Well, I can't download anything right now, but another small thing
like that is the NeoDesktop at www.newdealinc.com. It seems to
descend from GEOS. It won't fit on a floppy, but is cool anyway.
>To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Modern Minimalism (Was: Future Computing Trends)
>
>At 02:46 PM 2/20/98 PST, you wrote:
>
>>and ran it fine when it had 8MB. Visual Basic and IE4 (I don't use
>>it regulary, Opera at www.operasoftware.com is much better: 1MB
>>download!)
>
>If you think that's cool, you need to check out what they are doing
with QNX:
>
>http://www.qnx.com/iat/createdemo.html
>
>QNX is a very small micro-kernel OS that has the look of Windows 95,
has
>builtin TCP/IP networking, a notepad, a few other little doodads, and
to
>top it off, a fully functional HTML 3.2 compliant web browser. Also
>supports graphics modes up to 1024x768 in millions of colors.
>
>Okay, not amazing enough for you already? How about if I told you it
all
>ran off a 1.44mb floppy disk? Hmmmm? :)
>
>Everyone owes to themselves to go grab this FREE (yes, FREE) OS and try
it
>for themselves.
>
>
>-John Higginbotham-
>-limbo.netpath.net-
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Here's an interesting article from Byte magazine:
http://www.byte.com/art/9802/sec5/art1.htm
It talks about how computers are becoming obsolete the day you buy them
due to all the crazy new technologies being released into the market. My
observation is that anyone who chases technology and is always upgrading
to the latest and greatest is always going to have an "obsolete" computer.
The situation is not as bad as the article makes it out to be, not that
the article is actually saying the speed of new technology introductions
is a problem. But if people could be satisfied with what they have on
their desk, this issue of obsolescense would not be an issue at all.
In 1995 I bought a Pentium-90 system which I clocked up to 100Mhz. It
came with Windows 3.1 but I quickly upgraded to Win95. It originally had
16MB RAM (which I've since upgraded to 32M) and a 1GB HD. It has a 5.25"
and 3.5" floppy and a CD-ROM drive. I'll soon be adding another 540MB HD
I have lying around spare, and then a 1.7GB SCSI HD as soon as I find a
SCSI cable. It's slow by today's standard, but the damn thing works. I
use an old version of Microsoft Works (3.0) for my word processing and
spread sheeting; some people haven't even heard of Works! They only know
Word. But Works loads instantly, whereas Word takes it seems forever to
load which is why I don't use it. Plus its bloated and drags my system
down.
Which brings me to my point. The computers we collect are still so damn
useful! And this is not a new argument, but even though these old
machines don't have SVGA and EDO RAM and Ultra-SCSI and other new-fangled
fanciness, they still work! They can still process words, and crunch
numbers and hold information. And best of all, they play games MUCH more
fun than the current cache of cathartic creations; DOOM was novel when I
first played it, but every other incantation after it (DOOM II, QUAKE,
DUKE NUKEM, ETC) is the same game with a different "scenario" and
graphics, and that damn bobbing up and down makes me sick anyway!
Give me Choplifter, Rescue Raiders or Dino Eggs any day!
If you read the article carefully it gives a glimpse of the types of
machines that may be collectible in ten years or so. The article proposes
the dawn of the age of the "disposable" computer. This is totally
ridiculous. I cannot even relate to that mode of thinking. But on the
positive side, it means disgustingly cheap (and probably FREE) computers
10, 5, even 1(!) year(s) from now. More cheap PCs for us to run Linux on!
(Imagine having your own DLA [Distributed Linux Array] consisting of 16 or
more 300Mhz Pentium II PC, alls for just a song! You could break
government encryption with something like that :)
People these days with their 333Mhz Pentiums with 128MB RAM and 4GB
harddrives should shut the hell up and be happy.
Long live "obsolete" computers.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
Sam has inspired me to once again ask for anyone interested in the
preservation and maintenance of old computer equipment and history of
the same to contact me at email: marty(a)itgonline.com
I appreciate the response I've received so far. Most responses have
been from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, only two from the DC metro
area. Hopefully we can get some activities going.
Thanks-
Marty Mintzell
"Daniel A. Seagraves" <DSEAGRAV(a)toad.xkl.com> wrote:
>Remeber when I said today was class pictures? I'll be the one in the
>decsystem-10 shirt... :)
Daniel, you're just so darn cute. I know what you're up to:
you're trying to get these old greybeard DEC collectors to put you
in their will - sheesh, toad.xkl.com - Paul Allen included! :-)
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
I've never heard of a Datanumerics DL8A but judging from the
description would jump on it. Sounds intriquing to me. Ask the seller
what price would make them happy. You might be pleasantly surprised.
On several occasions when I have asked this question I've been given
the equipment free or at a nominal cost. Anyway, it sounds too worthy
to be passed up. If you don't want it I certainly do.
Marty Mintzell
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Info on Datanumerics
Author: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu at internet
Date: 2/20/98 9:17 AM
I've been offered the following
Datanumerics DL8A. It is 8080 based,
comes in a 19" rack mount case, has 4k 600ns ram, 1 current loop (I
think) port, and obviously a full front panel.
I'm curious if anyone can provide any more information about this machine.
Obviously its an early one, but I couldn't find any mention of it on the
'web. Any suggestions as to scarcity and fair price would be welcome, too.
Cheers
Andrew
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Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 01:06:50 +1100
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From: "Andrew Davie" <adavie(a)mad.scientist.com>
To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Subject: Info on Datanumerics
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This is to all Bay Area, Ca locals...
I'd like to start a vintage computer hackers group that would cover all of
the Bay Area. This will be open to anyone interested in our hobby.
Please e-mail me so that I can add your address to the mailing list. Even
if I already know you (ie. Frank, Doug, Paul, Roger, etc.) please send me
an e-mail so that I have your most current address.
I'll start filling you in with the details once I've collected everyone's
address.
Thanks!
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0
See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
On Thu, 19 Feb 1998 17:58:47 +0100 (BST), Phil Beesley
<pb14(a)leicester.ac.uk> wrote:
>I think that you need to do a low level format on the IIGS to remove
>any hidden Macintosh partitioning data from the disk. You should be
>able to use this using the utilities on the GS/OS 6.0.1 installation
>disks. Formatting from the GS/OS Finder may not be sufficient.
>Phil
I finally got it working properly. I copied the GS disk utility to
another floppy and booted from it. I then totally wiped the disk and started
>from scratch. There must have been, as you said, some leftover info from the
old Mac that was attached to it.
Thanks everyone for your help.
-------------------------------------------------
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use)
- ClubWin Charter Member (6)
- MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
Captain Napalm <spc(a)armigeron.com> wrote:
> I attended an auction at Florida Atlantic University last year, hoping to
>pick up some nice computer equipment. There were a stack of HPs (68k based
>ones) for sale (that I had actually used years before at the university) in
>one pallet, the monitors were in another, and the keyboards in yet a third
>(my first complaint about the auction - the people running it didn't know
>the first thing about anything they were selling).
Sounds like the University of Wisconsin-Madison surplus sale, too.
In their zeal to sell, they separate all the systems: main units over
here, keyboards in that pile, monitors over there, software and docs
to the wind. So stupid. It if looks like a PC, it must be a PC.
And then the stuff they throw out because they don't understand it...
one day I picked up several $1500 video printers in the dumpster,
still working. A bunch of janitors promoted by the Peter Principle.
And this is just the dregs! So much property simply disappears before
it runs through the cloaca of UW-Surplus. My tax dollars at work.
State and UW employees get in early, too. Gads.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
I've been offered the following
Datanumerics DL8A. It is 8080 based,
comes in a 19" rack mount case, has 4k 600ns ram, 1 current loop (I
think) port, and obviously a full front panel.
I'm curious if anyone can provide any more information about this machine.
Obviously its an early one, but I couldn't find any mention of it on the
'web. Any suggestions as to scarcity and fair price would be welcome, too.
Cheers
Andrew
Check out this URL if you're in San Francisco; it's a list of thrift
stores in the City.
http://www.sfbayguardian.com/GuardianGuides/Superlists/SFthriftstores.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
