LSSM is chasing this, was Re: General Data? Computer Equipment Auction - GSA

------ Original Message ------ From: "Dave McGuire via cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> To: "P Gebhardt" <p.gebhardt at ymail.com>; "cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Thursday, 17 Mar, 2022 At 21:37 Subject: Re: LSSM is chasing this, was Re: General Data? Computer Equipment Auction - GSA As I've said privately today to three people who have emailed me off-list about this, since starting the LSSM project about ten years ago, I've seen many, probably 25, situations in which widows have junked their dead spouse's prized computer hardware. We've all heard of those situations, but as we've been actively looking for hardware, we see it a lot more, and even I was shocked about just how common this actually is. This is a fate that seems to befall most private collections. That, combined with rodent infestations, rust, etc resulting from the typical garage/barn/shed/basement storage that we've seen over and over, has impacted my opinion of private collections. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA These are all valid concerns, especially since some collectors generally have eyes bigger then their belly, wanting more machines than they have the appropriate storage for. I fear i have been just as guilty (though i generally keep anything of value outside of the rat infested shed) However, there are a great many people who do try and keep their collections indoors and on display. Obviously, this is much easier with machines like the 80's micros than it is with 60's and 70's big iron and minicomputers, which is likely the reason (plus larger production volumes) that so many machines of the 80's and beyond survive and are relatively plentiful. It's also rather unfair to defame private collectors. A lot of them (especially the ones that come out of barns, leaky sheds, garages and basements) were the ones who saved the equipment from the scrappers in the first place. Much of this large system equipment survives (maybe in poor condition) purely because of the private collector. I believe that whilst climate controlled museums are ultimately the best place for functional equipment (where knowledge and skills can easily be pooled), the private collector has an important role in the preservation of equipment as well. Cheers, Josh Rice