27 Jan
1999
27 Jan
'99
7:37 a.m.
Well . . . not to suggest that I'd consider eating that paper snackie . . .
I've seen lots of dollars made with VIC-20's and C-64's, by guys who could
imagine a solution to a problem which could be implemented via the printer
port and a little bit of code. While the things were really plentiful at
the local thrift store, they cost $5 for the computer and $5 for the power
module. It seems to me that the internal bus was sufficiently accessible
without sawing or drilling the case to allow an enteriprising individual to
build custom hardware which harnessed the otherwise wasted ability of one
of these gems, to control a 3-axis milling table, or something on that
order. The first time was probably painful, but I haven't thrown away my
manuals . . .
Dick
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From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)ncal.verio.com To: Discussion re-collecting of classic
computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Classic Computer Auctions List
Date: Wednesday, January 27, 1999 1:52 PM
On Wed, 27 Jan 1999, John Foust wrote:
x
At 10:21 PM 1/26/99 -0800, Sam Ismail wrote:
So when this is pulled off successfully and we demonstrate the value of
this project, will you eat a print-out of this e-mail (on a standard 8.5 To demonstrate that old
hardware that can be picked up for pennies can be combined to attain
amazing amounts of computing power.
Amazing? How many orders of magnitude difference in horsepower
between a C-64 and a $600 Best Buy Intel box? Perhaps I'm being
unromantic, and I certainly have too many old computers of the
XT/AT/486 variety, but I just don't "get" many of these distributed
computing projects. (I do leave my spare contemporary computers
working for the RC5 project at distributed.net, but that's another
story.) Take 10 computers at 1 horse each, and they're still not
equal to one contemporary (cheap) computer at 10 horses. Sure,
there's hack value in doing it, but mostly for people with too
much time on their hands, or for people who aren't paying for the
electric bill or the room to put them in. Hack away, sure - but
claim they're doing "useful" work? 11 piece of paper) in front of the VCF crowd?
Sellam Alternate e-mail:
dastar(a)siconic.com
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]