Well, from what i have read, they stopped supporting it about 3 to 4 years after it came out, when AFP changed to the more secure method.
I was not looking for anything new in support, but it seems they abandoned the drive at about 3 to 4 years old. I was looking for some old firmware that at least had newer AFP support which came out in 2008 I believe.
So yea, we agree, I think it is 8 years old, and I would not expect today to get parts or even customer service on such a device (I think 5 or 7 depending on which state you live in), but 4 years ago, when AFP changed? Yea, I would have expected them to support it then, and then did not. There are dozens of messages on Apple's boards about the lack of support for this drive going back to 2006 and 2007, when the drive was not so old. THAT is what bothers me.
But as you point out, it is a moot point. But as I said, I hate throwing stuff in the dump that should still work. SIGH!
End of discussion. Thank you for your comments. Appreciated.