Re: FCC outlawing home built computers?

Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Fri, 1 Aug 1997 13:57:34 +0200 (MET DST)


On Thu, 31 Jul 1997, Bobby Whalen wrote:

> I just read in the August issue of PC-Computing that the FCC will be
> outlawing the construction of home built computers using the latest
> processors. Has anyone else heard this?
>
> This has got to be the most ludicrous proposal from the statists I've
> heard this year. I have never built my own computer (yet), but the very
> principle of this concept make me *!#$%#$#* sick!

I would guess it is to avoid EM-noise; modern processors work at such
frequencies that they get into the radio spectrum easily. As was
pointed out, this can be a serious problem for some devices. I'm not
that worried about pacemakers, modern pacemakers have a system that
turns them the the "default" 70 bpm if their sensors appear to go
nut, but there are many other systems that can get disrupted this
way. An extropian might even consider spreading EM-noise an
infringement on privacy.

Are you sure the FCC are outlawing *all* home building, or just
outlawing home building which doesn't meet the standards? There is a
big difference between the two, although following the standards can
of course be very tricky.

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