< 1. What is the difference between a MicroVAX, VaxStation, and a
< VaxServer?
Everything or nothing depending on model. generally the
vaxserver/microvax have no or minimal video. Vaxstations are the higher
end video console.
< 2. How desirable are these 3100-30's? That is, is there software
< available, or are there any undesirable traits-- e.g. hard
< to upgrade, can only hold xx amout of RAM, etc?
Popular. the rest I cant answer as they are as unPC as they come. the
disks are SCSI and ram is simms(maybe oddball though).
Generally VMS runs in 4mb but 8mb or more is desireable, with 12mb it
sings and 16mb is the max.
< 3. What kind of display does this use? CRT/Keyboard, or terminal?
Varies from a serial terminal to high end color graphics.
<4. How do I tell the disk size, memory size, etc?
Test 50, show device, show mem at the >>> prompt.
< 5. What would be a 'reasonable' price (just a ballpark figure,
< I don't wanna spend $500 on a box that could be had elsewhere
< for $50).
NOT $500! free to 150(loaded). The monitors are worth more than the
systems in some cases.
I'll be selling a few Vaxserver3100 M10es 12meg ram and RZ24l Disk(245mb)
for $60 at MIT FLEA with VMS 5.5 (nolicense but useable for single user
and the DECUS license). This model has no video and uses a regular
terminal (I'm selling VT320s for those that may need).
< 6. Anthing else I should know before committing time/money?
depends on what you know of VAXen and the operating systems that run on
them. (VMS, Ultrix (some not all models), NetBSD netboot, hopefully
scsi support soon).
Allison
I think I can wait ten years for this one, maybe even less if it hits the
market like I think it will. ;)
At 09:20 PM 8/13/98 -0500, Doug Yowza wrote:
>Fascinating; it's a 486 machine that has absolutely nothing to do with a
>C64. Why would anybody in their right mind try to build that association
>for their product?
-
- john higginbotham ____________________________
- webmaster www.pntprinting.com -
- limbo limbo.netpath.net -
I agree totally. it's starting to happen around here also. thankfully, ive got
enough stuff already, but am always looking for more. several weeks ago,
someone posted to the list about a coleco adam for sale in nc. i emailed the
person who said ~10 people had bidded on it and she was taking the highest
offer. i was rather surprised as i thought i'd be able to get it for $10 or so
since no one else would be interested in it. I think that the well known
"rare" computers like lisae, altairs, and so forth will inflate in price
first, and then lessor known computers will not for a time, which means stock
up now while prices are still cheap.
In a message dated 98-08-13 19:35:05 EDT, Sam Ismail put forth:
<< We spoke on this topic last year, and I and a couple others prognosticated
that the then somehwat tame trend towards escalating prices for older
computers would reach the levels we are seeing today. It was just a
matter of how fast, and it basically came upon us as fast as I expected it
would. That's why I've been busy loading my garage up with stuff. I knew
well enough to get the goods while the getting's good. Once I've got some
spare time, I can sit back and enjoy tinkering with my (cheaply
accumulated) collection while the newly-interested collectors are
scratching and clawing for that latest "RARE TimexSinclair 1000!!!" on
eBay. >>
Oh, well, thinks like that do happen, and there's not much you can do about
it. I use MS-MAIL, and a lot of times, I don't even GET some of the
messages :-( I hate it, but it's all my computer will run. It seems like
every reader has it's problems.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
----------
> From: cdrmool(a)interlog.com
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: FW: Dos v2.11 apology
> Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 5:03 AM
>
>
> Sorry for the empty message back a bit. I understand some people were
> annoyed. Let me explain for those who don't use Pine as a mail reader.
> The cancel command ctrl-c and cancel ctrl-x are easy to mix up. Its
about
> as annoying as when using Telix and wanting to shell out (alt-j) and
> accidentally hang up (alt-h). Yes, you are prompted to make sure you want
to
> send after ctrl-x but if your not expecting it, simply expecting to
> cancel, hitting the return is done before the prompt is even seen. Also,
> being a reasonably fast typist leads to mistakes of overconfidence in
what
> has been typed. Remappimg the keyboard would be the obvious answer but
> after once doing so I caused new problems, so I don't bother.
> I promise it will never happen again.
>
> Colan
>
At 03:04 PM 8/13/98 -0500, you wrote:
> Guess I'm sitting on a fortune with my 5 Altairs, but I'd never sell them
> (and I mean that, whereas Jim used to say he'd never sell his either).
Well, if I had an Altair, I think I'd probably put it up for auction -- I
desparately need a new roof, and I can think of a lot of more important
reasons to sell something I wouldn't normally think of selling. Can't
fault him, but I can be envious!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
At 04:37 PM 8/13/98 -0700, you wrote:
>On Thu, 13 Aug 1998, the thread continued:
>
>> >Guess I'm sitting on a fortune with my 5 Altairs, but I'd never sell them
>> >(and I mean that, whereas Jim used to say he'd never sell his either).
>>
>> Ah... but you make an incorrect assumption... I still have all of my
>> Altairs.
>>
>> (dontcha just love a good mystery?)
>
>Aha! So what was your commission? ;)
>
>Sam Alternate e-mail:
dastar(a)siconic.com
Better than I expected since it cleared the reserve (by a fair bit)... It
should pay for my trip down to VCF II. B^}
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
At 01:21 PM 8/13/98 -0500, you wrote:
>> I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I find myself extremely
>> depressed by this. Does anyone know (personally) the fellow who put in
>> the high bid? Will the Altair be something of inherent value to him,
>> or is it simply an investment?
>
>I haven't looked at the URL but I'm sure I don't know anyone involved.
>
>It IS depressing, isn't it? I've been thinking about this aspect of computer
>collecting for a while. Someone on alt.folklore.computers said that he had
>verified the authenticity of an Apple I system (complete with original cover
>letter receipt signed by Steve Jobs, etc.) just before it was shipped across
>the country to a new buyer.
I'll tell you why it's depressing. We had such a good thing going-- the
whole
world was (is) dominated by the PeeCee, nobody but us *real* hobbyists cared
about the interesting "old" stuff. It was a *real* hobby-- anyone with a
*couple* (meaning two) of dollars could get into the act.
ALl you needed to have some truly interesting stuff was a voltmeter, a
terminal,
and just a little luck.
Well, kiddies, the party's over. "Investment Grade" antique technology is
here to stay, it seems. Well I'll tell you what, guys. They can *have* it.
I'll have nothing more to do with "Investment Grade" computers. One
experience
was enough to show me the level of perversion that can be attained with this
mindset.
>As I drooled over this, I realized that it's an extremely desirable thing to
>have (and this one in particular sounded rare) but the economics are just too
>warped. There are only a handful of these machines, right? And they just
>change hands and the prices go up. Also, it may be desirable to have, but
not
>to USE. The RAM is expandable to almost 64K (though I've never heard of this
>being done) but there's only one slot and the only card built for it was a
>cassette interface. The display is slow because it uses a shift register.
Yeah, it wasn't that great of a machine, even in it's own time (although, of
course, quite historic). But such was the lot of the hobbyist at the time.
>I'm just too practical, I guess. I believe in collecting things to use them/
>have fun with them, and the rarity of the Apple I is at odds with this goal.
>I too have to wonder at the motives of the buyer of this Altair.
It's all a matter of goals and priorities. There are goals that will
produce a
productive outcome if reached, and there are some that will produce a bad
outcome.
This is a good hobby, because even schoolkids withoout alot of money can
enjoy
the 'rush' of putting an old system together and running it (something *I*
couldn't
do when I was a kid).
But when it becomes a hobby for the rich, upper classes-- as many of the
'traditional'
hobbies have become-- then something will be irrevocably lost. Hopefully, we
are still a decade or so away from the complete commercialization of our
hobby.
I can't bear the though of the classic computer going the way of the
baseball card,
and the comic book . . .
>There IS the possibility that this is an elaborate "sour grapes" argument,
>given that I have neither an Apple I nor an Altair. :)
And what I'm saying is that you don't need them to enjoy the hobby. In
fact, I'm
convinced now that having *anything* that's considered 'Investment Grade'
would
*preclude* you from experiencing the enjoyment factor. Our Pre-PC heritage
is so
vast and diverse, there literally must be something (else) out there for
everyobody.
Jeff
*FOR SALE*
Slightly used SOAPBOX.
Used only once to annoy
computer geeks online.
> My hat stays frontwards. Internet Exploiter 3.2 and Mess-Mail, or
> Internet Exploder 4.0 with Overlook Expired, either take up so much
> room that I won't take the blame when something doesn't work --
> especially since you don't even have room for swap space. (Don't
> try to tell me that 80Mb of RAM stops Windows from swapping -- I
> thought that from the the original "specifications". NOT!)
It's NOT that Windows won't work, I can't FIT anything on the HD. It's
ONLY 100MB, and Windows takes up 90-some, and the rest by MS-Mail, and IE
3.02. Leaving a total of about 5 MEG.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318
PS>> just forget about your hat.
Guys:
I realize that this question has probly been raised before,
but I'll ask, as I cannot seem to find the answer. I have a
lead on a MicroVAX 3100-30, that I can get for what I *think*
is a pretty reasonable price. But before I dive into this,
I need to know:
1. What is the difference between a MicroVAX, VaxStation, and a
VaxServer?
2. How desirable are these 3100-30's? That is, is there software
available, or are there any undesirable traits-- e.g. hard
to upgrade, can only hold xx amout of RAM, etc?
3. What kind of display does this use? CRT/Keyboard, or terminal?
4. How do I tell the disk size, memory size, etc?
5. What would be a 'reasonable' price (just a ballpark figure,
I don't wanna spend $500 on a box that could be had elsewhere
for $50).
6. Anthing else I should know before committing time/money?
Jeff
| -----Original Message-----
| From: Doug Yowza [mailto:yowza@yowza.com]
| Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 2:17 PM
| To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
| Subject: Re: Who Bought It (RE: Altair prices)
|
| A babe with an Altair. I'm in love :-)
|
| -- Doug
You obviously didn't read her FAQ :)
Kai
Are you single?
-In the sense that I'm not married, yes. But I am taken. See Eric's home
page.
Will you go out with me?
-No.
Will you send me dirty email?
-No.
Will you post nude pictures of yourself?
-No.
Do you find horny geek questions like this really annoying?
-How could you guess?
