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

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:07 PM 1/14/98 -0800, you wrote: >>We do not keep them! We throw them out as soon as they come in! There is no >>market for that kind of stuff. Just tell them to call you; you'll guarantee them $5 (or whatever) per computer they were going to through out. You'll get some dogs, but you may get some gems too. There's a thrift shop near my house that has a list of stuff people are looking for; I'm on it for old computers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:56 PM 1/14/98 EST, you wrote: >if this happens, count me in. there's plenty of radio rallies coming up in nc >in the spring. > > Actually I was thinking of starting a collector buying ring: Everybody going > to a hamfest or thing like that let the other ones know and take orders. Count me in too... I dunno how many hamfests I'll make it to, but I can look at thrift shops and such. (Of course, I don't have much luck compared to a lot of youse guys!) As for me, I'm into portable stuff... Anything, say $20 or less I'll definitely take it off your hands (or at least send you the $20). More than that, maybe ask first, unless it's really cool... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Software archeology

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 12:16 AM 1/15/98, you wrote: >lot of software packages that I've asked around for for quite some time and >cannot turn a copy up to beat the band. (For purchase, archiving or otherwise) If anyone ever comes across the terminal emulator for the ST that had HP terminal emulation, *please* let me know... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads (PPC640) in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 06:16 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: > >>>How much did it go for? Just curious. >> >>$100 >> >>if I were a rich man... > >Funny I paid 100FF for mine (that's about $18) I got mine for $10, but no PS, or case, and a rust stain near the battery case. If you find another one for 100FF, I've got francs... --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:13 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >>"Bob's your uncle" is an expression indicating the completion of a >>simple task. Or something. > >I always thought it meant something like "and all is right in the world." >Of course, Bob really is my uncle... 8^) Uhhh, I'll be a monkey's uncle! :P (The following used to keep that comment on topic) Okay, so I have a C-64c, 1541 floppy, and monitor. Now how exactly would I go about downloading programs from the internet on my PC machine and porting them over to the Commodore? Will I need a special serial cable? I have the 64 boxed up at the moment so can't really tell what I need. While we're talking commodores, what's so special about the C-64c besides the C-128 style case? -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

4
3
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 07:10 PM 1/15/98 -0800, you wrote: >That was the cheap, but hard way. Now for the easy, but expensive way. >Lay out about $100 and get a Catweasel board either for your PC or better Where's that webpage again? That sounds interesting, even if I don't get one. >>While we're talking commodores, what's so special about the C-64c besides >>the C-128 style case? > >Based on the answers I got a week or two ago, apparently nothing. Ah, progress! Sometimes I wonder what drives computer companies to waste resources like that. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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What I did this weekend

by higginbo＠netpath.net

Does this happen to anyone else? I don't usually frequent the 5 or 6 thrift shops around here, and flea markets and yard sales I don't have time for usually, but sometimes when I'm going somewhere else, I have this "feeling", a sixth sense if you will, that I absolutely have to stop at these places. When I do, I usually find really rare or super deals on old computers, the ones I used to collect anyway, before the GriD bug got ahold of me. I live in a city of 25,000 people, and I believe I'm the only person that owns any sort of GRiD laptop. Any GRiDs I get are usually through deals on the internet. I call this sixth sense my "metal telepathy". (Doh!) At 09:17 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >I do that too stop at garage sales and couple stores on my way from work. I >guess it was mostly meant for major events. For 'casual' shopping we >probably can E-talk before making a move (the machine is probably not going >to disapear overnight). -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Tat goes without saying: placing a machine in a want list is also an engagement to purchase it. Otherwise the system would not work for too long. There should be an update prior to each outing to make sure that the machines are still wanted. let's say I'm going to a hamfest next WE, I post the info on that mailing list (for the ones that want to be part of the ring), then I get requests and bring the list of wanted with me. If i find one of the machines I buy it and let the party interested know about it. If I get an I don't want it anymore response I don't thinl I'll be looking for more of the guy's stuff. And I'll make sure that everybody knows about it. > Another problem is knowing if they still want the item. If you tell me >that you want an X-computer and I buy one for you 2 months later I don't >want to hear that you've changed your mind or that you've already found >one. > > If anyone isn't going to take the stuff that they said they wanted then >don't post a message saying that you want it. If you post a "wanted" >message then you're obligated to take it when someone gets it for you. > > Joe >

28 years, 3 months

6
6
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Score/1

by william＠ans.net

The day started out with no suprises. I arrived at the MCI building intending to finish up an installation. Walking down the halls, I peeked in some of the rooms, packed with all manner of telco equipment. It is 10 AM, and I start working. By noon my work is done. I walked down the stairs, looking for the MCI contact I deal with, and am confronted by a rather beat up looking IBM Series/1 minicomputer, left in the hallway. It is fairly stripped out - all of the processor boards have been removed, many cables have been cut, and some of the front panels of the 6 foot rack are gone. It seems that this beast is headed for the recyclers. I have wanted a Series/1 for some time, and I had been eyeing a few at the Chicago site. Unfortunately, I do not have a way to move the thing. That shot down my idea of grabbing it. Anyway, just down the hallway is the room that had quite a large number of Series/1 racks. They were part of some project that is still running in some parts of the country. I looked around and saw that most of the racks have been raped. Then, one of the racks starts rolling towards me. Behind it is a man, pushing it along. I asked about the fate of the boxes, and he replies that they are indeed scrap, and that he is the scrapper. I told him that I collect computers, and that I have wanted a Series/1 for a while. His expression immediately changed to that of pleasant suprise. He replies that he collects chips. We reached common ground quickly, swapping stories about some of the old beasts. Although he is not very old, it seems that we has seen and scrapped just about every type of big iron ever produced. He then motions me over to a few racks off to the side. They had not yet been raped! For 25 dollars each, I could have them, as they were no longer MCI property. Hmmmmm... I made a quick call to my storage locker company, as they rent vans. The quote is quite reasonable, but they are 25 miles away. Time is very short, as I have a plane to catch in the morning. I decided to go for it - for 100 dollars, I could have two big Series/1 machines to play with, shipping included. By 1:30 PM, it is quite clear that I needed to find a local rental companies. A few stops later, I parked my car and drove off in a big van. Now the fun started. It dawned on me that my storage locker may close up after 6 PM, so I switched into hyper mode. I picked out the two best machines, then started to remove the disk drives, two each at 64 meg, and two each at 200 meg. The things are very heavy, but proved to lighten up the racks remarkably. I then decided to take only one whole rack, and all the bits of another rack for spares. By 4:30 PM, the stuff is all loaded in the van. Now I had to race to the storage locker. By 5:45 PM I arrived at the locker. The place was still open, but time is short. By the time everything is unloaded, the place was closing up. It was 6:50 PM. Greatly relieved, I headed back to retrieve my car. By 8 PM I am finally done, still amazed at what had just happened. And all of this without a plan. William Donzelli william(a)ans.net

28 years, 3 months

1
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metal telepathy/Great White Trader

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 10:30 PM 1/15/98 EST, you wrote: > >ive had that happen meself. thanks to it, i got two undisk drives and colour >composite monitor that way for my //e. in another instance, i found a platinum >//e with matching unidisk and colour monitor at a separate place as well as >stopping by a place i went once before and got my atari portfolio. Anyone remember that story about the mouse that wanted some cheese, and he had to go make all these other deals with the other animals, finding the dog a bone, etc, until he finally got the cheese? While flea market hopping one day about two years back, I came across a TRS-80 model 100 in mint condition, included hard plastic carrying case, data recorder, acoustic couplers, and manual. I paid $25 for the whole rig. Kept it until a few months ago, when I saw a message on a newsgroup somewhere. This guy wanted to trade an Atari Portfolio for an M100. I traded him the M100 itself, none of the accessories for it (Since I had an NEC PC8201a too I could use the other stuff with) for the Portfolio, with the serial and parallel modules, manual, 3 memory cards, the works. Then, about a month later, I found another collector that was having a big moving sale. I traded the portfolio for a Zenith 386sx laptop, which I then ended up selling for $176. But I swear if I kept doing the trading loop thing, before too long I would have ended up with a active matrix pentium laptop somewhere down the line, maybe even a car. :) -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by pvhp＠forte.com

classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subj: Re: Upcoming PBS special on bit rot I wrote: >I saw an advert in the latest issue of Scientific American for >an upcoming special about archiving digital data to appear on >PBS. It is supposed to show on the 13th (tomorrow) and alas OK I have the magazine: there is a Review (not an advert) on page 110 of the Jan 1998 issue of Sci. Am. The television program will be: "Into the Future: On the Preservation of Knowledge in the Electronic Age" A film by Terry Sanders, narrated by Robert MacNeil; American Film Foundation, 1997; Airing January 13 on PBS. I do not know much about the "American Film Foundation" but MacNeil is a PBS regular and PBS quite often offers transcipts and tapes for sale at the end of many (but not all) of their broadcasts. While I have several CRTs for use as monitors I do not own a television tuner or a VCR. (I also note that the schedule posted at http://www.kqed.org/ implies that the main Bay Area PBS broadcaster will not be showing Into the Future.) Could folks who do manage to see it please post a message regarding whether there is an address to which one could write to obtain transcripts/tapes? Thanks. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

8
12
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Well you show me what you have and I'll show you what I can find:) Seriously I would very much like to find an Oric1 and an Atmos, I remember drooling over the Electronique Pratique magazines when I was living in France. There are also a few more that I have not seen around here but it may well be like the amstrads who apparently made to Florida and not to Minnesota (they must pretty smart machines;) I have absolutely no clue as to what shipping from France to the US can cost (the las shipping I did over the ocean was in 1989 when I moved to the US) >I live in France ;-) but it IS my hobby TOO so how do we split the >spoils? > >-- > Hans B. Pufal : <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> > Comprehensive Computer Catalogue : <http://www.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc/> >_-_-__-___--_-____-_--_-_-____--_---_-_---_--__--_--_--____---_--_--__--_ >

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

ive had that happen meself. thanks to it, i got two undisk drives and colour composite monitor that way for my //e. in another instance, i found a platinum //e with matching unidisk and colour monitor at a separate place as well as stopping by a place i went once before and got my atari portfolio. david << Does this happen to anyone else? I don't usually frequent the 5 or 6 thrift shops around here, and flea markets and yard sales I don't have time for usually, but sometimes when I'm going somewhere else, I have this "feeling", a sixth sense if you will, that I absolutely have to stop at these places. When I do, I usually find really rare or super deals on old computers, the ones I used to collect anyway, before the GriD bug got ahold of me. I live in a city of 25,000 people, and I believe I'm the only person that owns any sort of GRiD laptop. Any GRiDs I get are usually through deals on the internet. >>

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>At 11:48 AM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >>Tat goes without saying: placing a machine in a want list is also an >>engagement to purchase it. Otherwise the system would not work for too long. >>There should be an update prior to each outing to make sure that the >>machines are still wanted. > > That's not practical for me. I went looking (and found :-) last >Saturday, yesterday (found more) and I will go again today ( I know where >there's a keyboard that I need) and again next Thursday (big NASA auction) >for certain. I look a lot, that's why I find a lot. One of the FEW >advantages of living in a big city. > > Joe I do that too stop at garage sales and couple stores on my way from work. I guess it was mostly meant for major events. For 'casual' shopping we probably can E-talk before making a move (the machine is probably not going to disapear overnight). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 10:02 PM 1/15/98, you wrote: >Then you just need to find the program that allows the IBM to read/write >Commie progs / files to the drive; which I know is out there somewhere. >(No, I don't watch the X files... ;-) Or maybe there's a program that'll let me read/write commodore disks in a PC 5.25" drive. Anyone? Anyone? >I do have somewhere the circuit that allows you to hook up an Atari drive, >which used a similar arrangement. I never got into building circuits and such. I'm cursed with big, fumbling hands. Some people say I can draw pretty good (http://limbo.netpath.net/art/), I can type, I can mouse, but please, whatever you do, do not put a soldering iron in my hand! If the circuit is the only way to go, I think I'll pass. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Thank you for the info. Now I just need to bug one of the EE's at work and I'm up and running. >AFAIK, no computer (at least no micro or mini) ever used the mains >_frequency_ for anything more than a real time clock interrupt and >running the fans. > snip... >Ditto monitors. Every monitor I've ever looked inside (or read the >service manual for) has used the mains to produce DC rails only. I've got >a lot of 60Hz video monitors here (UK, 50Hz mains) with no problems. > >-tony ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
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Amstrad 6400 DD

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Could you provide more info on th model, I am not familiar with it. Is it on of the PeeCee compatible type? -----Original Message----- From: PG Manney <manney(a)nwohio.nwohio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Thursday, January 15, 1998 5:46 PM Subject: Amstrad 6400 DD >Anyone want one? A local charity that I service has one, and would probably >get rid of it. > >manney(a)nwohio.com > >

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Firsts

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:12 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >I think the intended meaning was "production/general purpose" (so as to >eliminate computers created specifically and solely for the shuttle.) The GRiDs were made in production runs, but under govt. contracts. They weren't made specifically for the shuttle or NASA, at least the Compass wasn't. >And of course, I'm on the train to work and my Haddock book is at home... >What year was the compass? Compass 1100 1982 (Says it on the case as mfg. date) GRiDCASE 3 1985 GRiDCASE 1535exp 1989 (At least that's what the BIOS says) I threw the other two in just so I could remind myself to come up with a timeline for the GRiD page. I'd like to find the original pricing on these suckers. Anyone know where to look? -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
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Power Supply Info

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:13 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >But while I'm at it, if you are recording info about your classics, >especially those that use wall-warts, do take note of the info for >posterity's sake, as many show up sans original PS. (Especially voltage and >connector polarity!) Thanks! Dang, I knew I was forgetting something on that GRiDSPeC page. Connector polarity. Well, probably alot more I'm missing too from someone else's standpoint, but hey, I ain't getting paid for this project! :) Shameless Plug: And for those of you who haven't seen the GRiDSPeC page, it's at: http://limbo.netpath.net/hw/GRiD -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Power Supply Info

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 02:45 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: >Gridpad 1910 power supply: Whups! Sorry folks. Netscape died as I was sending John some GRiD info for his web page, so I went to use Eudora, and missent it. But while I'm at it, if you are recording info about your classics, especially those that use wall-warts, do take note of the info for posterity's sake, as many show up sans original PS. (Especially voltage and connector polarity!) Thanks! --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:56 AM 1/14/98 -0800, you wrote: >story of the program. I'm just a natural born archivist (ie. pack-rat) >which is why I never could get myself to delete old copies of source. I >guess I really have a high opinion of myself because I don't think I have >ever deleted any of my own work. Hmmm... I save old versions because most of the time the new version doesn't work. 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 02:50 PM 1/14/98 GMT, you wrote: >> And Bob's your uncle.? What does that mean? I thought Roger was our >>uncle? Aw well, never mind. > >Oops! Sorry. I forgot most of you don't speak English ;-) > >"Bob's your uncle" is an expression indicating the completion of a >simple task. Or something. I always thought it meant something like "and all is right in the world." Of course, Bob really is my uncle... 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 05:37 AM 1/14/98 -0500, you wrote: >>If you're talking commercial laptop, I believe it was the Radio Shack Model >>100. It was one of only two commercial laptops ever certified for Space >That's where it gets a little sticky. GRiD Systems started out only making >their laptops for the government, so it wasn't exactly commercial back I think the intended meaning was "production/general purpose" (so as to eliminate computers created specifically and solely for the shuttle.) >GRiD or the other as it's brains. I do know that the Compass 1100 does >predate the m100 by a few years though. And of course, I'm on the train to work and my Haddock book is at home... What year was the compass? --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Etymologies...

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 11:03 PM 1/15/98 +0000, you wrote: >There is no such thing as a DB15 (or a DB9 for that matter). The 'D' >means a D-sub connector (named after the shape?) and the 'B' is the shell >size. For reference, the common sizes are : They may not exist, but there are plenty of monitor and video card manual writers who keep this mythological etymological animal alive. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Anyone interested in old Macs, Wyse or Leading Edge PCs?

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Hi, Went on another scrounging trip today. I found a bunch of old PCs, mostly Wyse and Leading Edge systems. Most of the appear to be 286s or 386s. They're going to be scrapped VERY soon, possibly tomorrow. Is anyone interested in them? I can get them cheap but I have to buy the entire pallet load. I will if there's enough interest in them, otherwise they're history. Oh and there's some Macs in there too. I saw a yellow and a white MacPlus 1 Meg. I think there may be others. I don't know anything about Macs so I'm not much help there. Joe

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

I believe something got lost in the discussion, I was talking about French machines in France! I don't really have a problem finding some computers in the Twin cyties but waht I was looking for during my stay in the Hexagone was machines like the Oric1, Oric Atmos, Sinclair Spectrum, Thompson MO5, TO7, TO8 etc... And I was just saying that they are near impossible to find. I think my inLaw would be willing to help but he also has his own interests and looking for conputers around is definately not one of them. He may let me know if he stumbles on one but I can't blame him for not making it a priority. I guess I was expecting to find systems at every corners and was fairly disapointed not to be able to find one store (junkyard, used computer store, thrift shop) that had at least a few. > Oh I guess you live out in the sticks somewhere. I WISH I had that problem! > > Can you have them call your brother in law and have him pick them up and >save them for you. Or he can take the massages and hold them till you come >to town IF the trift is willing to willing to leave them sitting around >until you come to town. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Amstrad 6400 DD

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

Anyone want one? A local charity that I service has one, and would probably get rid of it. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Etymologies...

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

Where did the following terms come from? -Dongle -Byte (named after nybble, or vice-versa?) -Mainframe (Why not just...like..you know...call it a computer?) -DB (as in DB-15, 25) I've also heard them called D-sub xx) -Mouse manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 3 months

9
9
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

> Why don't you just leave your phone number with them and ask them to >call you when that stuff comes in. Tell them that you'll take it instead of >them filling up their trash with it. I'll bet they'll do it. > > Joe The problem is that I don't think they would be willing to make a $10 phone call in order to sell a $20 computer. Plus the trip to go get the machines would add an extra $600 to the price of the machine. I live in Minnesnowta:) Otherwise it might be possible (even though some of them told me that instead I should call regularly and maybe I would get lucky) for somebody living in France. I asked my brother in law to check once in a while (but then again this is NOT HIS hobby). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

3
2
0 0

What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

That's no problem I can wait to complete my collection. Actually I was thinking of starting a collector buying ring: Everybody going to a hamfest or thing like that let the other ones know and take orders. That way we can get machines that were not too popular in an area. Thanks for the help. >I'm in Orlando, Florida. I've added your list to my wish list. There >are several hamfests coming up soon. I'll see what I can find, but it may >take some time. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

5
5
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Anyone with an Ohio Scientific machine?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

I have a C1P and i discovered someone else at work used to work with them extensively. He might have some parts. I think I might have some disk controller boards, but all my schematics and printed material is out on loan right now. david In a message dated 98-01-15 12:59:46 EST, you write: << I have several Ohio Scientific Challenger ][ machines but none of them are disk based. I'd be willing to trade some of them in exchange toward getting a disk based system up and running. I don't have the inventory off the top of my head but I can sure figure out what I have and see if we have any trading possibilities. George >>

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Science Odyssey on PBS

by dastar＠wco.com

Did anyone catch "A Science Odyssey" on PBS last night? It was great. They did a full 40 minutes or so on the dawn of the computer age. They went into some depth about SAGE and they even got the Altair in there with the obligatory issue of Popular Electronics. A very interesting episode. 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!

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Well let me tell you a good/disgusting one: I spent 4 full days going from junck store to junk store trying to find Classics. All 30 or so stores visited told me the same story: We do not keep them! We throw them out as soon as they come in! There is no market for that kind of stuff. I only found two classic in my search: the PPC512 through a coworker of my brother in law and an Exelvision EXL100 at an Apple dealer (the guy was stunned to have somebody come in and ask for classics, then remembered that he had one in the warehouse from 10 years ago and had kindof forgot about it). The only other on that I've seen was an atari 600XL at an outdoor junkyard it had about an inch of dust on top of it and when I picked it up some water poured out of it. So I guess that the price I paid is only because the guy was happy to even get money for it. Oh yeah I also met a collector over there he had a used computer sotre (PeeCee stuff) and he said they are hard to find but he knew a few places. He never told me where. If you are looking for french machine you'll have to go to the dumpsters or knock on doors in order to find anything. >Yes, but they aren't so _rare_ in France. Price and scarcity factors apply. >-- >Ward Griffiths >Dylan: How many years must some people exist, > before they're allowed to be free? >WDG3rd: If they "must" exist until they're "allowed", > they'll never be free. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

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WTB: Heathkit H8 computer

by David_Wilson＠StrategicFulfillment.com

Hello, I am looking for a Heathkit H8 computer. If anyone has one for sale, or knows of one, I would appreciate the information. Thanks, David Wilson David_Wilson(a)StrategicFulfillment.com - or - dmwilson(a)worldnet.att.net

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

> I don't know if you'd consider it a computer, but the HP 41 was used on > a number of shuttle flights. A friend of mine from HP went to Houston to > teach the astronauts how to use the 41. I've heard that the HP 65 or 67 > was used on some space flights even earlier, but I have not confirmed that. EDUCalc used to advertise that the '41 went on shuttle flights. I always wondered if theirs was more reliable than mine, which was dreadfully prone to static crashes. Why don't laptops suffer from that -- more massive? Better circuitry?

28 years, 3 months

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Demand for old computers by commercial organisations?

by kevan＠heydon.org

Has this happened to anyone else: Tonight someone is travelling half the country to pick up and borrow one of my old computers, so that they can port a legacy system they have to PCs. The computer in Question is a Sage IV, and it appears that their unit has failed and they found me via my web pages. Out of the deal I am getting the rest of the Sage's they have when the port is over and they no longer need them. -- Kevan Old Computer Collector: http://www.heydon.org/kevan/collection/

28 years, 3 months

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Weird Epson HX-20

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I found two Epson HC-20s today that appear to have GP-IB interfaces. They have indicator lites for most of the GP-IB signals in the plug in module and the module says GP-IB but the connector on it is a female BD-25 connector. Does anyone know for sure what this is? Joe

28 years, 3 months

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Recording data to a strand of wire? AND Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

These two threads just bumped together in my head. Has anybody got an idea of how long data should last on wire? It can't have the same problem with oxide coating that tapes do - the main problem might be to keep any oxide coating from developing. :-) Are the early wire recordings still readable? Maybe CDROMs beat wire in resisting rust, even if they are still not quite perfect on that count. Still, something about the idea of using such an old storage medium appeals to me. Anyone want to try running some fine ferrous wire through an old cassette (or even reel-to-reel) recorder, and see if the result is readable? Given Allison's warning about head-wear, I wouldn't try it on my favorite stereo system. Just what we need, another incompatible storage medium. :-) Cheers, Bill.

28 years, 3 months

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Original IMSAI Board and Documentation for sale

by phunkchyld＠usa.net

First of all, let me apologize to anyone receiving this email who considers it garbage. Have several items related to the IMSAI computer for sale: Vector Graphic, Inc. [Rev 3] PROM/RAM BOARD w/cable and connector/pins. MAY 1976 IMSAI Complete Product Catalog - "The Complete Microcomputer System". Original price $1 IMSAI Domestic Price List for November '77 Invoice dated '78 (from IMSAI). Comes in what I assume is the original box, but this cannot be verified. Card has never been used and accessory items are still in original packaging. If you are interested, please make an offer an all items. JPEG's can be sent upon request, and I will try to answer any questions. Thanks Andrew By the way, although I don't collect computers, I might trade for an interesting old Apple or Atari. ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com

28 years, 3 months

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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca> wrote: >I've sold several S-100 based systems with 8" >floppy drives, paper tape readers, etc., to Microsoft employees who >are hoping to make backups of the first ten years of Microsoft >software in the archives there. I'd love to exchange e-mail with them, if you still have their addresses. On my web page is the source and Win32 executables to Claus Giloi's Altair / IMSAI emulators. I think these are fun because they're GUI re-creations: you even have to click on the power switch to turn them on. In my Copious Spare Time, it would be fun to add virtual peripherals and sound effects: a Lancaster TV typewriter, ASR-33, disk drives, etc. I'd also like to archive some sample programs that people could toggle in... anyone out there have some in electronic form? I don't have real IMSAI/Altair just yet, but I'm working on it. >And Paul Allen just bought a XKL (PDP-10 clone), in >part to recreate their original software development environment - I think! Actually, that's Allen's company. Wouldn't it be nice to have nearly unlimited resources in order to fund your daydreams? Or is it more fun to dumpster-dive to save nifty bits? I'm not sure. :-) - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 3 months

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The IBM PS/2 model 70 again! -E61

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> wrote: >My main problem with PS/2's is cost and scarcity of MCA cards and >memory and such. At the UW-Madison surplus shop, they have several banquet tables full of boxes of PS/2 MCA junk cards, all at ~dollar prices. I don't know what's in there, though. - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 3 months

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Anybody want an Osborne?

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

That is totally understandable. Oh well. >>> Joe >>I don't think I would pay $20 for just a connector. It' the little thingy on > > It may be a little thing but the owner's not going to let me start taking >pieces off. Sorry. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

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Etymologies...

by pvhp＠forte.com

classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subj: Re: Etymologies... PG Manney wrote: >Where did the following terms come from? > >-Dongle ? >-Byte (named after nybble, or vice-versa?) In support of Eric Raymonds's Hacker's Dictionary Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere* attribute the coinage of the term byte to Werner Bucholz who was chief architect of the IBM Stretch project. That being the late 1950's/ early 1960's I suspect that spellings such as "byte" and "nybble" were also puns of another sort: at that time a good deal of comedy material was floating around concerning the fad that had sprung up after world war II to name various small businesses along the lines of "Ye Olde Cheese Shoppe", "Ye Olde Liquore Store", "Ye Olde Flowere Shoppe" and such like. The intent was to convey some old world charm and respectability but by the early 60's "Ye Olde Used Carre Lotte" had a humourous ring to it and was lampooned in cartoons (I think things like Hanna-Barberra's Flintstones poked fun at "Ye Olde..."). Hence the "binary digit" -> bit (from the 1930s) became "byte" a larger and more respectable measure of storage (BTW in IBM speak one never mentions 'memory' it is 'storage'). At that time (early 60's) a four bit instruction set was not unheard of for computers hence the half byte or nybble came into being (simple pun on bite/nibble). *"Out of their Minds: The lives and discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists" (c) 1995 ISBN: 0-387-97992-1 >-Mainframe (Why not just...like..you know...call it a computer?) One of the basic units of IBM packaging is the "frame" which _roughly_ translates to four squarish 19" racks stuck together in a square. A given computer installation may have one or more frames for DASD (pronounced Dazz-dee meaning "Direct access storage device" or disk drive), a DASD controller (no kidding these things occupy a whole frame) and the Central Electronic Complex (CEC or CPU - a.k.a. the "Main" frame) >-DB (as in DB-15, 25) I've also heard them called D-sub xx) ? >-Mouse Apparently invented around 1964 by Douglas Englebart - according to Time/Life books "Understanding Computers" series. In the "Input/Output" volume on page 67 referring to equipment used at The 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco: Technically known as an "x-y position indicator for a system," it was something Englebart had invented four years earlier and had named - because of its small size and tail-like cable - a mouse. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

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Availability?

by zmerch＠northernway.net

This was just sent to me, and I am forwarding it unto you in case any of y'all can help this guy out -- sounds like a good guy to me. Please respond directly to him if you can help him out. Thanks! ----------------------------------------------- >Delivered-To: zmerch(a)northernway.net >Delivered-To: m600(a)list.northernway.net >X-Authentication-Warning: rac6.wam.umd.edu: kosack owned process doing -bs >Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 22:18:51 -0500 (EST) >From: Daniel S Kosack <kosack(a)wam.umd.edu> >To: m600(a)list.northernway.net >Subject: Availability? > > >Howdy, > > I'm curious to know how available used T600's are. I have a T1400, but >I think a T600 would actually be more useful considering I have no hard >drive and DOS apps are large. I'm a big MS-Works 1.0 fan (I have the DOS >version, which fits on multiple disks) so I think I would get along with a >T600 just fine. I remember when they first came out, and I've got a few >100's, so I'm somewhat familiar with the line. > > Thanks for any info. I'm in the greater Washington DC metro area >(United States). If there are any used/refurb computer places you know of >in that vacinity that may have one, I'd be interested. I'd be even more >interested if I could possibly trade my 1400LT for one (it's not in the >best of shape, bad battery and not so hot screen anymor and manuals are >lost, but it works). > >Dan Kosack. -- Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed, Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should *not* zmerch(a)northernway.net | be your first career choice.

28 years, 3 months

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firsts (guis)

by pvhp＠forte.com

Regarding the first GUI: It would seem that Douglas Englebart's work at the "Augmentation Research Center" (ARC) of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park was the first GUI and was demonstrated at the Fall 1968 Joint Computer Conference in the San Francisco Civic Auditorium by Englebart. The computer used was the one at ARC (model unknown?) and was microwave linked to the display in the Auditorium. Input devices included a keyboard, a 3 button mouse (invented 4 years earlier by Englebart), and a chord keyset - described as an input device that resembled a five key segment cut from a piano keyboard. Alan Kay was in attendance at that show and drew inspiration for his later work at Xerox PARC on SmallTalk and the Xerox Alto (released in 1973, 2000 were made and it is credited as "a contender for the title of world's first personal computer"). The reference with all these claims is none other than the "Input/Ouput" volume of the Time-Life "Understanding Computers" series (c) 1986 (L.O.C. QA76.1486 1986 004 85-28832; ISBN: 0-8094-5666-4 or 0-8094-5666-2 (library binding)). There is a picture of Englebart conducting "a reprise" of his Joint Computer Conference show on page 65. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

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Looking for a 14 pin DIN cable

by hansp＠columbia.digiweb.com

Doea anyone have a spare 14 connector DIN cable? I need one for connecting a disk drive to my Thomson TO-8 computer. I believe the same cable is used to connect drives to the Atari ST series machines. -- Hans B. Pufal : <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> Comprehensive Computer Catalogue : <http://www.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc/> _-_-__-___--_-____-_--_-_-____--_---_-_---_--__--_--_--____---_--_--__--_

28 years, 3 months

2
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HELP!!!!!! MS Dos

by fbgte＠cibola.net

Hello, My name is Mario Soto and I am looking for a version of MS Dos 5.0 or earlier. The catch is I need it on 720k disk can you help? Thanks Mario

28 years, 3 months

4
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Recording data to a strand of wire? AND Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<These two threads just bumped together in my head. Has anybody got <an idea of how long data should last on wire? It can't have the same If it didn't rust forever or until a stronger field distrurbed it. <Anyone want to try running some fine ferrous wire through an old <cassette (or even reel-to-reel) recorder, and see if the result is Wouldn't work. The gap in the head is too narrow, the media speed is too slow and the shape of the head would not favor it. Also wire requires a strong bias to work as your magnetizing a tougher medium. In real terms as a data storage medium it would be poor becuase of bit density and reliability. Even disks/drums of the time were very low density even though some were oxide coated or even a few cobalt plated. Allison

28 years, 3 months

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WTB: SDS/XDS Sigma 7 and Honeywell CP-V manuals

by michael_wilson＠geocities.com

I am looking for manuals for the Sigma 7 computer system and the Honeywell CP-V operating system. Would appreciate any information about, or leads to help find these items. Thanks, David Wilson dmwilson(a)worldnet.att.net or David_Wilson(a)StrategicFulfillment.com

28 years, 3 months

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Anybody want an Osborne?

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message----- From: Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Wednesday, January 14, 1998 7:56 PM Subject: Re: Anybody want an Osborne? >At 08:21 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: >>If you can get just the video loopback connector I'll be interested, one of >>mine is missing it and I would like to replace it with an original. >>thanks for the post. > > I can get the connector if you're willing to buy the computer to get it >and can tell me where it is in the machine. > > Joe I don't think I would pay $20 for just a connector. It' the little thingy on the right below thew storage under the floppy, it has white writing on it that says "do not remove while power is on". this is where you plug in an extenal monitor but if you want to use the internal one, you have to have this loopback. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

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