old-hardware-adaptation and new-hardware-adaptation are both meant for connecting new and old hardware to each other, but I am not sure about their definitional boundaries.
The basic premise is, the former tag is for situations when it’s the retro device that is being adapted, and the latter for when it’s the non-retro device. I suppose it’s clear enough which should be applied when the adaptation process consists of disassembling one of the devices and soldering something to it. But I don’t think most situations are so clear. Sometimes the question may ask how to connect two devices together, without regard as to which should be modified; in other situations, the solution may involve a discrete adapter connected to both devices, which may be considered adapting either device, both, or neither, depending on how one draws the boundaries. And applying both tags is wasteful: it may prevent applying other relevant tags, since there is a limit of five per question.
Imagine someone asks how to connect a high-definition monitor to a C64:
- When the solution involves modifying the monitor to add C64-compatible video input, it’s new-hardware-adaptation.
- When the solution involves adding circuitry to the C64 (maybe a Raspberry Pi board, because why not?) that provides HDMI output, it’s old-hardware-adaptation.
- When the solution involves connecting both devices to a discrete adapter, it’s… neither? Both?
Would you agree that it makes the most sense to just merge the two tags?
