LET'S RESOLVE THIS ISSUE was (Re: Made a deal to get a Vax 6000,2 Fujitsu Supercomputers and TOPS10???)
24 Nov
1999
24 Nov
'99
7:12 p.m.
This is starting to resemble an argument for putting things on eBay before
scrapping them. If they're priceless, then someone will at least attempt to
buy them for somewhat less than that implies.
If nobody wants 'em badly enough to pay the packing, shipping, and
associated costs, plus the scrap value then, since it's too late to leave
'em inthe scrapyard, they need to be disposed of in some way, don't they?
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Rodrigo Ventura <yoda(a)isr.ist.utl.pt>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, November 25, 1999 2:00 AM
Subject: Re: LET'S RESOLVE THIS ISSUE was (Re: Made a deal to get a Vax
6000,2 Fujitsu Supercomputers and TOPS10???)
You sound like someone who burns paintings just because you
don't have space to store them, regardless from being priceless
Picasso's... It's not very hard to understand the following facts:
- the majority of this list subscribers are collectors, which
means that they like collecting certain stuff.
- everyone understands the difference between "storing" and
"collecting". It's impossible to prevent all minis from the planet
from being destroyed -- store all obsolete minis. However, collectors
are available to save a necessarily small percentage from destruction,
by collecting them. They do this because they *love* it.
- the average storage capacity of collectors is usually not
very high. Not everyone is able to own a VAX, and those who are, can't
hold more than 1-2 of such machines. Now compare this storage capacity
with the rate you get minis (you said about 40-50 a year).
- you can't expect to come here saying "I crush 40 minis a
year" without people becoming upset. I guess it breaks the heart of
every collector (at least it breaks mine...).
Cheers,
--
*** Rodrigo Martins de Matos Ventura <yoda(a)isr.ist.utl.pt>
*** Web page: http://www.isr.ist.utl.pt/~yoda
*** Teaching Assistant and MSc Student at ISR:
*** Instituto de Sistemas e Robotica, Polo de Lisboa
*** Instituto Superior Tecnico, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
*** PGP fingerprint = 0119 AD13 9EEE 264A 3F10 31D3 89B3 C6C4 60C6 4585
25 Nov
25 Nov
1:03 a.m.
New subject: LET'S RESOLVE THIS ISSUE
At 02:12 AM 11/25/99 -0700, Richard Erlacher wrote:
If nobody wants 'em badly enough to pay the packing, shipping, and
associated costs, plus the scrap value then, since it's too late to leave
'em inthe scrapyard, they need to be disposed of in some way, don't they?
Yes, of course. Storage space itself costs a great deal to someone.
I'm lucky to have a basement in my office building of 1,800 square
feet or so, but the humidity and dust levels aren't optimal.
Shipping costs can grow quickly, too. Think of eBay as a nice
way to find someone willing to pay shipping. Which reminds me,
someone should invent an automated method for computer rescue notifications,
and some popular way to alert the masses to this method of friendly
disposal. Oh, wait, maybe that's eBay. I think the only thing they're
missing is the automated notification based on proximity, and I bet
they're working on it, or that someone's automated agent does it.
We should be thankful we collect things that fit in rooms. The farmer
across the road collects tractors. I think he's got 20 or so filling
his pole shed, packed as tight as sardines.
- John
2:40 a.m.
New subject: LET'S RESOLVE THIS ISSUE
On Thu, 25 Nov 1999, John Foust wrote:
We should be thankful we collect things that fit in
rooms. The farmer
across the road collects tractors. I think he's got 20 or so filling
his pole shed, packed as tight as sardines.
I know some fellows that collect Mack trucks. they bought a factory to store
the unrestored ones, and filled in the empty space with flathead V- Ford
trucks. Compared to that sort of thing, those big Vaxes don't seem that
big. After all, to a large degree things are relative. A Universe or a
Dual is large compared to ZX-81, but small compared to a PDP-9.
M. K.
Peirce Rhode Island
Computer Museum, Inc. 215 Shady Lea Road, North Kingstown, RI 02852
"Casta est qui nemo rogavit."
- Ovid
30 Nov
30 Nov
11:33 a.m.
New subject: Tractor & Computer storage...
Rumor has it that John Foust may have mentioned these words:
We should be thankful we collect things that fit in
rooms. The farmer
across the road collects tractors. I think he's got 20 or so filling
his pole shed, packed as tight as sardines.
Having 6 tractors & a classic pickup (well, next year... it's a '75)
myself, I understand the wherewithal of "storage space"... I've been
building a lot of it this fall, mainly so I can move most of my smaller
tractors out of my main garage, so I can work on some of the tractors &
some of my computers over the winter...
On the "breaking of hearts" comment, tho: Just because I can't do anything
about starvation in Africa doesn't mean that my heart doesn't break over
it. Just because I can't ship 40 mini's from Montreal doesn't mean that my
heart doesn't break when I hear them going to the shredder... Most
importantly: Just because those mini's getting scrapped breaks my heart, it
doesn't mean it's a personal attack against those doing the scrapping... It
just plain breaks my heart.
I think that sums it up for me...
Prost,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
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at258＠osfn.org -
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zmerch＠30below.com