19 Jun
2009
19 Jun
'09
5:58 p.m.
Hello, All,
There have been some incredibly good posts on this subject. Not to
denigrate anyone else's excellent input, but Ray, your description
deserves to be recorded somewhere, like perhaps a Wikipedia entry "What
is the point of collecting old computers" or some such. Simply.
Freaking. Brilliant.
So, with all this inspiration, let me set down what *I* find fulfilling
in this hobby....
First and foremost, I like to USE the machines. When I use them, I want
the experience of people who used to program them, ESPECIALLY if I was
one of those people. So, I feel a bit slighted when someone claims that
the experience of the software is to boot up a word processor. Not at
all. What *I* like, is to use a text editor to create a program to run,
to create job control language of whatever type is necessary, to run and
test the software I've written, and to revise it, again, using whatever
was commonly used to write those programs.
Along those lines, I'm okay with having, say, a HP Timeshare BASIC
system with more disk space than I used to have, so I can store programs
to disk, rather than printing out a punched tape - I would have done
that back then, had I the opportunity. I'm okay with using a PC as a
terminal, as compared with an ASR-33, too. But I like to have the disk
structure, and the commands, available, and to actually DO the work on
the old machine. Using *ALL* original hardware is an additional thrill,
too, but one of less importance to me than having the "user experience"
of the software creation cycle. Since I used many more machines over a
data line than hands-on, a simulator often provides an experience just a
few percent shy of the total experience for what interests me.
I feel I should not have to say this, but I will anyway. This is what
*I* like, and I'm not casting aspersions on any other facet of the
hobby. I do see the value in almost everything anyone has mentioned,
even to the point of just hearing the original machine work. For me,
THAT bit involves an old 1A Bell system telephone switch, a room-filling
array of clacking relays, connected to a computer remarkably advanced
for its age, and still in use in several places. Every time I have used
that computer interface, I have been sitting in front of a switch that
is handling telephone traffic, and hence, making a serious amount of
clatter. So, I get it. Honestly. I'm speaking, though, of those bits
which motivate ME to do all the things I must to have the experience. Okay?
Since the statute of limitations has tolled on this, I don't mind saying
that as a youngster, the way I got experience on many computer systems
was to hack my way in over a phone line modem connection. Let me hasten
to add that I never destroyed anyone's data, and never paid any
attention to private data. My purpose was to learn the machine, and
learn how to write programs on it. At that time, most services charged
an hourly connect rate that, as a teenager, was way over my head. So, I
used the computers at night, when the load was low, and would sneak in
when my presence would not be irritating anyone paying for access. It
worked. As far as I know, I was only noticed on two different systems.
One of those kicked me out, and put new security measures in place,
measures I never again cracked. On the other system, the guy printed a
list of my accesses to the machine for me, and wrote me a note saying
that he understood what I was up to, and that if I kept it inoffensive
as I had been doing, he had no problem with it, but to check with him if
I was going to run a program that would swamp the processor so he could
schedule it. What a guy!
With the above experience, it should be clear that my exposure to most
computers was via a modem. No clacking, no whirring of tapes, no *BUMP*
noises from the drives, just an access I could explore, often without
documentation of any kind. I'd try to find out what kind of a machine
it was -- which is often more difficult than one would expect. When I
figured that out, I'd look for books at the library about that kind of
computer, and start using it. Seriously, I had a blast.
So, for me, a simulation of a computer I have never used is a VERY good
emulation of the experience I used to have -- well neigh perfect,
actually. And, given the fact that I already have a couple of PC type
machines, it's essentially free. I love it... And, I'll just have to
wait on any hardware hobbyist activities for a while.
Warren