13 Jan
2003
13 Jan
'03
6:05 a.m.
William Donzelli wrote:
Also, early IBM was rented, not sold. When you were done with it,
it went back to IBM, not into storage. Fewer systems for hobbyests
to pick up.
Could it by
chance have something to do with the size of the systems, and
the avaialability of the Operating Systems and software (and even
documentation)?
Yes, certainly. DECs have mostly been run by bunches of grad students,
nutty profs, wacko scientists, all natural packrats. IBMs, as well as the
rest of the BUNCH, are run by suits. Very different cultures.
For example, I
pretty much always pick up any documentation I can find,
I've got probably 5-7 full size bookcases full of DEC documentation (that
doesn't include microfiche and electronic format). For IBM, I've got maybe
a third of one shelf. For DG, I've got a three-ring binder. Admitadly, I
look for DEC doc's, but still even more of it's found me, than I've found
of the other stuff.
Docs do not seem to be the issue - DAC, IBM, DG, it all seems to have
survived well. If you look for IBM docs, you can get just as overloaded.
OTOH, the first two pieces of my classic computer
collection are IBM, a
hand-held card punch (still in almost prefect condition), and a wierd
magtape. I've had both for 20-30 years.
What is the magtape?
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org