To all with interest in IBM 7090

There's a lot to that report. It is also only dealing with semiconductor devices. While semiconductors are a crucial component, they are not the only one. The problem is that none of these documents are studies on conservation. The way I see it, this is still in its larval form. Only 70 years ago these machines hadn't even been invented yet, that is within the life span of quite a few people who are still around. We just don't know how best to preserve a computer. The world needs data. The only way to get data is to do our best, and try different strategies. There are many very clever people on this list and elsewhere. With enough effort, anything can be made and replaced. It's going to be a crapshoot either way until we've had more experience with this stuff. That being said, there is a caveat that always has to be considered with computers. Computers are unique in this world being machines with half of themselves existing as non-material information. A computer which is not running is not running any software. This, by necessity, requires abandoning the ability to communicate an enormous portion of computer history to the public. A PDP is only a shell without the blinking lights, RSX-11/M, punched paper tape, ITS, etc. Leaving out the software is like taking a Model T and chopping it in half. You are only displaying a fragment, not the whole story. On some level people must be able to use the software, to experience it, to understand it. People must be engaged with the computer before they can understand the historical context of the machine, and what it has meant to the people using it. If a person doesn't understand the process of punching cards, booking computer time at 3AM, and waiting for your $300 printout, they aren't understanding the computer. If a person doesn't understand the process of having to load the boot loader with toggle switches, they aren't understanding the computer. It's not necessary to convey the experience exactly. But an approximation can give people the feel of what it was like. I think if people aren't given the opportunity to experience that, they can't understand the frustration, aggravation and passion that the computer has engendered. Many have fallen in love with these machines, and many have cursed at them(often this is the same person). Without doing it for themselves, people won't understand why. I think it would be tragic for people to not understand why. The computer is most likely the most important invention mankind has created to date. The impact is so dramatic we are not even cognizant of it. I, for one, love computers - have almost my entire life. I want others to understand why. -------- Paul Anderson -- VE3HOP On 2012-08-12, at 12:05 AM, William Donzelli <wdonzelli at gmail.com> wrote: