High up on the list of wants for my collection is an IBM 5100. I passed on
one several years ago at a Goodwill (arrrgh!), but I'd sure like to track one
down now.
Any ideas?
-- Tony Eros
proprietor -- FooBear's Cluttered Cellar Classic Computer Collection
I seem to have received an email which has bounced thru a few people. I'll try
to give attributions where possible.
Dave Jenner:
> Is this the same SCO that is receiving the PDP-11 Unix petition?
> Heaven help us!
Unknown:
> I saw a thing on SCO's webpage about submitting a success story to win a
> prize. I decided it was time for some shameless plugging!
> Look what I got in return... He almost gets the point...
Daniel Seagraves:
> >
> >I have a PDP-11. I bet it would make for some
> >pretty decent advertising if you'd give me the
> >source to compile Unix on it... :)
Jim Sullivan:
> Well, since much of the early UNIX development was done on PDP11s, a version
> of UNIX could possilbe be found for it, but it's probably very old and
> out of date. Of note, my first job in the industry was with a company
> called Human Computing Resources (later HCR, later merged with SCO).
> HCR was one of the pioneers in the UNIX industry and was the provider of
> UNIX ports and layered implementations of UNIX across many platforms,
> including PDP11s. PDP11/Unity was one of our products. Of course, we
> don't sell it anymore and haven't sold it for over a decade.
The Answer
----------
The answer for Daniel Seagraves is to fill in the petition asking SCO to
sell the source code for these old UNIXes. SCO does hold the legal rights
to these old systems. We're hoping that they will be encouraged by the
petition, and help people like Daniel out.
The petition is at:
http://minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au/PUPS/ and choose the top hyperlink.
The petition has been formally presented to SCO, and we're waiting on
an answer back from them. The signs seem good, though!
Cheers,
Warren
At 06:53 AM 8/12/97 -0700, you wrote:
>>Bruce, and everyone else. I just heard from Bill. He got in a car wreck
>>going over to Bruce's place to pick some stuff up. Not knocking ya Bruce
>>but from now on we can call a wreck - getting Bruced 8-) He is OK but in
Or perhaps being "Whit"led (it was Bill Whitson?) could mean willing to go
to any length (including getting your car hit and breaking bones) in order
to rescue classic computer stuff? 8^)
Hope he gets well soon!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/
> I have some. I also live in the UK (Cambridge) so shipping won't be
> much. I actually have a Superbrain Jr. I can't remember what density
> disks it has but I will check tonight. What model is yours.
Excellent. Thank you very much. I too shall check such things tonight
- if I can (I have no documentation at all)
> Did the company Intertec make any other machines?
According to Kai Kaltenbach's recent post, it seems they made something
called a Compustar. The name doesn't ring any bells for me, however.
If you're in Cambridge, you ought to belong to the Cambridge University
Computer Preservation Society. I think Richard Davies (rjd27(a)cam.ac.uk)
will be able to tell you more.
I shall be at CUCPS next term, on 4th November, hopefully demonstrating
the Tektronix 4052, if you're interested.
Philip.
Hello, all:
I got a message from my friend with the Altair scans (list previously posted
here). On Monday, he mailed me a Zip disk filled with scans. It really makes
me wonder if this guy has a job! Actually, he must work for a publishing house
or something, somewhere where he has access to high-volume scanners.
Anyway, when I get this, I'll put together a disk/tape and Fedex it to Bill
Whitson {Bill: I need your physical address and telephone#} and have him post
it to the ftp site.
More to come...
------------------------
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<rcini(a)msn.com>
- ClubWin Charter Member (6)
- MCPS Windows 95/Networking
I received this today, can anyone here help him out? If so, send him
an email.
Thanks.
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Bill Creager" <creagerb(a)ix.netcom.com>
To: <dlw(a)neosoft.com>
Subject: HELP
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 15:44:50 -0400
Found your wanted ad for Cromemco's. I have a need for a programmer with
a Crememco and the know how to program a EPROM chip for a Hand Held data
terminal (MSI 85)..... any help or leads would be greatly appreciated.
Bill Creager
CREAGERB(a)ix.netcom.com
----------------------------------------------------
-----
David Williams - Computer Packrat
dlw(a)neosoft.com
http://www.neosoft.com/~dlw
> The problem I see with this view, is that it does not fully take into
> consideration the class/capabilities/intent of "people" who are
> throwing
> these outlandish amounts of money around!
>
Do we have any evidence of outlandish prices actually being paid?
There are lots of newspaper articles referencing ridiculous amounts for
an Apple I like $10-$15K, but no facts to back them up. The only
documented sale in existence is the one at the 1996 Computer Bowl
charity auction for $22K, but that hardly counts.
Does anyone have any facts about Altairs or IMSAIs going for thousands?
> The 'speculators' who are out to try to make a quick buck on these
> machines while having no regard for their preservation or history will
> only make life much more difficult (and expensive) for those who would
> preserve both the machine and its history.
>
While there seem to be quite a lot of "Altair / IMSAI Wanted" ads on
USENET, I've never actually communicated with anyone who was in this for
the speculation. Does anyone know someone who is?
My advice to anyone who actually wanted to speculate in old computers
would be to buy a ton of Apple IIe/IIc's and Commodore 64's - like a
warehouse full. They're common as dirt right now and go for garage sale
prices. When all of those people whose first computer was one of those
hit age 50 (in approximately 2015) they're going to have to buy one, and
you'd be in fat city :)
> Once the percieved value of a given item is (publically) driven up,
> either
> by speculators with too much money to spend or too many badly out of
> touch
> New York/L.A. Times articles, it can take a very long time for the
> prices
> to return to reality (if they ever do).
>
That's the truth brother.
> And once an item is in the hands of one of these money oriented types,
> it
> may well languish in a vault(sic) until someone will pay the 'proper'
> prices, or when the novelty has worn off the item may still end up in
> the
> trash rather than being released for a more reasonable price. (don't
> laugh, I regularly deal with a *lot* of these types!)
>
Really?!? Egads.
> There has got to be a balance somewhere, I'm just not sure how to get
> there.
>
> Are *you* prepared to pay $500US for an Osborne or a TI99-4a ???
>
Geez, I found homes for a couple of nice Osbornes at your Tigard swap
meet for $15-$20 apiece. What was I thinking! :)
Kai
> From: Kevin McQuiggin
> Most of the hype and hoarding has been with bakelite radios from the
> late
> 40s and 50s
>
Occam's Razor says it's more likely that the baby boomers who owned or
wanted to own such radios in the 40s and 50s are now of the age where
they have a lot of nostalgia and a good deal of money to spend. That
doesn't mean that speculators are driving up prices.
Kai
One machine I hear very little about nowadays - the Superbrain.
It was one of the CPM machines that competed with the later PETs and
things, and there used to be one that sat in the librarian's office
where I work. One day I saw it being trundled towards the stores, and
sure enough it appeared in the skip soon afterward.
A little discussion with our procurement (= disposals) people, and the
machine went home with me. It now sits on my shelves, waiting for
someone to give it a boot disk.
Anyone know where to get system disks for this machine? I have one
friend who keeps promising to ask his neighbour (etc....) to get me one,
but said neighbour never seems to be available. Can anyone else get me
a disk? - I will pay all reasonable costs involved, of course.
Philip.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Philip Belben <><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Bloedem Volke unverstaendlich treiben wir des Lebens Spiel.
Grade das, was unabwendlich fruchtet unserm Spott als Ziel.
Magst es Kinder-Rache nennen an des Daseins tiefem Ernst;
Wirst das Leben besser kennen, wenn du uns verstehen lernst.
Poem by Christian Morgenstern - Message by Philip.Belben(a)powertech.co.uk
