10 Feb
2007
10 Feb
'07
6:04 p.m.
Once something winds up in a museum or someone's
collection, you can consider it lost essentially.
With a few notable exceptions.
I commented to him about something in the past, and
got back a hate filled response from him and would never buy
anything from this guy.
There is a VERY special place in Hell reserved for
"New Beginnings Antiques"
I would be very surprised if CHM doesn't have a copy
of this. I'll see what I can do about getting it scanned.
10 Feb
10 Feb
8:10 p.m.
At 02:04 PM 2/10/2007, you wrote:
Of course I watch Antiques Road Show on PBS and get upset when a 200 year
old item is only worth a few thousand... ; )
I think computers and computer related equipment are a little
different. Sure it is nice to OWN an original but the goal shouldn't be to
own exclusive control of information or buying something because of what it
contains (with the intention of not sharing). I know of a few collectors
who have manuals or other vintage computer related items who do not want
them scanned or copied because it would reduce the value if their
collection. It really annoys me but there is not much that I can do. ;
) I have other friends in the vintage computer community who own very
valuable and rare items and have loaned them to me with the understanding
that I wanted them to duplicate them. They were more concerned with
shipping damage than anything else. ; )
For a while now I've owned by accident what amounts to the prototypes of
the first computer controlled analog synth. I'd like to think the items
are WORTH something being original, but that is NOT going to stop me from
scanning all of the pages and PCBs.
I made the Altair Kit with the same intentions. I was only somewhat
worried that I would get hate mail from people accusing me of diluting
Altairs or lowering the value of Altairs. So it was pretty funny when
someone suggested that in 10 years my Altair might be worth more as there
will be less in circulation. ; ) So far no hate mail! : )
I have provided so far 21 people with 100% functional Altair replicas,
pending assembly... Out of the Altairs I've seen on ebay, it is easy to
see that maybe 10% work. Thats good for a collector who wants it behind
glass, bad for an experimenter. ; ) The kit comes with a guarantee that
as a last resort the unit can be shipped to me with prepaid return
shipping. It will be returned working.
Oh well, enough for now...
Grant
Once something
winds up in a museum or someone's
collection, you can consider it lost essentially.
With a few notable exceptions.
I commented to him about something in the past,
and
got back a hate filled response from him and would never buy
anything from this guy.
There is a VERY special place in Hell reserved for
"New Beginnings Antiques"
I would be very surprised if CHM doesn't have a copy
of this. I'll see what I can do about getting it scanned. 
11 Feb
11 Feb
1:44 p.m.
[...]
An aside... About 15 years ago I managed to buy a pretty rare manual
(HP71B service manual) still in the original shrinkwrap. I amazed other
collectors preseent by immediately ripping of the shrinkwrap and starting
to read the manual. But of course I'd bought the manual to learn how the
HP71 works and how to repair it, not to have some object to put in a
glass case.
) I have other friends in the vintage computer
community who own very
valuable and rare items and have loaned them to me with the understanding
that I wanted them to duplicate them. They were more concerned with
shipping damage than anything else. ; )
This is exactly how I feel. I have some fairly rare documentation, and I
don't feel it's value to me would be reduced if it was scaned and made
available to others. But I don't have a scanner, and don't have anything
I could connect one to.
I've always found fellow classic computer types to be a very honest
bunch. I know full well that if I lent a menual to one of them they'd
return it to me in the same condition that I lent it out in. But alas the
postabl 'service, at least in the UK, is not something I'd trust with an
irreplacable manual. So alas I can't think of an obivous way to share
said manuals...
[...]
pending assembly... Out of the Altairs I've seen
on ebay, it is easy to
see that maybe 10% work. Thats good for a collector who wants it behind
glass, bad for an experimenter. ; ) The kit comes with a guarantee that
Well, unless the buyer is the sort of experimenter who likes faultfinding
and repairing things :-)
-tony
12 Feb
12 Feb
1:50 a.m.
Tony Duell wrote:
I've always found fellow classic computer types to
be a very honest
bunch. I know full well that if I lent a menual to one of them they'd
return it to me in the same condition that I lent it out in. But alas the
postabl 'service, at least in the UK, is not something I'd trust with an
irreplacable manual. So alas I can't think of an obivous way to share
said manuals...
How about this:
The next time I come through the UK, I could stop by with a scanner and
a laptop, and we could spend an afternoon or two scanning things for
people. Would that be agreeable?
I travel to the UK fairly often, and I usually travel with equipment.
Peace... Sridhar
6:37 p.m.
The next time I come through the UK, I could stop by with a scanner and
a laptop, and we could spend an afternoon or two scanning things for
people. Would that be agreeable?
If we can find eomsehre to do it, sure...
Heck, if you're staying in a hotel in the London area (defined as the
area where I can use a London Bus Pass :-)), I'll come to meet you with a
pile of manuals.
-tony
13 Feb
13 Feb
2:38 p.m.
... and we
could spend an afternoon or two
scanning things for
> people...
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aek＠bitsavers.org -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
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grant＠stockly.com -
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