Do you really thing you would put aside your regular laptop to use an old terminal for writing?
I mean I am all for recycling but if you already own something that can do more I have very little faith that anyone would regularly fire up an old power hungry machine to do one single task unless it does it significantly better than the newer one or some kind of compatibility factor forces it like needing a particular port/interface unavailable on newer machines.
Do you really thing you would put aside your regular laptop to use an old terminal for writing?
Yes. I already do. It provides focus and a chance for me to concentrate on my writing, rather than be distracted not only by a thousand notifications and temptations (Oh, let me just switch over and see if there's anything new on HN...), but also the mild background anxiety that comes from knowing interruption is just a push notification, or a Command-Tab away.
I have very little faith that anyone would regularly fire up an old power hungry machine to do one single task
Then you have very little faith in George R.R. Martin, who isn't shy about writing on a Kaypro II.
I think Terry Pratchett was doing the same, at list for a time, but with WordPerfect.
But I think there is a huge difference in the fact that most of thoses authors still using old machines with old text processors[1] just follow a workflow they have been using for decades before newer computers were available. And the risk of distraction is pretty much the same if the laptop or the phone is sitting next to the dedicated machine. I don't think there are many newer authors deciding to look on ebay for old dos machines for writing.
[1] there are also musicians still using cubase on Atari ST to drive other midi instruments, I also remember a documentary showing a camping owner who wrote is management softwares decades ago and who was still running it recently on an Atari ST or Amiga 500.
I mean I am all for recycling but if you already own something that can do more I have very little faith that anyone would regularly fire up an old power hungry machine to do one single task unless it does it significantly better than the newer one or some kind of compatibility factor forces it like needing a particular port/interface unavailable on newer machines.