In my not so humble opinion - I spent 35+ years writing software and
dealing with computers. I was the go to guy. I never got beat by the
computer. That said, anyone that wants to put a computer chip in my
lathe can do so over my dead body. I've got an older Nova 3000 (now
called the Nova 1624-44). I have never run into anything that this
lathe can't do. Way less money and I'd bet my butt you won't know the
difference. If you want to see the kind of stuff I produce go to
http://www.eskimoblueday.com. The upside, beside the savings, is that
it's going to be way more dependable over your kids, kids grandkids
lifetimes.