8 Aug
2012
8 Aug
'12
4:33 a.m.
Gentlemen,
I think you'll find both TNMoC and CHM actively work on restoring and maintaining
systems. If we could afford more space for displays we'd display more. We encourage
people to volunteer and get involved in restoration both on and off site. As an active
volunteer I can tell you we actually spend very little time hoarding for its own sake. I
can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I or anyone else mutters, 'my
precious' and attempts to drive folk away from, 'the precious'. If you
don't like the way things are done get involved. If your ideas are debated and
rejected, feel secure in the knowledge democracy is at work. Please don't rubbish
institutions which work with little or no budget, but great heart, to do exactly what this
posting claims we don't. At present we're restoring the WITCH, an IBM 1130, ICL
2966, ICL 25, HP 2116, HP 21MX (and peripherals), HP 9845B and probably several more I
don't know about. We always have a few BBCs Apples and S-Bus systems !
on the
go. We are hosting a group doing an EDSAC rebuild. We've completed an Elliott 903
numerous Atari, Commodore, BBC and Apple refurbs in the last year. And on any given
opening day you can see hear and touch several dozen machines. Come to think of it, to say
we don't restore and display systems is not only rubbish, it a simple lie.
If you want to do restoration work, volunteer at TNMoC. If you want different things
displayed, become a volunteer, make a proposal and we make a democratic decision on its
merits. Every display we put up means one we have to take down. So it'd better be a
good proposal. Whether you get involved or not, do us all a favour and park this hobby
horse. It's a phantom steed.
Rod Smallwood <rodsmallwood at btconnect.com> wrote:
Well what do you know!
I thought my radical views would attract some adverse comments.
Instead I get agreement from a well known and established collector.
As you know I am ex-DEC and therefore concentrate on that make.
My goal is to restore back to running order as they left the factory.
Whilst many computers and peripherals are well designed and look quite
good
the essential point is what they can do and have done. It?s the fact
that
the same machine can be used for a myriad of tasks.
This was the key point in Alan Turing's 1936 'On Computable Numbers'.
So two identical computers sitting alongside each but turned off are
the
same thing. Turn them on and one controls traffic lights and the other
holds
medical records. Therein lies the reason to restore to working
condition and
not to static display or store them.
I cannot see why known hobby restorers are never approached by museums
saying 'We have an XYZ123 system in store. If you restore it to working
order then it will go on display with a small card saying restored by
Joe
Bloggs or whoever.' This reverses the donation flow, does not deplete
the
private collection stock and brings more items into display at little
or no
cost.
Regards
?
Rod Smallwood
-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: 07 August 2012 20:57
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: To all with interest in IBM 7090
-- Colin
Museums in general and computer ones in particular suffer from
'Iceberg
Syndrome' Seventy five percent of what they
are you can't see.
That strikes me as a low estiamte.
They are driven to hoard anything they can get their hands on and
just let
it rot away in storage. They only restore items
that they think will
attract
visitors.
I have a book on clock repair which starts out by saying that just
about
the worst thing you can do with an old clock (not a'famous maker') is
tyo give it to a museum where it will never tick again. FWIW, I did
not
write said book, and I read it after I had formed my own simialr
views...
Hands up all of those who have made an equipment
donation to a museum
and
have seen it restored and displayed in working
condition. Does
anybody
know
I've dontated a few artefacts and regretted it .They were never
displayed, certainly never restored. In fact they were probably lost.
-tony