Hi Tony el al.
Well it's interesting to see how much of what I suspected you have
confirmed from direct personal experience.
On a more positive note I have a great deal of admiration for what TNMoC and
the others are trying to do. The way they going about it, however leaves a
lot to be desired.
My views entirely. Any person or organisation that is preserving classic
computer can't be anything but a Good Thing. But like you I have
reservations about how the THMoC are doing it.
There is a huge amount of knowledge amongst the members of just this list.
Has any one been approached by any of the preservation/restoration groups
for information or assistance? If somebody says I have just restored such
I can only speak for myself here, obviously. The only people to approach
me are members of this list or members oF HPCC (who have met me face to
face in genreral).
and such a system and I am a restoration group with
the same system but not
working I'd be calling the guy pretty quick.
Waiting for people to volunteer will not get you the right people at the
right time. If you have a system that needs fixing then find somebody who
Particularly not if the 'right people' dont even know what's going on..
has experience and will help. Don't waste their
time with travel to BP or
anywhere else. Get it in a vehicle and deliver it and collect it when done.
I was prepeared ot go to BP from time to time (on average once a month,
say). I was prepared to give my time for nothing. But I was not prepared
to pay to visit the museum if I was working on their machines (they can
darn well let me in for free). I was not prepared to buy components
myself to repair their machines (if I can provide a receipt from Maplin
or Farnell or whoever for the parts I've fitted, I sepcet to be paid).
And I was not prepared to play guessing games working out how the machine
should work when the necessary manuals were probably in the next room but
I couldn't look at them.
they may need for their work on your systems.
Don't be afraid to exchange
items in storage for something a collector ahs and you would add to your
display. The old 'the donor wouldn't like it' excuse is nonsense.
I would agree. In many cases (not all, I will grant you), the donoe
doens't want to throw out a machine tht might be useful to somebody. They
give it to the museum rather than taking it to landfill. They are not
giing to object if it ends up i nthe hands of a collector in exchange for
parts needed to reapir another machine at the museum.
-tony