well at least the gear will end up on ebay eventually (partially) restored, even if people are just collecting you still get some saves because people don't turn on ancient capacitors, replace swiss filter technology, catch corrosion, save it from the landfill and sometimes offer pictures and information much more useful then old catalogs and manuals
if no one is buying it then its very possible to get it thrown into a e-waste dumpster and reclaimed for scrap
theoretically, even not looking at specifications, there is usually a chinese PCB you can get on ebay that theoretically does the work. practically, its unlikely to make it into even a plastic box with connectors on it to turn it into a usable tool (half of the stuff people claim makes things obsolete is kind of like attaching a saw to a motor body without a gearbox and calling it a useful carpenters tool (it does not even have a handle). but on paper both spin?
also, I expect there is at least some suppression from hardware developers.. those guys selling DC/DC converter minipcbs on ebay.. they don't want you to make your own thing, they wanna take over because its more sales. when they have cheap parts and a big inventory of course the trend will be to discourage people from doing otherwise.
effort required to use it as a test system in acquired state: obscene (who the hell actually can stand using a bunch of circuit boards strewn over a table connected by screw terminals and solder as a 'useful' laboratory. ?)
specification: facilitates blinking of light if you manage to connect it all without breaking something
so that gear has alot of use. its a step up above a shoe box with a bunch of cards. some people can get places with that though. imo its nuts to work like that. I think thats why people are going for it, but then nothing is developed because it 'feels' like you can just buy every simple thing on ebay, so I think people get stuck. feels like a bit of a youtube popularity contest (how many people are getting stuff to try to get followers? how many percent of followers actually know anything?). if you get started like that and then realize your projects are all seemingly out there, the equipment gets frozen. then in that case, just playing antiques road house will get more popularity then doing something with the equipment, because 'i can just buy that board and hook it up look it has these connections on it', the equipment body is kind of like art.. very few people actually understand the utility of the specification
try showing someone a thought out project, the end many times is a graph or number on something, often written on a note pad. then show someone glowy tubes.. whats going to get you props? the social media / marketing aspect that is common in this hobby completely drives some people crazy, but it reduces costs and increases availability. so frustration is inevitable?
plus it helps younger people in electronics careers because sometimes you can get through a non technical hiring manager because they saw something silly about what you are doing. any large company is going to have that problem. if there is some boss somewhere in the building that just happens to collect cool looking standard resistors to put into a display case near the model cars, you are kind of in luck. I once saw a gigantic radio transmitter tube in a hardware store, for no reason. i bet if you knew what it was you can get hired easier if you need money.
but it does clog the forum.. and sometimes stuff you need gets locked up in art prison..
and the electronics industry is just completely nuts because of things like Chinas mail/shipping subsidies (which some say is a part of some kind of economic war). for small and cheap things, the effects of shipping on purchasing can be described as chaotic. i have a feeling small changes in postage price, can already make things weird, and large ones are just ludicrous (not sure if its good or bad). and things like amazon and counterfeits, they reported 2 million listings that were removed just right now..
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