Why would it be a biz if you sell some of it off if you don't make a profit? That would be like saying that someone that sells things at a yard sale once a year is running a biz (although some people are permanent yard sale sellers around here). I could see it if you had a few Univac racks in your back yard in public view. Also push it that they are not stored there but actively in use in your house.

Well, if you need to give away anything, I'm your man! ... Just kidding. Mostly. :-) Quoting Mike Ford <mikeford(a)socal.rr.com>om>: First off, I've got to give a big ol' WTF to this. If there is a city ordinance that restricts you from having computer equipment in your home, then it's time that ordinance got smacked down: (0) Is it entirely constitutional to limit the kind of things one can put in their home, assuming the things don't violate some other law restraining the general posession of the things (like gun-control or substance laws)? I'm guessing not... (1) When Joe Suburban goes to an electronics store to pick up a PC for his home and then subsequently stores the PC in his home, is he also violating this law? If not, how can Mike be considered to be violating it? (2) The reasoning may be that 'big' computers are reserved only for businesses, and have no place in the home. If that's what they are trying to pull on you, then I'm sure ClassicCmp will help you prove otherwise by providing examples of many people who use 'big' computers non-commercially in their homes. (3) They may just assume you are running a business, and your only violation would be having a business in a residential zone. That should be easy to disprove. What exactly is the statute that you have 'violated'? Have you the resources to go to court if need be? Also, at this point, I would start looking for ways to legally make your neighbor's life hell... -- Jeffrey S. Sharp jss(a)ou.edu

On Fri, 8 Jun 2001, Jim Strickland wrote: Mike could make this really hard on them and do these sorts of things, but if the inspector happens to be really zealous about their work, they could make life equally as miserable for Mike. The best way to win with a beauracrat is to beat them at their own game. In reading the ordinance specified at: http://bpc.iserver.net/codes/orange/_DATA/TITLE17/Chapter_17_14__RESIDENTIA… (I love the web :) ...it would seem the burden is on the city to prove that Mike is running a business. All Mike has to do is draft a response letter stating that his collection of computers is a hobby, not a business, and he only sells stuff on a once per year basis as it allowed under city ordinances (garage sale). It's a no-brainer. The onus is on the city to prove Mike is running a business. If they goo all the way and decide to take him to court, it'll be a big pain in the ass, but he'll win. I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the web (and I've had enough exposure to law and legal proceedings through what seems to be my never-ending quest to prove I wasn't actually speeding ;) Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org

500 cu-ft includes LxWxD, not sq-ft as you might think. An 8 ft ceiling counts in that 500 so instead of a 10x50 room you're looking at less than a 10x10 room with 8 ft ceiling (that would yield 800 cu-ft) - an 8x8 room with 8 ft ceiling is even over that.

500 cu-ft = 10'x10'x5' One slight problem Mike can probably fill most of 500 cu-ft with one or two systems. I know I'm well over 500 cu-ft, probably closer to 1000+. Most of my collection is in a couple storage units which isn't cheap. Zane -- | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator | | healyzh(a)aracnet.com (primary) | OpenVMS Enthusiast | | healyzh(a)holonet.net (alternate) | Classic Computer Collector | +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | | and Zane's Computer Museum. | | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/ |

P.S. rememeber it's California. I would guess there's other ordinances as to storage of weights at heights. I am speaking of Earthquakes. There was a guy near me that got buried in his own home library once... I wouldn't dream of pushing storage to 6 or even 8 feet high out there. I dropped a Cipher880MTU from 6' once. It did a China syndrome through the table below it down to the concrete. This computer stuff is pretty dangerous. (At least in Earth's gravity <g>) John A. CA 1985->89

You've got to be kidding! I'm glad I don't have any nosey inspector around here, they'd think I was running a computer repair shop, as I have parts scattered everywhere..... which I really need to pick up, finish stuff, cause I'm embarrassed to have anybody over :-( Its your business, not theirs, but don't tell them that..... They'll say, "AHA, so you do have a business"! Chad Fernandez Michigan, USA Mike Ford wrote: