most people would curse, or say something that would convey emotion, you have lost that emotion in the voiceover... it does feel like you couldn't give a $h!t even it the thing exploded :p On the other hand, maybe you need to title these type of short low effort clips. Some creators have a 2nd channel (3rd in your case) for that, eg. LGR Blurbs OR same channel but a special title : 7-bit boy :p From my perspective gun laws in Texas are a bit crazy (I'm Belgian) but I don't subscribe to you for that, I want retro computer stuff. I think I'm more mad about the PSU :/

David, you still have my support. The IBM was interesting, and it goes to show that not everything goes according to plan. I've had my fair share of magic smoke, green even...lol. The racism criticism is coming from frindge groups, and those lacking any real sense. Your video on the new studio gave me ideas, as my wife wants to eventually gain back our garage...hey, a geek has to have somewhere to tinker...lol.

David, you've had my support for over a year and that is not going to change. I found the IBM video interesting and just because something went wrong...well...it went wrong; ooops...lol. I am not the only one it happens to...lol.. I've had plenty of magic smoke, green too, lol. Of the racist criticism, it usually speaks for those viewer's lack of intelligence. There is no pleasing these people.

I was surprised that you used a Dremel tool to get the screws off. My thought was, "He must be really pressed for time," which turned out to be true. But, even if you weren't - so what? It's your project and your YouTube channel. Don't let these people get you down. It still amazes me that today people seem to sit around waiting to find something that offends them.

Imagine what would happen if you had said 'god' was your electrician...

I say NO to drugs and Cancel Culture. You have my support and patronage. Internet is full of people who look for things to be offended with.

I’ve been watching your YouTube channel for a little over a year. I’m amazed at the number of haters there and on Redit. It finally pushed me to signup for Patreon so I can support you and a couple of others. Keep up the great work!!

Thank you, and welcome aboard!

I watch you videos for a while once I seen all of this i went on and gave. I will continue to watch and saport your channel. We are all humans and make mistakes. Keep up the good work.

I've been watching for a long time, and just subbed to your Patreon because all of this.

Man Vice really tried to cancel you over a powersupply failure, screws, and a video on an abandoned channel. Seriously ridiculous. Keep up the great work David, don’t let the haters get to you!

You know the Simpon's episode when Homer is at some convention and Mark Hamill is there and being attacked by the crowd, and Homer gets enraged and yells "NERDS!!!!!!" and then just starts beating them all up. That's what I'm reminded of when I wear a bunch of low IQ idiots, mostly millennial d-bags who have never worked on PC outside of putting in a new stick of ram, start explaining how vets in this field are supposed to do things. This is what happens when bullies go away, there's no one around to put these nerds in their place and so they run their mouths constantly. Anyways I've always enjoyed your stuff and I'm always interested in seeing real world solutions and tips and tricks - don't change a thing!

One of your channel's strengths is allowing your audience to see your work, the process, the risks, and results. Videos are a snapshot in time, the community benefits from your work as well as constructive comments which become part of the conversation. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Joined after reading that heavily biased Vice article. Your videos have gotten me through some tough times, and my 1 year old loves watching them with me. Hopefully we can get her into retro computing :D Thanks for all you do!

David you i started to follow you when this whole COVID started and your content is great and all what these people are saying are totally wrong. Working in IT everyday things happen like the IBM computer, you do something so many times and then that one time POP lol. Keep up and great work and know that the content you put out is clean, informative and of the highest value. Dont let others make you feel any different.

I will continue to support you, of course, because your content is great and you are a genuine person as far as I can see. We may not agree on politics or who knows what, but that doesn't matter.

Who in the hell is saying you are arrogant? These people don't regularly watch your videos, clearly.

I've used a paper clip to test things like this 1000 times. It's actually the perfect size and also holds its shape.

Thank you, David, for this level-headed and considerate video. Honestly, when I first watched the IBM video I wasn't a big fan either, but the response from some commenters is ridiculous and I have much respect for you as a technician and video creator. I will also say that the gun video did make me uncomfortable but I agree that, since you don't use your channel as a political platform, it really is irrelevant. I look forward to everything you have coming next, including Attack of the PETSCII Robots!

So I joined this Patreon BECAUSE of this video - someone posted it to Reddit. I thought this was a great response to the numerous points that had been raised, and I was impressed that you took the time to issue this response. I didn't care for the IBM video, so I'm glad you addressed it. As for the gun thing, eh, big deal being made from what appeared to me to be a joke. I had been meaning to join but this was the thing that made me do it. Thanks for the good content, and thanks for making this response video.

And frankly, dremeling off stupid screws was an improvement.

Sorry, I just don't see what the big deal is. People are nuts.

Haters be hatin'.

I appreciate that you put out this video to give a bit more of your perspective, and I appreciate that you put out that IBM workstation video! I’ll admit I was a little shocked seeing the Dremel come out but taking a minute to think about it knowing the pressures of needing to rush out a video on a deadline, I understand why you made that decision. Outrage online builds so easily. People are so ready to find fault with things these days, like you said, like a witch hunt. Humans have differing opinions and make mistakes, that’s no reason to stop enjoying content. Keep up the good work, I’m excited to see what projects you have coming up!

Keep your head up. Civil discourse is dead. The world of social media is a world of extremes where all some people can do is tear each other down. Know that many/most people are in the middle and don't feel the way of those vocal few.

I have a friend that does demolition derby. The best cars to run there are ones people would lose their minds about (Late 60's-mid 70's impalas).

Oh no, but you BUTCHERED those valuable screws, blew the power supply up and busted the whole thing. Seriously, some guys/girls need to get a grip. You brought to the worlds attention some old computer that had a neat design, we saw it, and I bet 99% of people thought the same thing, "wow neat old computer" and moved on. In fact I would have assumed the same thing with that power supply, that one was a loopback, and I'm sure that common transistor/resistor can be replaced, should the rest of the thing even work regardless.

I'm not sure I am going to add anything new to the conversation here, but will say I love your videos and will continue (at least for the time being) to support you on Patreon. There are a couple of things I feel is important to say. Firstly, we live in a politically charged world, no one can say they leave politics at the door, your views do make a difference, if said on the channel or outside it. I understand the allure of guns, but I am sure we have very different views on if you should be allowed to own, let alone carry one. Analogies of comparing Gun controls to car ownership will rightly cause controversy, even if it was many years ago. I think you have done the right thing to address the issues, the IBM itself was a "Lessons Learnt" video, everything else around it are the things to address and deflect as needed. In this modern age, we do need to stand up to inequality, racism, sexism and the growing divides between those with and without.. For anyone suffering these things they don't have the luxury of "not being political". So it is important that these things are addressed in an open forum. Not speaking out is as loud as supporting sometimes.

Great explanation. As impressively logical and thoughtful as you always are. I'm embarrassed to say I thumbs-up'd some of those critical comments, as I was surprised the video was nowhere near your usual level of care. Thanks for setting the record straight. I too, would suggest making the explanation public. Please do continue leaving in the mistakes, so it's not just a learning exercise for only yourself. I hope this outpouring of support does something to counter the negativity <3

Haters will always hate. However, I hope you find a good way of coping with it. You can't do it alone, so I'm glad you shared it with us.

I'm happy I didn't comment on the IBM prototypes video, because I wasn't aware of the paper-clip trick or the lack of historical significance of the machines. I hope the machines can still be repaired, though. I'm very happy you leave politics out of your videos. Too many things are politicised these days. As for the Morgan Freeman bit: I think you're right to stand your ground on that one. I think people read too much into comments like these - which I find especially odd if you consider there is still "plenty" of actual racism and inequality out there. I have to appreciate you showing your mistakes and using lower-tech methods of repair in the videos. It makes them easier to relate to - I could see myself doing up old computers like that. By contrast, I am very impressed at what channels like Retro Man Cave (which I love as much as yours) do, but I don't see myself doing it.

I became aware of the “issue” when people started posting references to the 7 year old video on my Twitter and discord feeds. My basic reaction and response was pretty much what you said on this update video. I feel more disappointed that people I respect and know are happy to share a 7 year old video as current news and worse share a still image with alleged and unsubstantiated claims (whether they be true or not). Anyhow. I’m from the U.K., I’m still happy to support you,

I can't add anything more than has already been said by these fine commentators, so I'll leave at this : Thank you for everything, and just keep doing what you're already doing. No replies needed ;)

The psychology of fandom... I’ve nerded down into many subjects in my life and that one is quite weird. Some people completely forget their idol is human and can’t handle the disappointment of even the smallest signs of humanity. This emotional investment combined with the means to actually communicate with their “god” can really make them lose all filters and just pour out their inner jerk. I’m sorry you have to put up with some of these troubled people. Remember that being who you are is what attracted people to your channels, and I hope these events won’t affect that.

David, you and I probably have 100% opposite views on gun control. Incidentally, I came across some of your gun videos several years ago (probably as a result of the YouTube algorithm) and I thought, "Huh, never would have expected a computer genius to be a gun enthusiast." My attitude then, as now, was "Who cares?" You've never pushed any kind of political slant or agenda in 8-Bit Guy, and I'll continue to support the entertaining (and important) work you do educating us about computing. Signed, a fellow Texan who happens to not own any guns.

God people suck. You however, do not. Thanks for sharing 😊

Keep the mistakes - honesty is one of the reasons I watch and support. I don't trust "perfect" Content Creators. Keep up the great work and doing what you do best.

People have enough time on their hands to complain? I'm just here to watching a dude with a really relaxing voice take computers apart. The video delivered

2020: the year when hiring someone, complementing his work, and saying he looks like a movie star is racist.

How to recognize the best in the field: they are the ones the nobodies snipe at.

Ignore trolls and haters. Your work is great, I love it, we love it! I've been following your videos for years and never got tired. Keep doing what you are doing the way you are doing it, there's nothing wrong with it. Having different views, is part of the diversity that keeps a society healthy and alive. You are a talented individual, and you are hurting nobody. It's unbelievable how people can be so obtuse and attack you in that way... And by the way, it was really fun seeing that rare absurd IBM machine and exploring its functionality. Good luck!!!

Those angry commentators always make me think of dogs that sit in a closed car and bark at everything that walks past.

I became a patron because of the outrage. I am an adult. I don't have to agree with someone to enjoy their work, or think their contribution is valuable. Opposing opinions breed interesting discourse. I may or may not agree with your political opinions but regardless of if I do, I appreciate your work. Cancel culture is a cancer.

Golly, sir, I am sorry you are having to deal with nasty people. I think you do fantastic content. I am entertained and I would never have guessed people would get so angry about some piece of machinery. It truly makes no sense to me and I am truly sorry that you have to deal with such idiocy. It's not right at all. On the Morgan Freeman, I <3 Morgan Freeman and he very much looked like him. I don't understand why that would be considered racist. It is totally bonkers. I am sorry for that as well. I know that you are likely discouraged by these recent events but know that these are fringe crazy people that probably have some other underlying questionable parentage. Thank you again for what you do and I appreciate this and all your videos.

David, In all honesty I cringed hard at your screw removal method - only because you damaged the PSU case. The less destructive method (as you mentioned) is to cut a slot in the center of the screw so you can use a flat-head screw driver to remove it. Other than that I enjoyed seeing these rare prototype machines. regards Derek

I started watching your videos a few weeks ago and I have come to greatly appreciate your work. You do a fantastic job of discussing and preserving the history of personal computers. Coming from a background in science, you have be willing to try new things or you’ll never advance and sometimes this leads to success and other times failure. I appreciate this video and it really does show how much you care about what you do.

Oh no! I shouldn't have done it...I googled and now my liberal computer repairing heart is broken. Apparently, David is human with flaws like all of us. I'm going to take a deep breath and keep supporting you and watching your videos.

The internet is angry and must be satisfied....or maybe chill out =( I sincerely hope it doesn't get you down dude. it shouldn't.

David, I appreciate the time you took to make this video. I made a comment on that IBM video trying to explain, from my perspective, why you might have made some of the choices you did. As someone who is really only familiar with software, and modern software at that, I couldn't speak for the effectiveness of the techniques, but I trusted your experience and that you weren't being malicious or trying to destroy the computer. I saw a number of comments on that video using ableist slurs as a way to insult you (I reported each comment like that that I found), so there was definitely hate speech in that comments section and I don't blame you for disabling the comments for that reason. I saw the Twitter video from a link in one of those comments, and though I suspect you and I have differing political outlooks (I'm a leftist), I broadly agree with what I think is your stance on that one topic, though maybe for different reasons. I think a lot of people were upset with the flippant tone and the mention of a specific advocacy group and their presumed head at the time, and maybe not having mentioned anyone in particular would have gotten a less negative reaction. The unfortunate thing about flippancy in political statements is that people react flippantly, and oftentimes that just makes people get into arguments. I try to look past flippancy in a flippant political statement I don't immediately agree with, so I can judge the statements themselves, but I know a lot of people haven't realized that they can do that yet. I must admit, the Morgan Freeman comparison did give me pause as a white man, and from what I have been taught by Black people and white allies, I think Shashi Jain explained why some people took issue with it very well. There is an outlook that has been explained to me, and one I agree with, that in the US (and most of its allies), all people are born into a racist society. The result of this is that as we grow up, we are taught racist ideas, not through any fault of our own, and most times not through anyone else deciding to teach us racism, but because racist ideas were present when the US was founded, when its laws were and are written, when its media was and is made, and when its economy functions. Therefore, we are all racist, but there are differences in that-- those of us targeted and affected by that racism have internalized racism, and those of us who are not in its crosshairs have what many people mean when they just say the word "racism". Of those, there are those of us who are conscious of it, and those who aren't. Of those who are conscious of it, there are those who are comfortable being racist, and those who aren't. Of those who aren't comfortable with it, there are those who decide to take action to combat it within themselves and those who don't. People who decide to combat it generally want to understand how their actions can harm people of color, and are willing to change their behavior when they are told something does harm. Crucially, people can do and say racist things without meaning to, and without meaning to hurt people. But from what you said in this video, I think you are willing to learn, and I don't think you meant to do harm. In my opinion, the comparison wasn't racist, as you weren't trying to make him "acceptable" by comparing him to a celebrity, but I recognize that as a white man, I'm not an authority on the issue. I hope this video satisfies people and helps them calm down. I enjoy what you do and I hope you enjoy doing it.

It's nice to get your side of the story, David. I really do feel you've been given a hell of a kicking and for what? Blowing up a power supply, and not owning a particular screwdriver! I'd noticed there's been less videos of late, and I guess that pressure made you rush, but I understand that. I've seen LGR and Techmoan talk about the pressure to produce content (I think you have too), even more so when it's your living. I've got ideas of stuff to make videos on, but I know I couldn't devote the time and effort to do it, like you guys do. Don't feel compelled to spread yourself too thin, and take on too much (not good for your mental health!). I saw 'that other video' (having not seen it before) and yeah, I admit I was a bit surprised. But then, I realise things are different in the US to what I'm used to here in the UK. But the fact I only just realised this totally proves your point of not politicising the channel, and makes no difference to me. Keep going, ignore the naysayers, and take care of yourself! I've learned tons from your videos, and I look forward to learning a lot more. 😁

This is ridiculous! Too many sensitive Nellies out there.

Considering the amount of bullshit you apparently had to go through here, I think you did a really god job at addressing and explaining things in a calm and considered way. The stuff you put out there is great, and there is really no reason why it shouldn't be fun and enjoyable for anyone who's interested retro tech. I'm so sorry you have to put up with that...

The video of the IBM Machine surprised me a bit to be honest. At the same time, I will give David the benefit of the doubt. It's just a shame there isn't more documentation about these systems somewhere. There has to be someone who is alive and knows what IBM designed these for and their specs and how to use them.

The political campaign has put a lot of people on edge when it comes to race. Your electrician joke was funny to me, but the timing was bad in light of current events. If I were you, I would take down the video just to move on with life. I very much look forward to future 8-bit guy videos.

I just found out that VICE made an article about this video? Jeeeez.

I would have done 100% exactly what you did from beginning to end and I HAVE done exactly that for hundreds of machines (and cars) over the years. ...Even the dremeling. I've been fixing people's computers for over 20 years and cars for 10 years. My time is not worth doing anything other than what you did and despite you doing this "professionally" for youtube, I think it's even more important to show people that this is more often than not the reality of repairing things.

I skipped the IBM vid, but I always trusted your judgement in repair matters. Which makes seeing the "Political" vid so jarring. Knowing that it's from 2013 does help a lot though, and quite honestly, I'm beginning to think that- Suffice it to say, 2020 is not 2013, and as long as you tell me that you're on the side of the angels, I'll believe it. I'm going to chew on my thoughts awhile, and hopefully I'll check in again. If any of this has made sense. Either way, all the best.

Wow, this took me by surprise. If I had to list a youtube channel I watch that I thought was the least controversial, it would be The 8 bit guy. I've been watching your channel for years and I'm pretty sure I have seen all of your videos. I thought people were trolling you for owning electric cars or something. I'm sure I can look up the real reason but I don't really care. People just want to scream things nowadays, whether it makes sense or not. Ignore them if you can because they really don't matter. Keep making awesome videos and I'll keep watching because that is the reason why I support the channel. Always looking forward to more. Godspeed!

I think you addressed this well. I've had my fair share of criticism despite entering into things with the very best intentions. Sadly it's easier for a vocal minority to bash at their keyboard for 30 seconds than spend 30 hours trying to create something meaningful.

Keep your chin up, mate. You can't please everyone all of the time, so just keep doing what you're doing and try to enjoy yourself. All the best.

I'm sure the subscribers here on Patreon will give you a little less hate than in the general public. Just a few comments and observations. Did I think your overall video on the recent IBM was a little careless compared to your other videos? Yes. It wasn't one particular event such as the screw or paperclip. It was moreso the video felt unfinished and you were pressured for time. Not a deal breaker. Did I cringe a little bit when the power supply got fried? Yes! Was I happy that you included that part in your video? Yes! I was so happy that you included your failures - normally we see you as being superman repairing the unrepairable. It's nice to know you're human. In regards to politics, I did see your most recent trending video on Twitter. Let me say that it was a bit disturbing to watch, but I did feel like there was probably a confrontation not being shown before the start of that clip. Overall what you said seemed sarcastic as in "yes I'm doing/supporting this thing because XYZ - you got me!". You did not seem sincere about what you said, but still a little painful to watch. Does it make it right what you said? No, not in my own personal opinion. Do I think you were being completely serious? No. Am I going to cancel you or stop watching your videos? No. Edit: I just saw another video, an old one which you produced that gave me way more context to that Twitter video. I really wish I saw your own video first.

David, you should not even feel obligated to explain yourself. Trolls will be trolls. Let the mean comments pass over you. I think you are doing a great job and I hope none of that trash will discourage you from continuing your work. It is appreciated (and anticipated).

To add to all the other comments, you have your hearth at the right place, you could have dismissed it or botched it but you actually did write "Trans Rights!" on my autograph on my copy of PX3. <3

whoa what did I miss? I can't say I noticed anything wrong with the other videos. Keep putting out the great content.

David, i have always found you open, modest, and pragmatic in your videos, the vlogs especially show a side that I really connect with and support. Some people may value something more than others and they really need to take a step back and be less reactive. I support you and will continue to follow your channel.

I am sorry this happened to you. You didn’t deserve this abuse. You are a good person who was doing a good thing with the best intentions. No one has the right to direct that venom at another person like that.

Hey David, you're too kind. Don't let the internet trolls get to yah! You're doing amazing work! Keep your head up :)

As i saw that Szene with "Morgan Freeman", i smiled and i know that People would say that could be racist. The Internet is sometimes so predictable... Dont worry about it. And of course, being the 8-Bit Guy is racist, what about 16 Bit Computers? But that is ok, because you are supporting a minority, if you would be the Windows 64 Bit Guy you would have been much more carefull ;) For the the Workstations, we were told at the Beginning of the Video that they are so rare, nothing on the Internet, maybe a new sensational Piece of Hardware revealed that can change the writings of early computer history, and then he is making cuts in it! :D

I've worked in technology since 1995. I started and ran a computer company for 10 years before selling it in 2006 and moving into information security. We would often use paper clips, clamps, or other quick-fixes to test or diagnose issues with computers. It was just very common. I deal with the same thing (albeit on a smaller scale) with my tech-focused channel. With social media, the ability to churn out anonymous comments from behind a keyboard tends to create many "experts."

Thank you, David, for posting this video. I admit that I have a bit of keyboard warrior in me, and that some of your quirks previously got on my nerves. (For one of those, Techmoan was right to scold me and tell me to check myself.) There are phrases that some other YouTubers use that irritate me, such as "at the end of the day." But ultimately, I am a loyal subscriber and/or patron to many and I love the content they put out. That includes you and your content. I've learned so much from your 8-Bit Guy and 8-Bit Keys videos, even sparking a love of Anders Enger Jensen's music and an interest in Commodore. (I also know the correct way to say "Tramiel.") It hurts me to know there are people that hate you and think you're an arrogant, racist gun nut. I assume you and I have similar political views, which is comforting, but I appreciate that you keep politics out of your videos. My dad advised me last August to avoid politics and negativity on social media and I'm a better man for it. Alec Watson is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, which is evident from his posts and likes on Twitter (a place I haven't been in over four months), but he also (mostly) keeps politics out of his Technology Connections videos and I appreciate that, as well. My friend Ryan, who also has views similar to ours, is the one who turned me on to TC in the first place. Unfortunately, Alec's political views are reflected by a handful of his patrons that I encounter on his Discord server. They were among those to share that ancient video and rail against you (and last Friday's video before that). Even with a politics channel created on the server, it's still worked into discussions in other channels. (The haranguing occurred in "off topic.") I thought about sharing today's video on that server, but it's just like sharing a column or video from sites like Outkick, Federalist, or PragerU: it's not going to change anyone's mind and will only make things worse. I have a YouTube channel, and one of the videos on there is my college senior project: a documentary on Joe Falco, a family friend and retired FDNY firefighter who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center's South Tower on 9/11. Due to the subject matter, it's the only video where comments are moderated. Periodically, I will go through the comments held for review, approving level-headed ones and trashing truther rants. It's quite satisfying. I am proud to support you and I will continue to do so. Don't let the haters get you down.

I think that response was well done. I'd even say put it out to your regular viewers. Helped me see your perspective.

I also appreciate that your channel is pretty much unpolitical. Regarding the ppl. saying you don’t learn from mistakes - why not show them otherwise: make a „things I did wrong“ or „my greatest 8-bit mistakes“ collection video. I think most people would enjoy and laugh about things that went wrong and hopefully forget about that vintage IBM. Most of the time, you are trying to preserve old computers and you probably have saved a lot of them from the dumpster. So even if you were a little rough with the last one, you saved so many others that this is negligible.

You’re a good dude David. I’ve been a big fan and will continue to be. As far as the political stuff goes, who cares. I won’t get into specifics, but one of the men you named in your video has vastly different political beliefs than me, but I’ve met him a few times now for various reasons and we got along great and I considered him to be an awesome guy. We cannot continue to allow these types of differences to destroy healthy public relations. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and it’s a respectable thing to have private opinions about things and not allow that to influence who you are or what you do.

Keep up the good work. Appreciate the video.

Always the same on the internet... As soon as people can comment, anonymously and easy... Would they also call or write a television network as soon as they don't agree with something shown? I hope shouting it out through this video helps you to cope with it, I see being a celebrity is not easy, I think it never has been. I hope you find comfort in the people here on Patreon, that actually like what you're doing. Keep up the good work! It's your channel, not that of the haters out there ;-).

There's a saying "you are what you say", and it certainly applies to all these people proclaiming racism everywhere.

Thanks for the follow-up David. I think the main issue of the video was perhaps editing which made the issue seem worse than it was to you. Given you had a week with the machine and worked through various issues, seeing it condensed into 10 minutes gives the impression of perhaps a more careless approach than you intended. I didn't find it that bad to be honest and your explanation here makes sense. As for your political views, I had no idea, so you have done a great job separating those out from this channel, and I commend you on that. They aren't the focus of this channel and why I watch and you have every right to them. Thanks David!

I enjoyed the IBM video. I thought the dremel idea was brilliant. I have bashed things up pretty good using other brute force methods to get lock screws out. I do look like other people myself. People say I look like my grandfather and my brother. They say I talk like Jim Henson. I think that is great, I love Sesame Street. I watched the video from 7 years ago and a friend told me about it 2 days ago because I guess it is reborn now. I am not super comfortable with such things however I think you are a good person with good intensions. You were not trying to scare or intimidate people, or bully them. I guess that is the distinction to make. I think you must have learned from your mistakes. I am glad the mistakes are in the video so we do not need to repeat them. You'd be pretty incredible if you never learned from mistakes and yet knew what you knew now. That would be genetic knowledge versus learning from your environment I guess. I agree that things will probably cool off in a month for reasons anyone older that four can figure out.

Excellent video, I really do appreciate the clarification on this as the comments section had me scratching my head as I read them. People can say what they want, but I think addressing the issues with this video was the best thing to do. At least for me, this video cleared up a lot of questions I had about the situation myself. I won't go into details on which topics, but as you explained in this video, there are many keyboard warriors out there who get some kind of self-validation by criticizing others. You are well aware of this, as your video states, but FWIW I feel your videos have/do address criticisms or past missteps in a logical, succinct manner. To me you handle it very well. I'd also like to add that regardless of what your previous views are (I haven't watched the video you're talking about), I appreciate what your 8-Bit Guy channel does and how it operates. In an age where everyone wants to drag toxicity and polarizing topics into EVERYTHING for whatever reason, I personally feel your channel is a breath of fresh air, that helps us get away from the cesspool of opinion-laden media out there (on all ends). I respect you for the same reason I've always liked/respected James Rolfe, your channel focuses on what we all have in common, and for me, watching your channel is like clocking out from work...you get a chance to exhale and relax. I hope you continue making great videos, because I'll certainly continue watching them :)

I found the IBM video linked to with an inflammatory title on Reddit with hundreds of upvotes. I'd bet a lot of the crappy interactions you had came from that. Reddit can be a cesspool.

David, I enjoyed the IBM video, but I can agree with some of the commentary that, as presented, it felt like you were being rough with it. The explanation regarding the limited time made sense, but I personally would have expected that you'd treat a rare machine more gently, even if it wasn't historic. You have shown such care in the past with other machines. Regarding racism claims about your electrician, it may help to understand that this can be a sore topic for a person of color. When you're making the comparison of an individual to someone famous, it's a way of making the individual "acceptable" to you. It's sometimes used to say "I don't care of / approve of you, but since you're like someone famous, it's ok." I've experienced this myself, with both white and Indian people. Doesn't feel good. Maybe this is what's happening here? I enjoy your channel and videos and will be supporting your patreon moving forward. It's a small thing, but I like that you can address critics without cursing them out. Not many others seem to be able to do that. I can't wait to see what's next. Take care!

David, THANK YOU for what you said about racism. That's exactly how I feel, and I even made the comparison to witch trials on Facebook and got blasted over it. You're right: people are looking for racism everywhere and injecting it into situations where it was never an issue. It's perfectly okay to say you think someone looks like a celebrity, regardless of their skin tone. Racism means treating people differently based on your perception of their "race" (an ill-defined concept). You weren't doing anything like that. I'm glad you don't let the haters get you down. Keep your head high, and keep on keeping on!

Its your channel. You do what you do an I'll keep watching. :)

I swear, giving you grief about the paperclip or sawing the screw is ridiculous. People have too much time on their hands. For every loud, self righteous person with a pitch fork in their hands, I'm sure there are four of us who are living in the real world.

Yo, that electrician really does look like Morgan Freeman. Yeah, there are a lot of people out there at the moment that think anything that a white person says about a black person is racist by default. There's no accounting for the stupidity of people. :(

When I get a few of the same points in comments (usually correcting things), I put a pinned comment talking about those points, and that seems to stop the same comments showing up (and me having to respond multiple times). Also, I presume you do this, but just in case I turn on YouTube's profanity filter for comments which cuts down on the bad comments.

Haters gonna hate...

I thought the IBM video was fascinating, I didn't have a problem with it. I love your content and have no plans to stop watching. In regards to your political controversy. I completely agree that it is impossible to find someone you 100% agree with. And I also live in Texas, so it's not like some of the ideas you subscribe to are uncommon, and that's fine. For me it was the tone of the video clip, which was just awful and hurtful. Maybe it was out of context, sure, but there never should have been any context for that in the first place. It's disingenuous to me to complain about how politically charged everyone is when the content of your (7 year old) video was ALSO very politically charged. To me, that's what was upsetting and just deeply, deeply uncomfortable.. watching it just made me sad and I really wish I could un-watch it. Anyway, the internet never forgets as you can clearly see, and you can't somehow change the past, so you don't need me to lecture you; that's just my thoughts. Thanks for continuing to put out great content and I always get excited when a new video comes out!

I think people claiming you're racist for saying your electrician looks like Morgan Freeman could come from oversensitive people like you said, but it may also be people who say absurd things to deliberately try to sabotage equality and civil rights. A reasonable person would engage in constructive dialog, so regardless of who these people are and what their agenda is, if they continue being unreasonable, they're obviously not interested in constructive dialog. (I could have been more eloquent there, but oh well.)

If it's any consolation, I think you're doing a fine job. I do appreciate channels like yours that stay on-topic and avoid talking about unrelated controversial or political topics. I tend to fall into the thinking, "David agrees with me politically", but that's the path to resentment if that gets proven wrong, so I'm working on being more accepting, and fighting the trend toward divisiveness.

I was a bit taken aback by the IBM video too, not because I know anything in particular about that computer and consider it an unknown treasure or something, but because nearly everything you show on your channel has some historic value, and you were uncharacteristically rough with it. Also the brown/blue wires on that connector were an immediate warning sign to me, but I guess you're used to different color codes (I do wonder though why european color coding was used on an IBM machine). Overall, it felt a bit like you were having an off day. But I mean, seriously, it's not a big deal, we all have them some day, especially when there's a lot going on? If anything, we should be supportive and not ramp up the stress level even more. I know people are tense and stressed and afraid, it's been a difficult year, and it's so easy to just let loose on someone, anyone, in frustration, especially when other people are doing the same thing. I therefore feel it's especially important to remind people to be civil and reasonable, and to maybe enforce that if necessary. I think you're doing a good job at this here, David, even as your weariness is apparent. I look forward to your next video, and if it takes a bit longer than usual, that's ok too, I mean, it's free entertainment for me, right? I'd recommend thinking about a vacation, but it's the worst time in a long time for that, heh.

I still like you channel and the video made me curious about the system, but you have to agree that you could have handled it with a little more patience and respect.

I had a similar thing probably 1% of the scale. I was on a beta tester forum for a software package. It said the OS is windows 10. I quoted this and asked whether or not it worked with windows 7. Just a yes or no answer would have done. I got like 50 angry responses. Apparently having a modern OS does not prevent one from acting like a neanderthal.

No worries David, just ignore al the hate sayers. I like every single video you’ve made. In my opinion you’re absolutely not arrogant and I really like your style! Keep on making the best video’s on YouTube!

w.r.t mistakes in the video - Doesn't youtube let you add a caption box to it after posting it?

Chin up, the silent majority are more than happy with what you do/say. The flash from the PSU amused me as I have been there, rushing to get a job out of the door, or putting a battery in round the wrong way, popping a board... the only people who don’t make mistakes are the people who do nothing. ! Keep up the good work

Most viewers have never tried the things they have learned from watching YouTube videos, but feel they can make statements and give advice with absolute certainty, and without awareness of all the factors that go into the choices you make. I appreciate you for sharing your time and teaching by example, mistakes and all, and even under the attacks you’re receiving, still being sensitive to the criticisms and considering if and how you can improve. Communication on the internet is imperfect, and in these little boxes when typing on a portable device especially so.

David, any time you see the hate crowed showing their vitriol to someone they don’t even know personally just come back here. Your Patrion supporters are the cure for that bile. With regard to the political issue you referenced, I don’t agree with you & that’s OK, we don’t have to agree on everything to share our love of old & interesting tech. My best wishes to you buddy.

I think you handled this extremely well. The whole hate train was absolutely ridiculous, it was another textbook example of why cancel culture is idiotic. People assumed the worst of you, and the video shows the situation was an awful lot different from the narrative they wanted to push. If you recall, I said at LPGE to never join Twitter because of how bad it was...well, if you ever needed any more proof, this is it. Twitter is in large part responsible for igniting the flames, and when the attempt to "cancel" someone comes out in full force, the facts of the case don't matter anymore, everyone just wants to have fun at the expense of someone else. I think your video did a great job at being civil and explaining the thought process through. I'm sure some stubborn cancellers will try to use their confirmation bias to twist it as even more proof how "awful" you are, but I stand with you and am always happy that you continue to be driven by what you love to do. Keep it up! PS: Do you mind if I share this on Twitter? I know you said "feel free to share it" but I wasn't sure if you meant in the confined or the public sense

David - I'm sorry to hear you've had a tough time with the keyboard warriors recently. I enjoy your channel! Please don't be discouraged. People don't realise what is involved in your channel, or how stressful it can be.

I just want you to know that I still have faith in you I will stand by you.

I think you are doing a fantastic job. A lot of the criticism you have received is unfair. Leaving mistake in projects in your video I consider endearing. It stands to reason that if someone is actually into the hobby of old computers and takes on projects likewise, they should appreciate the learning experiences. Everyone makes mistakes and could have tried a different option here and there. If you wonder why these unfair shots come so often perhaps you mightn’t know the Australian saying “Tall poppy syndrome”. It’s easy to try and bring down those in elevated prominence and relatively simple to “find” anything to attack someone over. Again, you are doing a great job. Stay true to the ethos you’ve always made your videos with. People with level heads who love the content, the way you see fit, find it exactly what we want to watch.

Maybe pin comments you respond to so they don't get buried. Of course many don't bother reading previous comments before asking the same question again, but maybe some do and it will cut down at least a little on the "you don't respond" stuff.

Look, man, I just love your channel. As does my kids (14 and 10 yrs old). Don't know what else to say. You rock.

Good point on it being called "valuable"! It's a pretty common attitude in retro computing circles, especially on the Internet, to put any old computer on a pedestal, even moreso stuff from IBM. Perhaps these machines are rare, but as you rightly point out, it turns out they're fairly unremarkable, being a plain old PS/2 under the hood. There's currently a project on VOGONS to up-cycle the ASIC chips from old AWE64 Value sound cards (not even AWE64 Golds!!) into a brand new product with full RAM, hardware OPL, and other improvements. Mostly well received, but some people were actually outraged, someone even said something to the effect of "I'm going to buy AWE64 Value cards so you can't have them!"

Thanks for not making your channel political. People who need to get their opinions from or supported by celebrities are just missing the boat. As for the IBM, I might disagree, it might be significant and have a great story. That’s why , even though it didn’t work out, you put it out there. I was actually hoping that someone who might have been involved with it could tell us the story behind it. Still hoping. Outside of all of that it was nice to get some content from channel again, I was getting a bit worried.

Thanks for mostly keeping politics out of your videos. I watch a great many people who disagree with me politically and it usually doesn't bother me, but when they start turning on a deluge of political opinions sometimes it just gets to be too much and I have to stop watching them. You've never gotten anywhere close to bothering me about politics. (I had to unfollow someone on mastodon because I followed them for tech content, but 95% of their posts were politics instead.) Did anyone ever dig up any more information on those computers and any history on them, or is it still just a completely unknown prototype?

The world has gone a bit crazy these days, don't let them drag you down. Keep up the good work.

Please keep making the videos as you have done until now. I am very interested in your content, with mistakes and little jokes and all. You cannot please everyone especially in this quit hostile day of age where everything is used to be negative about even if it shouldn't. Also, I think that the current climate due to the Covid-19, which causes a lot of stress, contributes negatively to this behavior. I am very sorry that you have to spend this video to pointless debates where you could have spent it to something more productive instead.

Trolls suck. Keep up the great work!

I don't think that was racist - maybe several people thought, that you were filming this electrician and comment about his look without his knowledge.

Yeah, the world is a sad place sometimes. But still, you have more likes than dislikes, so the majority of your followers like us, are on your side. I think we're the more mature and reflected ones who are able to see past many of the shortsighted aspects the haters are blind to. :)

It's funny... so over the years I have been involved in various civic groups, non-profit club type things..and a few professional organizations...in ALL cases there is someone who, in a large formal meeting, decides that is the time to spout off something that has - been already talked about in that meeting or through some other current medium - or - only applies to 1% of the group, is not important in a legal/safety way, and should be handled in a direct offline way. Almost as if this person doesn't get enough attention in his personal life, and wants to stand on the rooftop and shout about something to a captive audience. I feel your pain, but also you know that these people will not understand you are talking about them...or will not change their ways. Don't feel discouraged, keep up the good work (although I also cringed when the magic smoke escaped).

There are a lot of morons out there. I used to watch a YouTube channel of a guy who moved to the north of Thailand with his wife. There was a whole group of people who said his videos were a scam and that he was a conman. He then got sick and couldn’t pay his bills and asked for help. The same people said the hospital background was a green screen and he was still faking it. He then died but the same people said he faked his death. From that point on I realized whatever the topic and however inoffensive there will be people who make it their job to be jealous and unpleasant. I hope you can ignore them and keep entertaining the rest of us but I know it’s difficult. Thanks for the video anyway.

David, while I disagree with your political perspective regarding certain topics, that isn't what I found unnerving about the "video." It was the tone of your comment within that video that I found disturbing. That being said, I adore your 8-bit guy videos and get much enjoyment from them. And I respect and admire the 8-bit guy that I see in those videos. I have supported you for a while here on Patreon and I am happy to continue to do so. I think it's important to realize we can have different opinions and that we can, in fact, disagree with and dislike a comment someone makes. However, the comment and the person are not the same thing - thank goodness. I appreciate you taking the time to address the issues as you saw them and I continue to be a happy supporter of your good work.

Love your videos!

I don't understand the need to create controversy and keep repeating the criticisms. It's not like you destroyed some valuable historical artifact or committed a crime or were inciting violence or something. I'd have tried the exact same thing with the paperclip. I was surprised to see that it didn't work. How many of us have shorted PSON to ground to force a power supply on for testing? Many, many more than would admit it, I'm sure! I find that the mistakes being left in the videos make the videos more educational and reflective of reality. I also didn't see any racism in your comment about the electrician. And if even the electrician admits he looks like Morgan Freeman, how is there a problem with it? Maybe we just live in a different reality...

By the way, you are such a nice guy and you tell your adventures like you are the best teacher in anyone's school. Usually nice people's YouTube channel draws in nice viewers and nice comments. It's a bit strange that some people are assholes in YT comment section on your channel, it doesn't add up. I know people like to show how much they know about stuff, cars, movies, tech, etc, but usually they are supportive and not bashing on the content creator. I know it must be hard but don't let them discourage you!

David .. some of this is pure jealousy. How cool is your job looking at legacy systems and providing us all with such knowledge and entertainment. You can't please everyone.. perifractic also put a video out a while ago of the same thing.. bloody trolls!

I feel bad for you. I was one of the guys who mentioned Adrian's Digital Basement but only because he's knowledgable and he might be able to help. Also, I too felt that video was a bit rushed but I hope my comment didn't leave any bad impression, I'm always trying to for a constructive comment.

The comments on that video were overblown to the max. Insanity. Thanks for the making the videos and content that you do - I've been a huge fan for a long time.

Thanks for taking the time to do thoughtful work. I always assume your best intensions and have enjoyed and learned from you. Look forward to what’s next.

Seems some people have nothing better to do than complain

Ignore the angry mob and gawking rabble.

Trust us, 99% of your viewers just watch your videos and say "Oh, that was cool/interesting/informative" and go about their day. Don't let comment trolls bother you.

All of this, BLM/Racial Tensions, Political divides, looting, rioting, etc. are a result of COVID-19 and being quarantined IMHO. People are releasing, and with cancel culture, it’s a mess.... *Shrug*

lol all the keyboard warriors in your videos' comments need to chill

It's all good! I'm an armchair patron and love your videos. Keep up the good work!

Good idea. Hope it isn’t gonna be received in a bad way by those people...