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THE HISTORY of CDB Systems:(as told by yours truly)
Craig D Baker began CDB Systems as a reaction to the absurd costs associated with the original 8 bit personal computers - long before the IBM PC became the
raging success that began the modern personal computer age! Our first customers purchased Z80 8 bit computers (we still have a couple of them around the store) which now are museum pieces. What systems they made
then! We still have an original NorthStar with its Z80A processor (an 8 bit chip running at a whopping 4Mhz!!!) and its SOLID WALNUT WOODEN case (I'm not kidding). They just don't make 'em like that
anymore!
Unlike the original IBM PCs (which are so plentiful that folks just throw them out) these older 8-bit microcomputers are likely to become valuable (at least
to some folks). And the older units tended to have quite a bit of gold in them from the original memory chips and cards that got used -- making them attractive to scrap merchants. We also started the oldest BBS
System in the state, Pinecliffe BBS (which is down currently, but WILL shortly be active again).
After being in Boulder for about 15 years (mosty at 5735 Arapahoe), and after being in Longmont for a number of years, CDB Systems opened another Boulder
Location at 1633 28th Street in Boulder. Alas the Landlord (Tebo Development) refused to extend the lease for this nice location and we've had to close it -- though we are currently looking at other Boulder
space!
The changes in the Computer Industry have been nothing short of revolutionary. And we've adapted to these changes, as well or better than most anyone
else that I know of! In an age of chain stores and discount warehouses (which have driven the majority of 'little' computer stores out of business), we've managed to stick around by offering customer
service that the others simply can't touch. We genuinely CARE about our customers and will do just about anything to help them out. Though (ahem) we may cluck a bit from time to time if we find one of them
buying mail order! Usually they hang their heads and promise not to do it again (right!) This is what explains our longevity -- frankly, I can think of a dozen of our competitors who were reduced to competing on
nothing but price -- and a big chain store (unloading computers for less that it costs us to buy the parts for a GOOD computer) simply had them for lunch.
We offer so much more than just a cheap price - though we can often compete directly with the big boys - we put together MUCH better systems than the run of
the mill chain store puts out. And we are not limited to stock on hand or older components! Whereas in a lot of stores the answer to whatever you need happens to coincide with what the boss has a hundred of sitting
in the stockroom, our systems are usually built from scratch with YOUR needs in mind. And since we are not limited to a particular line of parts, we can pick and choose to construct systems much faster and more
powerful than ANYTHING on the market!
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