That poor System/36

IBM is a different mindset at the mini/mainframe levels than UNIX-type systems, and hobbyists suffer from the fact that IBM does not court the hobbyist market. Notice that I did not say it was a worse mindset, just different, nor did I imply that any company must bend over backwards for the hobbyist. IBM minis are optimized for database, accounting and semi-mainframe type tasks, too, and there are many pitfalls and booby traps in place to prevent horrible and unscrupulous people from buying them secondhand without giving IBM their cut, at least on the AS/400 level. You might want to look at one of the heftier VAXen or Alphas running VMS- different from UNIX and bulletproof, but still from within the same "interactive terminal" mindset. The OpenVMS Hobbyist program and the availability of free/low cost documentation and help is a big plus there, too. A VAX 7000 or AlphaServer 4k series will dim the lights on a branch circuit, definitely, and if that doesn't cut it you can plug in a couple of LaserJet IIISIs. Note that dim lights = low voltage = bad news for extended operation of SMPSUs, though :). Be patient: RealityEngines happen.