- test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org - classiccmp.org

by jpl15＠netcom.com

Will the person who enquired (a short while back) about an HP Keyboard with matching RJ-style cable... please drop me a note, privately? I have the device here ready to ship, and your e-mail with address has made that long final journey to /dev/null somehow. Sorry for the OT. John

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Altair BASIC

by dogas＠leading.net

-----Original Message----- From: John Foust <jfoust(a)threedee.com> Again, for the record, I think Marvin's posts are at least interesting and useful and certainly as interesting as any other report of a sale or give-away or auction. I appreciate his routine filtering of the search engine on eBay. -----Original Next Message----- From: John Foust <jfoust(a)threedee.com> >All this was gathered by a few minutes searching with www.dejanews.com >and www.hotbot.com, with the string "Monte Davidoff". I know, it's >far easier to enter a message that says "I wonder what happened to >him," and wait for the oracles to whisper the answer. :-) Hmmm.... you are indeed an enigma wrapped in a riddle backwards... Heh - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

[Fwd: Altos boxes]

by msg＠waste.org

Forwarded to list in case recipient address incorrect:

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Fwd: FS/FT Firmware PROM listing - H-19

by cfandt＠netsync.net

Heath normally provided all ROM code held under their copyright to their customers, even the Z100 computer BIOS. Contact this fellow directly, not me. >X-Sender: morris(a)mail.cogent.net >X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.1 >Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 02:41:07 -0800 >Reply-To: Mike Morris <morris(a)COGENT.NET> >Sender: Heathkit Owners and Collectors List <HEATH(a)LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV> >From: Mike Morris <morris(a)COGENT.NET> >Subject: FS/FT Firmware PROM listing - H-19 >To: HEATH(a)LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV > >Recently while doing an inventory of a silent key's files I discovered what >is apparently a original assembly code listing of the Heath H19 terminal >firmware, dated 30-May-1980, complete with cross-reference at the end. >Apparently Heath sold them. > >It appears to be offset printed from an original daisy-wheel printout. On >the front is says "H-19-1 595-2465" > >It was bound with blue vinyl with melted plastic pegs which have fallen >apart - but it is complete - I checked and every page is there. > >Make offer - including trades. > >Mike Morris WA6ILQ >mike(a)morris.com > >--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- >To subscribe: listserv(a)listserv.tempe.gov >and in body: subscribe HEATH yourfirstname yourlastname >To unsubscribe: listserv(a)listserv.tempe.gov >and in body: signoff HEATH >Archives for HEATH: http://www.tempe.gov/archives >--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net Member of Antique Wireless Association URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Ebay: Stuff

by dogas＠leading.net

From: Marvin <marvin(a)rain.org> >Someone asked a while ago about the IMSAI manuals. The current bid is >$103.50! >http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=59629904 I missed that someone asking about the imsai manuals. I have many of them if someone need some copying done... - Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Late-model VAX available

by netcafe＠pirie.mtx.net.au

-----Original Message----- From: Bruce Lane <kyrrin(a)my-dejanews.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, 26 January 1999 16:58 Subject: FW: Late-model VAX available >>Does anybody have a need for a Vax 8530/ 52mb memory and console , 2- >>HSC's, 2 - TA81's, 8 - 456mb Hard Drives. Several VT320 terminals and La75 >>printers. MicroVax II, Star Coupler, Power Conditioner. Lot of ram for an 8530. Mine only has 20mb. They use a Pro350 or 380 as a console. Oh, 8530's are ECL. ie they get HOT. 456mb drives would be RA81's. Sigh. Things like this always seem to be too far away for me.... Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Room Internet Cafe Port Pirie South Australia. netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

CoCo3's & Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by guerney＠uq.net.au

Tony Duell said: >Talking of CoCo3's, has anyone ever seen a 50Hz PAL video model? They were sold in Australia. Mine has the following on the sticker on the base of the unit. "128L COLOR COMPUTER 3 PAL VERSION" MODEL 26-3334 Custom Manufactured in Korea for Tandy Australia. 240 V 50 Hz of course. And for those interested in Serial Numbers, this one is 1003738 and my other one is 1002641 Roger "Merch" Merchberger said: >> BTW, my CoCo3's serial # is 102404... anyone know if there are different >> serial number series for US-sold versus Canadian-sold CoCo3's? I purchased >> mine in Canada; much cheaper!

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

IBM PC-JX (was: Reiability of wrong media)

by amirault＠epix.net

Hi, I may be interested in one of the CPU's with a keyboard. If you have any manuals I would appreciate a copy. I think that this is the same as an IBM PCJR. If I am incorrect please let me know. I collect IBM PCJR's and would like to have one from another country. Please let me know what the shipping charge is. Also please let me have a list of wanted computers as I have a Salvation Army Store about one half hour from my house. I am in the north east corner of Pennsylvania, USA. Please contact me direct email to set up shipping arrangements, my email address is > amirault(a)epix.net. Thanks, John Amirault -----Original Message----- From: Phil Guerney <guerney(a)uq.net.au> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Sunday, January 24, 1999 6:23 AM Subject: Re: IBM PC-JX (was: Reiability of wrong media) >-----Original Message----- >From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> > >>How many know about the IBM PC-JX? It had 5.25" 720K drives! >>Never sold in the U.S., just Japan and Australia? > >Hmmm ... never sold in the US....I'll not dwell on the obvious about >collecting a load of JX systems that were used in some schools here and >selling them on e-bay ;) > >Do you US collectors want these machines? I don't collect IBM PC's, although >I did relent once and pay $A20 for a JX machine (IBM Model 5511 with 5515 >monitor and 5519 expansion unit - made in Japan and all in black with a 3.5" >drive in the main box and a 5.25" drive in the expansion box) that was in >good condition. As I suspected, not a very interesting computer to me. If >someone was prepared to foot the freight bill from Australia, I would be >prepared to sell or trade it. I also would be prepared to look out for >others and send them on. > >Same applies to real Aussie micro's like Microbees and not-so-real Aussie >items like Dick Smith branded computers (which invariably were sold under >other brand/model names in the USA). > >Trades are more interesting to me than sales - my main interest is roughly >defined as "1975-1985 home micros". It doesn't matter how much money I got >for this at auction, it wouldn't help me find a lot of stuff that seems >available to you lot at your local thrift store! > >If anybody is interested, contact me by private e-mail. Just be prepared for >at least a 3-month shipping delay, unless it is only a light item, or you >can afford a hefty air-freight bill. > >Phil >Brisbane, Australia. > > > >

27 years, 5 months

3
3
0 0

OT: Alien Media (was Disasters and Recovery)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 25, 14:16, Hans Franke wrote: > > Hans lost a "per second" (Hertzlos, I suppose ;-). > > Just a bloody German - Herzlos ! > > <ROTFL> > Hans Sorry, I couldn't resist it :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Removal from list

by pctech＠davidbowie.com

I wish to be removed from the list.How do i do so?

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by hhacker＠gte.net

Since the subject has gained so much discussion, I shall take the suggestion and produce the guide. Such an endeavor takes time, so don't expect a release too soon. Nevertheless, I am now open to taking first orders. :) :) :) As for the rule itself, I agree that ten years after last manufacture implies classic status - that is, the item is an antique. However, that requirement of time is not necessarily the most prudent for some items. In some cases, classic status might be applied to an item available only two or three years ago. Such cases might be rare but, justified by the circumstances. I suggest also that classic status might be conferred upon a measure of the relative throughput of the computing instrument at hand. That is, when the device performs at a rate of two percent or less than the performance of minimal systems sold in the marketplace (at the time of the comparison), then such a system can be termed a classic. William R. Buckley

27 years, 5 months

9
11
0 0

FW: Late-model VAX available

by kyrrin＠my-dejanews.com

Anyone want a nice 8000 series VAXen? Looks like these folks are getting rid of one. Between the list and Dan Burrows, I figure this one could find a good home. -=-=- <snip> -=-=- From: denihawk(a)aol.com (DENIHAWK) Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: Vax Mainframe Lines: 9 NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder03.news.aol.com X-Admin: news(a)aol.com Date: 25 Jan 1999 21:39:26 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Message-ID: <19990125163926.17953.00002954(a)ng29.aol.com> Path: news1.jps.net!news.pbi.net!165.87.194.248!newsm.ibm.net!ibm.net!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.cwix.com!152.163.199.19!portc03.blue.aol.com!audrey03.news.aol.com!not-for-mail Xref: news1.jps.net comp.os.vms:17946 Does anybody have a need for a Vax 8530/ 52mb memory and console , 2- HSC's, 2 - TA81's, 8 - 456mb Hard Drives. Several VT320 terminals and La75 printers. MicroVax II, Star Coupler, Power Conditioner. I am not having any luck with selling, donating, disposing any of these Items. Any suggestions would be appreciated. E-mail or serious inquiries may call me at (205)444-4507. Denise Hawkins Systems Manager Goldome Credit Corporation -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies -- kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech [dot] com Web: http://www.bluefeathertech.com "...No matter how we may wish otherwise, our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot possibly define any of them..."

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

Altair BASIC

by guerney＠uq.net.au

From: Andrew Davie <adavie(a)mad.scientist.com> >An interesting quote from my ALTAIR BASIC manual... >"The Software Department is at Ext. 3; and the joint authors of the ALTAIR >BASIC Interpreter, Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Monte Davidoff, will be glad >to assist you." >So, where is Monte these days? I haven't heard of him before. >A

27 years, 5 months

1
0
0 0

IBM PC-JX (was: Reiability of wrong media)

by amirault＠epix.net

Fred, Thank you. John Amirault 107 2nd Ave. Susquehanna, Pa. 18847 -----Original Message----- From: Fred Cisin (XenoSoft) <cisin(a)xenosoft.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 3:38 PM Subject: Re: IBM PC-JX (was: Reiability of wrong media) >On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, John Amirault wrote: >> Hi, >> I may be interested in one of the CPU's with a keyboard. If you have any >> manuals I would appreciate a copy. I think that this is the same as an IBM >> PCJR. If I am incorrect please let me know. > >The PC-JX is NOT PC-Jr. >Although there are a few superficial similarities, and many of the same >letters in the name, it is a different machine. Among other things, the >JX uses a 720K 5.25" drive. > > >-- >Fred Cisin cisin(a)xenosoft.com >XenoSoft http://www.xenosoft.com >2210 Sixth St. (510) 644-9366 >Berkeley, CA 94710-2219 > >

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Radio Shack Computer Demonstrator

by guerney＠uq.net.au

Today I came across a 1982 dated 24-page booklet titled "The Radio Shack Computer Demonstrator" developed by Fred C. Matt. Section 1 was labelled "Storage Unit" and showed a series of instructions: 00 LODA,05 01 ADDA,06 02 STRA,07 ..... and further headings described registers and a comparing unit. I thought at first "Was this some sort of SBC with a monitor/assembler?" But reading on, it became obvious that this device was made out of _cardboard_ with sliding tabs for a line counter, and registers which were written to with a pencil! Has anybody managed to find/keep one of these things? Sounds a neat little souvenir from the period. And if anyone followed through the steps, they would indeed have had a good introduction to programming a microprocessor in assembly language. Would be great for kids even today - except I can't see many having the patience or interest unfortunately. Phil Brisbane, Australia

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Alto II

by edick＠idcomm.com

I was at a local thrift store yesterday and spotted a couple of oddly shaped boxes with a designation indicating them to be ALTOS boxes. One has a tape drive of some sort and the other has a floppy disk drive. Does this mean anything to anyone? IF someone wants them, I could snag them and ship. I doubt they will cost much more than $10 each. Dick ---------- > From: Doug <doug(a)blinkenlights.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Alto II (was Re: PDP-8 prices > Date: Sunday, January 24, 1999 8:36 PM > > On Sun, 24 Jan 1999, Marvin wrote: > > > I don't know if you noticed or not, but the email address of the seller is > > at spies.com. For those of you who might not be aware, spies.com is one of > > the largest repositories of arcade game related materials. The guy who runs > > it seems to be very well regarded in the collector circles. > > That's the guy. He's also well regarded by Alto collectors: > http://www.spies.com/aek/xerox.html > > So, don't worry, if you don't pay him $5K, it'll still have a good home. > $5K seems like a reasonable price, BTW (assuming he doesn't have a $20K > reserve). Only 1000 or so were made. It's historic. It would be easy to > justify. Who's gonna do it?! > > Not me! I have absolutely no desire to spend $5K on the thing. And this > confuses me a little. It's near the top of my wanted list, and I can > afford it, but the prospect doesn't interest me even a little bit. For > some reason, I find the idea somewhat offensive. > > I guess it's because I think of an acquisition sort of like an "adoption". > I'm willing to house the thing, and spend a good chunk of time trying to > get it working, keep it working, and make it accessible to others. Why > should I have to pay $5K on top of that? > > $500 seems to be my limit for what I consider a reasonable acquisition > fee. Maybe that will go up as this crazy price spiral continues, but to > pay more than that, I think you really have to be in the speculative > investment mindset, and I'm not. > > -- Doug > >

27 years, 6 months

6
6
0 0

Olivetti M20 information

by jolminkh＠nsw.bigpond.net.au

I have one with no operating system. Don't know anything about it though. -----Original Message----- From: Dwight Elvey <elvey(a)hal.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, 26 January 1999 11:21 Subject: Olivetti M20 information >Hi > Making a call for anyone with info on the >Olivetti M20. It was a Z8000 machine. >Dwight >

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<>Humm. This one is tough. We talk about VAXen and the MicroVAX is only <>about 14-15 years old and some models do persist but they are uniquly <>new compared to others. Example, we wouldn't be talking about 6xxx series <>as the oldest ones are early 90s. < <Ahem, I've got one here that is stamped 89. I understood they went into <production in 88. <I have another that is stamped JAN 1990. I suggest that these are "classic We talking about MicroVAX, MicroVAX-6000 or MV3100 series? Many of those models were introduced in the late 80s were still in production years later(or a version/flavor was). <machines in their own right anyway, age notwithstanding. However I would <accept the consensus of the list members on the legitimacy of this. How <say you? For me they are. Allison

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

The Computer Journal

by dogas＠leading.net

David Greelish, the publisher of Historically Brewed has just recently relocated for a new job to North Carolina (I think) and is probably taking some time to get his feet planted again.... I'll give him a buzz and see what the status of HB is. Mike:dogas@leading.net -----Original Message----- From: John R. Keys Jr. <jrkeys(a)concentric.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 7:48 PM Subject: RE: The Computer Journal >Historically Brewed was to have started back up late last year but I have >yet receive one issue from them and no response to e-mails for a refund. > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu >> [mailto:CLASSICCMP-owner@u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Sam Ismail >> Sent: Monday, January 25, 1999 11:38 AM >> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers >> Subject: Re:The Computer Journal >> >> >> On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Dave Dameron wrote: >> >> > Is The Computer Journal still in business? Their web site is >> still up, but I >> > cannot tell when it was last updated. I subscribed last July and haven't >> > yet received any issues. (In October they were working on the next one, >> > #82...) That is about my threshold for non delivery, I >> > wrote and sent email asking for a refund and have gotten no response. >> >> They've been busy. I subscribed over a year ago and have gotten only a >> few issues of my subscription. Since I know they're good guys and would >> never intentionally screw anyone I am not bitching about it, but I >> certainly do understand your plight. Keep trying, they are definitely >> still around, just not responding. >> >> > Speaking of classic computer magazines, does anyone get >> Historically Brewed? >> >> As far as I know this wasn't being published anymore(?) >> >> Sellam Alternate e-mail: >> dastar(a)siconic.com >> ------------------------------------------------------------------ >> ------------ >> Always being hassled by the man. >> >> Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 >> See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! >> [Last web site update: 01/15/99] >> >> > >

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

PDP-8 prices

by dogas＠leading.net

-----Original Message----- From: Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> >Computer collecting was a lot more fun when you could grab a random >machine for a few pounds/dollars, take it home and enjoy it. I agree. That's why I hate the commercialization now occuring in this hobby. I't just about gaurantees that there will be few newcomers into the hobby that can amass the bit piles many of us own and love to explore. Mike: dogas(a)leading.net

27 years, 6 months

4
3
0 0

FW: S-100 Boards

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

Anybody help this guy out? -----Original Message----- From: Lee P. Adams [mailto:adamsl@letu.edu] Sent: Monday, January 25, 1999 3:08 PM Subject: S-100 Boards Hi, I am a Senior Computer Science & Engineering student at LeTourneau Univ, in Longview, TX and for my Senior Design we have to design a SBC (single board computer), not a big deal. Now here is the trick the school has an old system that uses the S-100 type interface boards and they don't have anymore. Do you have any that you would part with/ Thakns in advance. Lee P. Adams

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

PC/XT 512K RAM card

by rhblake＠bigfoot.com

Anyone have need for a fully populated 512k 8 bit RAM card, pulled from a fully working XT that had a 256k motherboard in it? Make a fair offer and remember that there will be a $3.25 or so shipping fee by USPS on it, should be able to go priority as cheaply as regular parcel post. USA and APO/FPO only please. First come first serve, I only have the one.

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

hardware

by edick＠idcomm.com

These are relatively small boxes, i.e. on the order of the AT&T 6300's, but not purely rectangular in front profile. They are brown in color (just a guess, as I'm "chromatically challenged" and somewhat larger than the AT&T box. By the way, it seems to me that we (you and I ) were discussing ( via email ) the transfer of a number of S-100 components I was planning to discard. I was pretty sick back then, about a year ago, but now that the MD is on top of what's wrong I'm more or less functional again. You were, ( I believe ) interested in various S-100 video boards I have. One of them is a Microangelo, but was hacked by a friend and later given to me. I'd be happy to take up that discussion again, if you're interested. As before, all I want is the cost of packaging and shipping. I've had these for a long time and don't use them and, in many cases, never have. Last summer I donated ten or a dozen terminals and nearly as many daisywheel printers to the local thrift store (a charitable organization) just to take the writeoffs. I paid lots of $$$ for some of this stuff and don't just want to toss it, so, I'm looking for a "good" home. regards, Dick ---------- > From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: Alto II > Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 12:03 PM > > On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote: > > > If you can give me some guidance as to numbers, etc of the devices you're > > after, or for that matter, what you don't want, I'll make sure you don't > > end up with something you don't want. > > > > I have to go back there because my better half likes to visit the place and > > hasn't finished her search. > > Sorry, I didn't mean to imply it was a waste of time! Far from it. The > Altos boxes are neat. They're just not exciting as an S-100 box (which at > first glance you would think they are, but they aren't). > > I'm sure there's someone interested in adding these computers to their > collection (I have 2 or 3 myself) but the shipping charges on them would > be so extreme that most people would decline. > > Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > Always being hassled by the man. > > Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 01/15/99]

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Alto II

by edick＠idcomm.com

If you can give me some guidance as to numbers, etc of the devices you're after, or for that matter, what you don't want, I'll make sure you don't end up with something you don't want. I have to go back there because my better half likes to visit the place and hasn't finished her search. Dick ---------- > From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: Alto II > Date: Monday, January 25, 1999 10:42 AM > > On Mon, 25 Jan 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote: > > > I was at a local thrift store yesterday and spotted a couple of oddly > > shaped boxes with a designation indicating them to be ALTOS boxes. One has > > a tape drive of some sort and the other has a floppy disk drive. Does this > > mean anything to anyone? IF someone wants them, I could snag them and > > ship. I doubt they will cost much more than $10 each. > > They are multi-user CP/M (or MP/M) machines circa 1982-1986, mentioned > here from time to time (we really need a comprehensive database that > describes these machines so that people can reference the database before > posting about the same stuff over and over). Having nothing to do with an > Alto, they are worth anywhere from free to whatever someone would be > willing to pay (which may surprise/shock you). > > Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > Always being hassled by the man. > > Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0 > See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details! > [Last web site update: 01/15/99]

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by kurtkilg＠geocities.com

On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Bill Yakowenko wrote: > 2. Nothing PC- or Mac-compatible can ever be classic. Sorry, that's > just an indisputable fact. :-) How about a VAX emulating a PC? > 5. The ten year rule should apply to the date when a thing dropped off > in popularity; if it was still in common use eight years ago, it is > not yet classic. (Justification: if it is still in common use, > there will be other places to discuss it.) How do you define 'common'? What percent of the population must use it? What if it's uncommon in my city and common in yours? > 6. Do I really need to add "IMHO" here? :-) No. If you don't add one, I won't add one.

27 years, 6 months

5
5
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 09:35 AM 1/25/99 -0800, Sam Ismail wrote: > >But unless you have a wireless portable that you don't mind hauling around >with you, a book is more convenient to take on your hunting trips for >quick reference. Any portable device with a display and storage abilities (on floppy or RAM) of a meg or so could easily contain such a web page, as text. Even a book won't beat a brain when it comes to being able to spot a significant device hidden in a pile of other junk. That, after all, is what each of us has trained our brain to do when on expedition to an auction or a warehouse. - John

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

] On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Doug <doug(a)blinkenlights.com> wrote: ] Subject: Re: Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule. ] ] On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Buck Savage wrote: ... snippage ... ] ] A "universal" rating/certification system, similar to the way coins are ] graded, would be ideal. But I don't think you'll ever get this group to ] agree on anything -- just do it! (And then sell a book.) ] ] Forget the word "classic". A guide that gives production numbers, ] variations, years, criteria to judge condition, price, etc. would be cool ] -- I'd buy one, and I'd buy a new copy every year as you updated prices ] and other info. ] ] Start with Hans P's list of machines (and pay him royalties). ] ] -- Doug I don't believe it. *THIS*, coming from the same guy that blew his stack over his secret bargain bid getting exposed? Which do you want, well-known (and high) dollar-tags attached to everything, or obscurity and bargains? You can't have both. We have a choice between an entrenched mainstream collector's marketplace, with standard price guides, and with all the neat stuff ending up in investors' display cases, off-limits to mere hobbyists; or an unrecognized garage-sale niche marketplace, with dispute as to the value of anything, but with many of these machines clanking away in our basements. It seems we have no real choice about it, we will eventually end up with the former. But there is no need to hurry it. Especially if you are one to bitch when one of your bargain-basement bids get exposed and immediately out-bid. Bill.

27 years, 6 months

4
3
0 0

FYI: MEI/Microcenter is out of 5-1/4" diskettes

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

>>Ouch!. 8" disks are difficult to find, 5.25" disks are difficult to find >>(what about 1.2 Mbyte ones - are they still available?), 3" disks are >>impossible to find. I'd better start hoarding them... > > You can still buy 8", 5.25" HD and 3" disks. Trouble is, they may be *Really* > expensive; I noticed on the Imation web site a couple of months ago that (from > memory) a box of 8" disks was over US$100. > > 3" disks are still available new from at least one place in the UK, though they > are over 2 pounds each. This sounds useful. Do you have any more information (like the URL of the Imation web site) please? Philip.

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Unix for 8080/Z80? [Re: WooHoo!! PC/XT Unix anyone?]

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Any Unix clones for 8080/Z80 systems? It ought to be doable, given that th <original Unix was done on a 64KB address space machine... Uzi in a 64k machine required 32k of it for the kernel and the rest for apps. It was a full swaping scheme so hard disk for similar was a must have. Banking/mmu made it more palateable as you could have the kernel in it's own space. IT was not uncommon if you could afford the cost (in late 81 it was about $159 for 64k) of ram to have large banked memory on s100 in the early 80s. I was running a multi z80 system then with 256k. Yes, UZI unix, see WWW.psyber.com/~tcj as they have a page on it. IT was z80 FYI and has been ported to z180 and z280. Allison

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

OT: iMAC adapters

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Yesterday someone posted about a company that makes printer adapters for the iMAC. This morning I found a site that makes adapters to let you use ABD, USB and serial devices for the iMAC. "http://www.griffintechnology.com/" Joe

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

FW: More FREE goodies in NY

by kyrrin＠my-dejanews.com

OK, this may be the same guy. Now they say they're willing to ship. -=-=- <snip> -=-=- From: cvt(a)sprynet.com Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec Subject: Free in NYC: VAXstation and DECstation Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 10:00:38 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion Lines: 14 Message-ID: <78hfc3$9o2$1(a)nnrp1.dejanews.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.154.78.10 X-Article-Creation-Date: Mon Jan 25 10:00:38 1999 GMT X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win95; U) X-Http-Proxy: 1.0 x5.dejanews.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 209.154.78.10 Path: news1.jps.net!news.pbi.net!207.33.1.6!news.he.net!newsfeed.enteract.com!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!newsfeed.cwix.com!204.238.120.130!news-feeds.jump.net!nntp2.dejanews.com!nnrp1.dejanews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news1.jps.net comp.sys.dec:5896 A VAXstation 3100 (with color monitor and VMS manual set) and a DECstation 3100 (also with color monitor) available in New York City. Both machines work. A TK-50 drive is also available for either of these. The VMS manuals are also available separately. The machines may be picked up -- or will be shipped if recipient makes the necessary arrangements (we will pack them in their original cartons). For more information, call 212 662-0263. -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies -- kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech [dot] com Web: http://www.bluefeathertech.com "...No matter how we may wish otherwise, our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot possibly define any of them..."

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

ten year rule.

by joe＠barrera.org

>Let us not forget the *amazing* diversity of form in the PC market in the >last 10 years! I have laptops, pen-based machines, hermetically sealed >touchscreen boxes, handhelds, luggables, even credit card PCs that are >distinctly classics and generally less than even 10 years olds. I nominate the HP 200LX as a definite classic. It's a handheld XT clone that has a very loyal following, and that is still being made (despite HP's support of Windows CE which *theoretically* is supposed to make handheld DOS machines obsolete...) - Joe

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

FW: FREE VAXStation 3100, New York Area

by kyrrin＠my-dejanews.com

Too far for me, perhaps someone else can make it? -=-=- <snip> -=-=- From: hudson17(a)my-dejanews.com Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: Free VAXstation in New York Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 09:47:13 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion Lines: 9 Message-ID: <78hej0$9aa$1(a)nnrp1.dejanews.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.154.78.10 X-Article-Creation-Date: Mon Jan 25 08:48:23 1999 GMT X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.5 [en] (Win95; U) X-Http-Proxy: 1.0 x5.dejanews.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 209.154.78.10 Path: news1.jps.net!news.pbi.net!207.33.1.6!news.he.net!newsfeed.enteract.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!nntp2.dejanews.com!nnrp1.dejanews.com!not-for-mail Xref: news1.jps.net comp.os.vms:17888 Free VAXstation 3100 available in New York City. Color monitor, TK-50. Works. Also available VMS 5.x full manual set. Must be picked up before 1/31. Respond via e-mail or call 212 662-0263. -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies -- kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech [dot] com Web: http://www.bluefeathertech.com "...No matter how we may wish otherwise, our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot possibly define any of them..."

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Reiability of wrong media (was: is out of 5-1/4" diskettes

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 21, 21:07, Sam Ismail wrote: > Subject: Re: Reiability of wrong media (was: is out of 5-1/4" diskettes > On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Megan wrote: > > > I think the problem with '1.44 Mb' is that IBM chose to refer to > > the exact number of bytes without using the power-of-two term > > properly. > > > > For example... on pdp-11s, the virtual address space is always > > referred to as 64 Kb... but the actual max (byte) address is > > 65535. If we were to follow what it appears IBM did, we would > > have been referring to 65.5 Kb. > > No, a megabyte is not a power of two number. A megabyte = 1,000,000 > bytes. So 1.44 megabytes = 1.44 million bytes = roughly 1,440,000 bytes. > > So 1.44MB disk drive is not a misnomer. As Megan pointed out, the maths is wrong. A "1.44MB" disk has 80 cylinders, two sides, 18 sectors per track, sector size 512 bytes. 80 * 2 * 18 * 512 = 80 * 18 * 1024 = 1440KB That's where the "1.44" number comes from. And a Megabyte is normally held to be 1024 * 1024 (megabyte would, I agree, be different, 1000 * 1000). But "1.44MB" refers to 1.44 * 1000 * 1024, which is a ridiculous way to count. 1440KB = 1.406MB. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 6 months

6
7
0 0

OT: Alien Media (was Disasters and Recovery)

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

>> Really? The meter is defined (certain frequency of light from a certain >> element for so many waves yada yada). Sea level is defined (don't know the >> SI unit, but 780 millibars of pressure). Celcius is defined (0 is freezing >> point of pure water at sea level, 100 boiling point of pure water at sea >> level) and that's all you need to define the gram: one cubic centimeter of >> water at 4C at sea level. That also gets you volume (liters). >> > I thought length, mass (Kilogram), and time (seconds) were picked as the > basic SI units, and others, like temperature, were "secondary". For > electromagnetics, > a 4'th unit was required, sometimes an ampere (which can be defined from > mechanical variables), sometimes charge. > -Dave In 1902, when the system was proposed, the base units were indeed metre, kilogram and second. The IEC recommended that the ampere be added as the fourth unit, and this was finally standardised in 1948. SI now has seven base units: Metre, Kilogram, Second, Ampere, Kelvin, Mole and Candela (normally used without initial capitals btw). There are two supplementary units, the radian and the steradian. All other units are derived from these. Philip.

27 years, 6 months

5
7
0 0

OT: Alien Media (was Disasters and Recovery)

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 22, 19:16, Hans Franke wrote: > Subject: Re: OT: Alien Media (was Disasters and Recovery) > Excuse me if I interupt, but you are talking about measuring > a specific voltage. But thats completly independant from the > definition. Only if you want to define Volt based on some > specific reproduceable effect - but thats not necesaty. To > get all electrical units you just need the 7 basic SI units > (Length, Weight, Time, Current, Temperature, Brightnes (?) > and Mol (sorry, no idea how to translate Stoffmasse)) and length metre m mass kilogram kg time second s electric current ampere A thermodynamic temperature kelvin K luminous intensity candela cd amount of substance mole mol > only one is an electric unit (the Ampere). And only these > 7 units have to be defined on specific, reproducable effects. > 1V is defined as 1 kg m^2 / A s^2. As Hans implies, all other units are derived from these seven (and the two angular measures). But the volt is defined as kg m^2 / (A s^3) -- Hans lost a "per second" (Hertzlos, I suppose ;-). -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

WooHoo!! PC/XT Unix anyone?

by cswiger＠wilma.widomaker.com

Spotted this in a Linuxtoday.com article on the latest linux kernel: "On somewhat of a tangent, there is continuing work to support a subset of the Linux kernel on 8086, 8088, 80186, and 80286 machines. This project will never integrate itself with Linux-proper but will provide an alternative Linux-subset operating system for these machines. " Hmmm, I do have *a* 'C' compiler running on one of those Compaq luggables... Chuck cswiger(a)widomaker.com

27 years, 6 months

5
5
0 0

FYI: scam followup

by cfandt＠netsync.net

Hi folks, Recently we were discussing a Russian source of old radios and old computers. It was prompted by a posting to ClassicCmp from a Russian site ("The Old Radios Trade <oldradios(a)radiolink.net>") with a title "Old Radios" (Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 00:08:36 +0300.) Check the CC archives if you want as it's not needed to post here. I politely wrote back saying this was a forum for old computers upon which I got a quick reply stating (basicly) they could get us any computer we desired. See "Fwd: Re: Old Radios" (Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 17:56:54 -0500.) Most of us I hope, figured this is a scam and stayed away. Just recently, one of our members had written here indicating they were interested in feedback on these characters. Well, on the newsgroup rec.antiques.radio+phono there is some feedback. DejaNews should have the thread "WARNING-RUSSIAN RADIO TRADING FRAUD!!!" >from 15 Jan. Apparently some folks got hitup for some bucks and got no radios. Partial quote from one of the postings: >This is a cautionary post to warn you all about an apparently >unscrupulous dealer in Russian collectables, including antique radios. >He sends letters by E-mail, soliciting business, under the trade name of >RadioTrade, or The Old Radio Trader, trading under the name, currently, >of either >Oleg Tikhonov, or Walentin Mihaylin. He is offering to sell several Red >Star radios, as well as other portables, and possibly a wooden Russian >table set called Belarus 53. He sends E-mail originating from Kaluga, a >city near Moscow. The scam is that he will have funds sent to him, and >they will either be lost in transit, or sent back to you as a refund, >and then have them lost in transit, when in reality, an empty envelope >will be sent to you as a registered packet. I have been personally >ripped off of a fair sum of money, and he has attempted to arrange I guess those folks were a bit more interested in scoring a Russian radio than in understanding what they should have previously heard in the major news media about the latest Russian scams coming along nowadays. Or, they simply lacked common sense to judge this as "Too good to be true". Enough said on this. Just be aware of it if you are looking for Russian or other ex-Soviet block machines. Regards, Chris -- -- Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net Member of Antique Wireless Association URL: http://www.ggw.org/freenet/a/awa/

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by netcafe＠pirie.mtx.net.au

-----Original Message----- From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, 25 January 1999 9:44 Subject: Re: Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule. ><5. The ten year rule should apply to the date when a thing dropped off >< in popularity; if it was still in common use eight years ago, it is >< not yet classic. (Justification: if it is still in common use, >< there will be other places to discuss it.) > >Humm. This one is tough. We talk about VAXen and the MicroVAX is only >about 14-15 years old and some models do persist but they are uniquly >new compared to others. Example, we wouldn't be talking about 6xxx series >as the oldest ones are early 90s. Ahem, I've got one here that is stamped 89. I understood they went into production in 88. I have another that is stamped JAN 1990. I suggest that these are "classic" machines in their own right anyway, age notwithstanding. However I would accept the consensus of the list members on the legitimacy of this. How say you? >The keys are OLDness, UNIQUEness and desireability. I'm sure there are >technical aspects that would qualify like machines with unusual word >length or the like but, they should be 80s or earlier in introduction >or common use. > >So long as it's related to the collecting, preserving and discussion >centered around older machines there is little conflict. Agree totally. As I said earlier, the 10 year bit should be a guide, not a lockout. All of this is IMHO only, of course..... Cheers Geoff Roberts Computer Room Internet Cafe Port Pirie South Australia. netcafe(a)pirie.mtx.net.au

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Jan 25, 1:32, Tony Duell wrote: > > On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Bill Yakowenko wrote: > > > 2. Nothing PC- or Mac-compatible can ever be classic. Sorry, that's > > > just an indisputable fact. :-) > > > > How about a VAX emulating a PC? > > Or more seriously an Acorn Archimedes running the PC-emulator. The > Archimedes is undoubtedly a classic (or will be as the machines get to 10 > years old). It was the first (popular?) desktop system to use a RISC > processor. The first Archimedes 310 was sold in July 1988. It might just qualify as the first desktop machine using a RISC processor, though there's not a whole lot of difference between that and a small deskside machine. Machines using MIPS chips, the Clipper, and the IBM RT were around first, but they were at least an order of magnitude more expensive. The Archimedes real claim is that it was the first mass-market RISC-based computer. -- Pete Peter Turnbull Dept. of Computer Science University of York

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

DELQA Switch Settings

by mbg＠world.std.com

>It's looking like there is something with the way I ran a SYSGEN a few >days ago. It turns out that I can't even boot the SJ monitor, and the FB >monitor won't let me install the EQ driver. However, the XM monitor >which I didn't even touch will let me install the EQX driver. I don't know the restrictions for EQ (under TSX, I suppose), but having been the designer and implementer of the ethernet drivers under RT-11, I can tell you that they won't run under SJ and FB. By the time we started working on Ethernet, the target system for most installations was XM. When I started working on the design for the ethernet drivers, there were several factors which guided the decision to be XM-only: 1) It was procedural to add and remove buffer descriptors from the ring -- you had to ensure that the adapter would not use one while the driver was working on it 2) Receive buffers had to essentially always be available or performance would have been abyssmal. 3) There was a recommended minimum number of receive buffers, or again, performance would suffer. 4) Maximum sized receive buffers were required or we would have had to support buffer chaining (which would have added to the size and complexity of the driver code, and as anyone familiar with RT knows, low memory is at a premium -- and moving them to high memory was not available under SB/FB) So, since we had to have a minimum of 6 receive buffers, at the maximum size (1600 bytes), that would have been just over 9kbytes, and we haven't even added the space for the code. This was unacceptable for SB/FB. It was decided that they would be supported under XM only. >I think my next step is to either redo the SYSGEN on the SJ and FB >monitors, or to copy over the XM versions of the TCP/IP software. I'll >probably copy over the XM versions first. Unfortunatly we've got a >downtime at work tonite, so I've got to go into work in the next hour and >most likely won't be able to try this tonite :^( I don't think you have to do this... TSX doesn't use the exact same xx.SYS drivers that SB/FB use, it uses rebuilt ones with a file type of .TSX So, as long as your TSX sysgen includes the driver, it should be available... And remember, TSX essentially takes over the machine, kicking the former OS (RT-11 SJ) out of memory... Megan Gentry Former RT-11 Developer +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ | Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com | | Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com | | Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' | | 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | | Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | | (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | +--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

Unix for 8080/Z80? [Re: WooHoo!! PC/XT Unix anyone?]

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<On Sat, 23 Jan 1999, Allison J Parent wrote: <> Unix didn't always have the idea of virtual memory. See Minix for an <> example of that also V4 and maybe V5 unix didn't either. < <I would expect that the original PDP7 that ran UNIX didn't have VM... No it didn't. I'm fairly certain that VM didn't appear until V7 on pdp-11 or maybe later. The fact of the matter is there have been 8bit unix impmentations. The idea that there is only 64KB is just means more reliance on things like overlays or paging/swapping. Also many of the mid 80s 6809 and z80 system had some kind of MMU to support large address spaces. The Z180 was good for 1mb with it's MMU and most of the paging schemes for s100 permitted anyware from 512k to 16mb. the late z280 allowed 16mb space using a paged MMU and added I&D space along with user/system spaces. The latter I&D space (instruction and data spaces) were features only found on the upper models of PDP-11 (11/44,11/45,11/60 and 11/70 and the J11 chip based systems 11/73 and 11/83). With I&D space and user/system space VM was supportable. Allison

27 years, 6 months

6
6
0 0

OT: Y0K problem??

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

> >(Translated from Latin scroll dated 2 BC) > >Dear Cassius: > >Are you still working on the Y zero K problem? This change from BC to AD is giving us a lot of headaches and we haven't much time left. I don't know how people will cope with working the wrong way around. Having been working happily downwards forever, now we have to start thinking upwards. You would think that someone would have thought of it earlier and not left it to us to sort it all out at this last minute. > >I spoke to Caesar the other evening. He was livid that Julius hadn't done something about it when he was sorting out the calendar. He said he could see why Brutus turned nasty. We called in Consultus, but he simply said that continuing downwards using minus BC won't work and as usual charged a fortune for doing nothing useful. Surely, we will not have to throw out all our hardware and start again? Macrohard will make yet another fortune out of this I suppose. > >The money lenders are paranoid of course! They have been told that all usury rates will invert and they will have to pay their clients to take out loans. Its an ill wind.... > >As for myself, I just can't see the sand in an hourglass flowing upwards. We have heard that there are three wise men in the East who have been working on the problem, but unfortunately they won't arrive until it's all over. > >I have heard that there are plans to stable all horses at midnight at the turn of the year as there are fears that they will stop and try to un backwards, causing immense damage to chariots and possible loss of life. Some say the world will cease to exist at the moment of transition. Anyway, we are still continuing to work on this blasted Y zero K problem. I will send a parchment to you if anything further develops. > >If you have any ideas please let me know. > >Plutonius > > >

27 years, 6 months

3
2
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by dburrows＠netpath.net

We also need to keep in mind that the PDP11/93 was available new until approx. 1 year ago. Dan

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Unix for 8080/Z80? [Re: WooHoo!! PC/XT Unix anyone?]

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<IIRC, adding virtual memory support to UNIX was the project goal for the <CSRG at Berkeley. That was what BSD Unix was all about, and it was why the <kernel image was /vmunix vs. the /unix which was the prior kernel image nam <--Chuck That also answers the part of the question of what/why is BSD significant? Allison

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

mac tool

by lemay＠cs.umn.edu

Does anyone know where I can get the tool you need to use to crack open teh case of an old MacIntosh? I seem to recall that in addition to special torx tools, probably one with an extra long shaft, that you needed something to pop the case open... I'd like to upgrade the tiny hard drive in a mac se, and maybe in a mac plus 1 Meg, to use a 250 meg scsi drive. Any idea if these units will run system 7? -Lawrence LeMay

27 years, 6 months

16
23
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by KFergason＠aol.com

> > 2. Nothing PC- or Mac-compatible can ever be classic. Sorry, that's > > just an indisputable fact. :-) > I disagree. (with both) Interesting, maybe not. but the original PC and Mac are both classic. I could agree that very few types of PC (or Mac's) were/are classics. My opinion: The original PC, AT, are classics. A Packard Bell 286 or the Commodore Colt is not. The Mac 128 and Macintosh II are classics. The Plus, SE, etc, are just more usable. IMHO, Kelly

27 years, 6 months

1
0
0 0

Legitimacy of the Ten Year Rule.

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<1. Ten years is just a guideline. If something is only 9 years old, < I won't much mind hearing about it. I might even like it. But if I happen to like that. < it is only two or three years old, there must be a surviving < users-group or something. Go find it, or start your own, but please < don't clutter up my mailbox with it. Generally PCs with 486 or Win3.1 and later are not discussion fodder for here, too new and current. <2. Nothing PC- or Mac-compatible can ever be classic. Sorry, that's < just an indisputable fact. :-) I draw a line based on two things early 386 or older and uniqueness. There are many clones but a few were very unique and interesting of themselves. An example is the Leading Edge Model D I have or the Kaypro ProPC both Xt class and a bit different. <5. The ten year rule should apply to the date when a thing dropped off < in popularity; if it was still in common use eight years ago, it is < not yet classic. (Justification: if it is still in common use, < there will be other places to discuss it.) Humm. This one is tough. We talk about VAXen and the MicroVAX is only about 14-15 years old and some models do persist but they are uniquly new compared to others. Example, we wouldn't be talking about 6xxx series as the oldest ones are early 90s. However BA123 based Microvaxen introduced in the 80s were still made in the early 90s and are able to run current version of the OS. They are old enough to be of interest. Another example is the DECMATE-III sold up to the early 90s but they are related too. Why, they run OS/278 and WPS both legacy software. The keys are OLDness, UNIQUEness and desireability. I'm sure there are technical aspects that would qualify like machines with unusual word length or the like but, they should be 80s or earlier in introduction or common use. So long as it's related to the collecting, preserving and discussion centered around older machines there is little conflict. Just my small cash investment in opinion. Allison

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

ReLiability of wrong media (was: is out of 5-1/4" diskettes

by manney＠hmcltd.net

>THAT is something that we are all more likely to agree with! If IBM ran >a doughnut shop, how many WOULD be in a dozen?? Not only that, what would a doughnut look like? They'd redesign that, too. And make in incompatible with existing doughnut boxes.

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

classic printer on an iMac

by jim＠calico.litterbox.com

Hi all. Just thought I'd let you know about a cool product I've found. My father, who up until this time has been running various apple2 computers, (which is how I got into classic computers as a hobby, by the way) just acquired an iMac. All is well and good except he wants to run his Sears Epson fx85-alike from it. And as I discovered, the official Epson USB-Parallel adapter doesn't do anything that far back. So whilst at CompUSA last night I happened across InfoWave's PowerPrint USB - Parallel adapter. After some checking to see if they claimed to support old Epson 9pins, I bought it. Plugged it into the USB port on my wife's mac, asked her to load the software, plugged it into my own Epson LX800 - which uses the same driver - and it printed perfectly. It's a bit of a mess to UNINSTALL, if you don't have extention management loaded, but my wife is a mac power user and eventually got things cleaned up. It's not cheap, - about a hundred bucks US - but even more than classic computers, classic printers don't wear out, and with this package there's no need to replace them just because you got an iMac. Their web page is at www.infowave.com, and it lists what printers the software, PowerPrint, supports. Apparently they also make a Mac-serial to parallel adapter, and the USB version is just ported over from the software from that. -- Jim Strickland jim(a)DIESPAMMERSCUMcalico.litterbox.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Vote Meadocrat! Bill and Opus in 2000 - Who ELSE is there? -----------------------------------------------------------------------

27 years, 6 months

2
1
0 0

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

test-drb