20 May
2002
20 May
'02
11:44 a.m.
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up to become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
--
Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
31 Dec
31 Dec
10:01 p.m.
At 02:44 PM 5/20/02 -0600, you wrote:
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up to
become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
Tell me, how much time did you honestly spend out looking for classic computers
within the last week???? I don't mean time spend browsing E-bay or looking at messages
on CC list or news-groups. I mean time outside in a scrap yard or some place similar.
I don't know you so I can't say how you operate but it's been my
experience that most people that complain about not being able to find anything aren't
really looking.
FWIW I spent 1/2 day one day and about an hour another and found three good PCs; one
is a rack mount and besides being usefull for trade it has a loaded Number Nine dual head
video card, another had a HP-IB card and three data acquisition cards and the last one is
a good working 333 MHz PII with quite decent peripherals. I also picked up a Pentium
powered laptop made by DEC, a TRS model 4P with manuals, a nice bench top power supply, a
tote bin full of mil-spec wire and quite a few smaller goodies.
Joe
PS one of the places that we visted had two AS-400s and (I think!) a system 36. None
of us were interested in them so I didn't look closely at them. They had two Bendix
computers that Mike wants but that's another message.
21 May
21 May
6:19 a.m.
On Thu, 1 Jan 1998, Joe wrote:
At 02:44 PM 5/20/02 -0600, you wrote:
So true. Maybe it's time to post a pointer to my Finding Vintage
Computers primer.
http://www.vintage.org/content.php?id=001
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up
to become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
Tell me, how much time did you honestly spend out looking for
classic computers within the last week???? I don't mean time spend
browsing E-bay or looking at messages on CC list or news-groups. I mean
time outside in a scrap yard or some place similar.
I don't know you so I can't say how you operate but it's been my
experience that most people that complain about not being able to find
anything aren't really looking. 
6:29 a.m.
I
don't know you so I can't say how you operate but it's been my
experience that most people that complain about not being able to find
anything aren't really looking.
So true. Maybe it's time to post a pointer to my Finding Vintage
Computers primer. 
9:06 a.m.
While this is true in urban centers, it certainly isn't for those of us that live in
the boonies. I did acquire an Itellevision with an Adam tho. A local junk
warehouse also has a bunch of HP stuff stuck away on the 3rd floor gathering
dust that I have to catalogue for the list, since I know ziltch about HPs.
I was a kid in candyland on my recent trip to Vancouver BC.and returned
with my car stuffed with goodies. The number of yard sales were phenominal
and the biggest bonus was the yearly take-all garbage put-out. I plan to
make it a yearly event only next time I might take a trailer.
Lawrence
On Thu, 1 Jan 1998, Joe wrote:
Reply to: lgwalker(a)mts.net
Love of the Goddess makes the poet go mad
he goes to his death and in death is made wise.
Robert Graves
At 02:44 PM 5/20/02 -0600, you wrote:
So true. Maybe it's time to post a pointer to my Finding Vintage
Computers primer.
http://www.vintage.org/content.php?id=001
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up
to become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
Tell me, how much time did you honestly spend out looking for
classic computers within the last week???? I don't mean time spend
browsing E-bay or looking at messages on CC list or news-groups. I mean
time outside in a scrap yard or some place similar.
I don't know you so I can't say how you operate but it's been my
experience that most people that complain about not being able to find
anything aren't really looking.
9:25 a.m.
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Lawrence Walker wrote:
While this is true in urban centers, it certainly
isn't for those of us
that live in the boonies. I did acquire an Itellevision with an Adam
tho. A local junk warehouse also has a bunch of HP stuff stuck away on
the 3rd floor gathering dust that I have to catalogue for the list,
since I know ziltch about HPs.
The most important thing to finding old computers is to look in places
that you hadn't considered before. Think to yourself, "Who around here
would have had a need for computers 10 or 20 or 30 years ago?" Then find
places that fit the "who" and start investigating.
The key is to GET OUT THERE AND LOOK! I walked many, many, many miles to
amass my collection. Unless you like eBay, and even if you do, you won't
find the really cool stuff sitting behind your CRT.
And you'll have much more fun and much better stories to tell in the end.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
10:02 a.m.
Rumor has it that Sellam Ismail may have mentioned these words:
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Lawrence Walker wrote:
> While this is true in urban centers, it certainly
isn't for those of us
> that live in the boonies. I did acquire an Itellevision with an Adam
> tho. A local junk warehouse also has a bunch of HP stuff stuck away on
> the 3rd floor gathering dust that I have to catalogue for the list,
> since I know ziltch about HPs.
I second the motion about non-urban areas... :-(
The most important thing to finding old computers is to
look in places
that you hadn't considered before. Think to yourself, "Who around here
would have had a need for computers 10 or 20 or 30 years ago?" Then find
places that fit the "who" and start investigating.
Good advice -- I had remembered that at one of the local radio stations
they had used an Atari Mega<mumble> (didn't get much of a look at it, was
just intrigued that I'd never seen anything Atari with the "Mega" moniker
before...) and the owner of the company was a mongo Amiga fan... and had a
*couple* of 1200's he wanted to sell; as they needed minor repairs & didn't
have the time. I said "Bring 'em on by, and lemme know what you want!"
Bad news -- that was the last I'd seen of him... :-(
Good news -- I finally have a Mega and a STacy of my own, and hopefully a
Falcon will be on the way soon!
Laterz,
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.
9 p.m.
You know Merch, you're a rotten guy. Just spoiled my enthusiasm for the
stuff I brought back from Vancouver. And I suppose that's a Mega STE.
And just to rub it in, a Stacy !! AND a Falcon coming. As an old ST freak
I must object to the injustice of the gods at not distributing this bounty more
equitably. Was it because I walked on the dark side with Billus Gatus.
Lawrence
Good advice -- I had remembered that at one of the
local radio stations
they had used an Atari Mega<mumble> (didn't get much of a look at it, was
just intrigued that I'd never seen anything Atari with the "Mega" moniker
before...) and the owner of the company was a mongo Amiga fan... and had a
*couple* of 1200's he wanted to sell; as they needed minor repairs & didn't
have
the time. I said "Bring 'em on by, and lemme know what you want!"
Bad news -- that was the last I'd seen of him... :-(
Good news -- I finally have a Mega and a STacy of my own, and hopefully a
Falcon will be on the way soon!
Laterz,
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.
lgwalker(a)mts.net
bigwalk_ca(a)yahoo.com
22 May
22 May
5:04 a.m.
Rumor has it that Lawrence Walker may have mentioned these words:
You know Merch, you're a rotten guy. Just spoiled
my enthusiasm for the
stuff I brought back from Vancouver. And I suppose that's a Mega STE.
And just to rub it in, a Stacy !! AND a Falcon coming. As an old ST freak
I must object to the injustice of the gods at not distributing this bounty
more
equitably. Was it because I walked on the dark side
with Billus Gatus.
Nah, doing the M$ rag doesn't matter, because I used to tango with him a
wee bit in my younger day as well... hate to say it, but IMHO he had a much
better 8-bit basic than a lot of others out there did...
No, it's 'cause I busted my a$$ driving from Northern Michigan to Salt Lake
City and back in my truck, paid for 1/2 the gas, and got a grand total of 8
hours sleep in those 4 days to help retrieve the collection of my renter /
employee / friend / fellow nutcase.
He was a mongo-big Atari nut way back in the heyday, and his collection
seemed to 'grow' as others had gotten out of the Atari scene, and found
their way into his friend's basement in SLC - filled 2/3 of a 5x8 u-haul
trailer, and about 50-60% of the bed of my Pickup (6.5 foot bed - it's an
extended cab Chevy... The STacys stayed in the cab with us! ;-) And there
was one portfolio in the bunch, with serial & parallel modules. *that*
stayed locked in my console!
And that wasn't everything... (the Falcons were in a different room and due
to serious sleep deprivation, we didn't know... that's why I don't have
mine yet)
Not sure what the Megas are yet, or which one is mine -- the personal data
from the previous owner needed to be removed first.
There were 3 Megas or
so - one still in original box, not that Tony cares about
that... ;-) --
neither do I, really; the only reason I still have a couple of my CoCos in
original box is because I got no better way to store 'em right now... I
think one was a "Mega 2" which according to my friend is fairly rare, but
again, the braincells were rather jumbled during the move...
Unforch, the plans he has for the goodly chunk of his collection are Epay -
it's necessary to do that to pay for the trip, which he basically put on
credit... :-( but if anyone wants heads-up on the inventory & whatnot,
I'll see what I can do - reasonable offers may not be refused, but of
course, it's up to him.
Laterz,
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.
21 May
21 May
11:09 a.m.
That sounds like fun, but I'm guessing that Sellam has
already picked over most of the Bay Area by now! :)
Of course, I do travel from time to time. . .
I still like eBay, though. At least when I win.
Erik
On Tue, 21 May 2002 11:25:28 -0700 (PDT)
Sellam Ismail <foo(a)siconic.com> wrote:
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Lawrence Walker wrote:
While this is true in urban centers, it
certainly
isn't for those of us
that live in the boonies. I did acquire an
Itellevision
with an Adam
tho. A local junk warehouse also has a bunch of
HP
stuff stuck away on
the 3rd floor gathering dust that I have to
catalogue
for the list,
since I know ziltch about HPs.
The most important thing to finding old computers is to
look in places
that you hadn't considered before. Think to yourself,
"Who around here
would have had a need for computers 10 or 20 or 30 years
ago?" Then find
places that fit the "who" and start investigating.
The key is to GET OUT THERE AND LOOK! I walked many,
many, many miles to
amass my collection. Unless you like eBay, and even if
you do, you won't
find the really cool stuff sitting behind your CRT.
And you'll have much more fun and much better stories to
tell in the end.
Sellam Ismail
Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger
http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at
www.VintageTech.com *
12:20 p.m.
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Erik S. Klein wrote:
That sounds like fun, but I'm guessing that Sellam
has
already picked over most of the Bay Area by now! :)
Believe it or not there is still a lot of stuff out here, and there are at
least 20 active collectors in these parts.
This weekend I picked up a Byte-8 (an interesting variant without a front
panel) and last week I picked up an Apple //e with the Information
Appliances SwyftCard in it, and with key labels over the keyboard to
emulate the original functions on the Canon Cat. I have pictures of it
but haven't gotten around to posting them on my server yet.
The SwyftCard is interesting. It plugs into slot 3 (which is a special
slot in the Apple //e) and takes over the machine when it boots up. It
goes right into the word processing functions when it boots.
I tried typing in some sentences but I could not make any sense of the
user interface. It's supposed to be easy to use (that was Jef Raskin's
whole gig) but I couldn't figure it out.
Anyway, there is lots of cool stuff still around. Ya just have to DIG!
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
9:48 a.m.
While this is true in urban centers, it certainly
isn't for those of us that live in the boonies.
One good thing about boonies.
They have less agressive companies that hang on
to older computers longer and thus release them into
the world later. I speak of the small remote cities like
Rochester and Schenectady.
John A.
9 p.m.
Rochester and Schenectady are metropolises compared to where I am. The
closest urban "city" (pop 8000) is 60km away. The bustling metropolis of
Winnipeg, about 300km. Now that's what I call "remote". :^)
But I do have neighbors giving me pieces of deer, moose, and elk, as well
as game fowl and fish. Oh well, it's a trade-off.
Lawrence
lgwalker(a)mts.net
bigwalk_ca(a)yahoo.com
While this is
true in urban centers, it certainly
isn't for those of us that live in the boonies.
One good thing about boonies.
They have less agressive companies that hang on
to older computers longer and thus release them into
the world later. I speak of the small remote cities like
Rochester and Schenectady.
John A.
10:05 p.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lawrence Walker" <lgwalker(a)mts.net>
To: <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 3:30 PM
Subject: Re: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
Rochester and Schenectady are metropolises compared to
where I am. The
closest urban "city" (pop 8000) is 60km away. The bustling metropolis of
Winnipeg, about 300km. Now that's what I call "remote". :^)
Yeah, bit like that here, though where I live sounds a bit bigger than where
you live.
Port Pirie, South Australia, Pop around 15,000.
Closest sizeable towns (ie over 1000 people) Port Augusta 85Km.
Whyalla 35km (if you swim Spencer Gulf) 110km if you drive.
Adelaide (state capital, Pop ~1,500,00) ~240km
Cheers
Geoff in OZ
20 May
20 May
12:33 p.m.
Well ... people who REALLY want to see an old-time (REAL) machine can always
go to a local junk yard and see the rusting hulks in the yard. They hang
around a long time because it's so unprofitable to disassemble the racks,
since there are mixes of plastics, aluminum, and steel, which means labor's
required to make 'em useful. They're not terribly exciting to watch, since
they don't show much evidence of the stuff going on inside.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Franchuk" <bfranchuk(a)jetnet.ab.ca>
To: <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2002 2:44 PM
Subject: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up to
become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
--
Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
31 Dec
31 Dec
9:55 p.m.
At 03:33 PM 5/20/02 -0600, Dick wrote:
Well ... people who REALLY want to see an old-time
(REAL) machine can always
go to a local junk yard and see the rusting hulks in the yard. They hang
around a long time because it's so unprofitable to disassemble the racks,
since there are mixes of plastics, aluminum, and steel, which means labor's
required to make 'em useful. They're not terribly exciting to watch, since
they don't show much evidence of the stuff going on inside.
I make a point of looking at the back of as many PCs as possible. I find lots of
intersting stuff just by looking for unusual connectors. I picked up a dual head Number
Nine video card, HP-IB card and three data acquisition cards in the past week by doing
that.
Speaking of rusting hulks, Mike was here and spotted two OLD!!!! Bendix computers at
one place that we visited. He's going to try buy them. I don't know what they are
but they have paper tape readers and a programmers panels on them.
Joe
20 May
20 May
5:59 p.m.
on 1/1/98 2:55 AM, Joe at rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com wrote:
Speaking of rusting hulks, Mike was here and spotted
two OLD!!!! Bendix
computers at one place that we visited. He's going to try buy them. I don't
know what they are but they have paper tape readers and a programmers panels
on them.
Were they Bendix G-15s? Those are awesome. I've only dreamed of owning one.
Paul Pierce has one:
http://www.piercefuller.com/collect/bendix/index.html
--
Owen Robertson
21 May
21 May
3:55 a.m.
No, that's not it. It's about the right color and size but the ones here have a
much wider panel on the front. They also have a programmer's panel that's about
knee high and a paper tape reader that's slightly less than shoulder height. The PT
reader looks like it might be the same as the one in your other picture.
Joe
At 09:59 PM 5/20/02 -0500, you wrote:
on 1/1/98 2:55 AM, Joe at rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com wrote:
Speaking of rusting hulks, Mike was here and
spotted two OLD!!!! Bendix
computers at one place that we visited. He's going to try buy them. I don't
know what they are but they have paper tape readers and a programmers panels
on them.
Were they Bendix G-15s? Those are awesome. I've only dreamed of owning one.
Paul Pierce has one:
http://www.piercefuller.com/collect/bendix/index.html
--
Owen Robertson
6:22 a.m.
New subject: Bendix machines
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Joe wrote:
No, that's not it. It's about the right
color and size but the ones
here have a much wider panel on the front. They also have a programmer's
panel that's about knee high and a paper tape reader that's slightly
less than shoulder height. The PT reader looks like it might be the same
as the one in your other picture.
Pictures would be nice.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
5:47 a.m.
New subject: Bendix M5 finds wasRe: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
From: Owen Robertson <univac2(a)earthlink.net>
one.
> Speaking of rusting hulks, Mike was here and spotted two OLD!!!! Bendix
> computers at one place that we visited. He's going to try buy them. I
don't
> know what they are but they have paper tape
readers and a programmers
panels
on them.
Were they Bendix G-15s? Those are awesome. I've only dreamed of owning Paul Pierce has one:
http://www.piercefuller.com/collect/bendix/index.html
Hi Owen,
Nope. These two are Bendix M5 systems. Eric Smith took some pictures of
them but he's on the road right now and I haven't picked them up yet so look
for pics soon one way or another.
Cool looking systems. .about 5ft tall. Extensive programming panel up top
and a real blinkenlight/toggle-switch diagnositc panel under a Remax tape
reader and card cage. I already scored several 'Paper' tapes for it
including Diagnostics, Exec 1, Exec 2, Exec 3, etc... They weren't really
paper tapes though, they're puched metal foil 8 or 9 level program tapes.
More details to follow soon.
;)
- Mike
6:26 a.m.
New subject: Bendix M5 finds wasRe: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
On Tue, 21 May 2002, Mike wrote:
Nope. These two are Bendix M5 systems. Eric Smith
took some pictures of
them but he's on the road right now and I haven't picked them up yet so look
for pics soon one way or another.
Cool looking systems. .about 5ft tall. Extensive programming panel up top
and a real blinkenlight/toggle-switch diagnositc panel under a Remax tape
reader and card cage. I already scored several 'Paper' tapes for it
including Diagnostics, Exec 1, Exec 2, Exec 3, etc... They weren't really
paper tapes though, they're puched metal foil 8 or 9 level program tapes.
I am drooling with envy :)
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
8:20 a.m.
New subject: Bendix M5 finds wasRe: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
on 5/21/02 9:47 AM, Mike at dogas(a)bellsouth.net wrote:
Nope. These two are Bendix M5 systems. Eric Smith
took some pictures of
them but he's on the road right now and I haven't picked them up yet so look
for pics soon one way or another.
Cool looking systems. .about 5ft tall. Extensive programming panel up top
and a real blinkenlight/toggle-switch diagnositc panel under a Remax tape
reader and card cage. I already scored several 'Paper' tapes for it
including Diagnostics, Exec 1, Exec 2, Exec 3, etc... They weren't really
paper tapes though, they're puched metal foil 8 or 9 level program tapes.
Please put me in your will. :-)
--
Owen Robertson
6:12 a.m.
New subject: Bendix machine spotted
On Thu, 1 Jan 1998, Joe wrote:
Speaking of rusting hulks, Mike was here and
spotted two OLD!!!!
Bendix computers at one place that we visited. He's going to try buy
them. I don't know what they are but they have paper tape readers and a
programmers panels on them.
Probably G-15's. I have a complete manual set for them.
If he does end up getting these I will acquire a certain amount of
jealousy.
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
* Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *
20 May
20 May
12:37 p.m.
Richard Erlacher wrote:
Well ... people who REALLY want to see an old-time (REAL) machine can always
go to a local junk yard and see the rusting hulks in the yard. They hang
around a long time because it's so unprofitable to disassemble the racks,
since there are mixes of plastics, aluminum, and steel, which means labor's
required to make 'em useful. They're not terribly exciting to watch, since
they don't show much evidence of the stuff going on inside.
Dick
Hey I live in a small town -- that sounds more exciting than most days
--
Lets all watch things rust in the dump. :)
Out here any old stuff is crushed under a mound of landfill.
--
Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
2:37 p.m.
Really? The close-in junkyards in the Denver area seem to get rid of their
stuff, but I've heard about a really big junkyard, purportedly bigger than the
nearby town where its owner gets his mail, that's the place where the
thousands of DEC machines went in the late '80's when they became
uninteresting to their owners. You'd think I'd have paid it a visit by now,
but I really have never wanted DEC stuff. Besides, they have rattlesnakes out
there ... which is why there aren't many rats.
Perhaps they should sell tickest ... so folks from the local farm communities
could come out and watch the racks rust.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Franchuk" <bfranchuk(a)jetnet.ab.ca>
To: <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2002 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: computer sales -- now only on e-bay???
Richard Erlacher wrote:
>
> Well ... people who REALLY want to see an old-time (REAL) machine can
always
> go to a local junk yard and see the rusting hulks
in the yard. They hang
> around a long time because it's so unprofitable to disassemble the racks,
> since there are mixes of plastics, aluminum, and steel, which means
labor's
> required to make 'em useful. They're not
terribly exciting to watch,
since
they don't
show much evidence of the stuff going on inside.
Dick
Hey, I live in a small town -- that sounds more exciting than most days
--
Lets all watch things rust in the dump. :)
Out here any old stuff is crushed under a mound of landfill.
--
Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
4:06 p.m.
Quothe Ben Franchuk, from writings of Mon, May 20, 2002 at 02:44:45PM -0600:
Is the classic computer sources finally drying up to
become E-bay
collector items only so most people can't see a real machine anymore?
It seems that way. I remember a time when one could find a wide
variety of classic computers advertised on Usenet newsgroups, for sale
to the first person to make a reasonable, or not so reasonable, offer
or pay the advertised price. Some of it was free plus shipping. I've
bought much equipment that way, with very few problems. Alas those
days appear to be over, and, now, it appears that many people would
rather try to conduct their own private auctions or else they post ads
mentioning that they're selling the equipment on e-bay; we see this
happening on classiccmp as well.
One would think that, like the PDP-11s etc. were several years ago,
the AS/400, Aviion, VAX 4000 and Alpha systems, etc. would now be
available as surplus from businesses and universities, as in "It's
free (or some very low price) if you'll take it away for us!," or "You
actually want that? Sure, take it away. Thanks for taking it off our
hands!" Something has definitely gone wrong, as this isn't the case.
Perhaps a number of things: the emphasis on recycling, too many
collectors seeking collectors' items as opposed to hackish toys, sales
of scrap to china, etc.
--
Copyright (C) 2001 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals:
All Rights Reserved an unnatural belief that we're above Nature &
rdd(a)rddavis.org 410-744-4900 her other creatures, using dogma to justify such
http://www.rddavis.org beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.
4:24 p.m.
On Mon, 20 May 2002, R. D. Davis wrote:
One would think that, like the PDP-11s etc. were
several years ago,
the AS/400, Aviion, VAX 4000 and Alpha systems, etc. would now be
available as surplus from businesses and universities, as in "It's
free (or some very low price) if you'll take it away for us!," or "You
actually want that? Sure, take it away. Thanks for taking it off our
hands!" Something has definitely gone wrong, as this isn't the case.
Perhaps a number of things: the emphasis on recycling, too many
collectors seeking collectors' items as opposed to hackish toys, sales
of scrap to china, etc.
All of the above, but it ain't all that bad. I'm playing this week
with an Andataco FWD gigaRAID (full of 9G drives) and an HP C160 to plug
it into. I got it by answering a post to the Austin LUG by the company
that was scrapping them. They gave away 2 gRAIDs, 17 C160s and a bunch
of HP peripherals, and sold all the Intel crap.
There are a couple of CCmp members who tend to eBay their stuff, but
it seems to me that most offer it here first. Notable exceptions are
very high-end stuff, or grave financial distress. I completely agree
with using eBay in both situations. I do have a lot of equipment that's
running because list members have privately responded to my questions
with offers of parts, free or very cheap.
I've also noticed tacit cooperation concerning eBay auctions. If I
recognise a bid as made by a list member, I don't bid against them, and
that seems to be the norm.
I see eBay as a mixed curse. If I buy there, I'll pay too much. But
I can usually buy there _now_, no matter how arcane the part. Sometimes
that's a good thing.
If I sell there, I usually get a better price , but I don't get the
warm & fuzzies that come from helping community members.
Doc
5:06 p.m.
Doc wrote:
I've also noticed tacit cooperation concerning
eBay
auctions. If I
recognise a bid as made by a list member, I don't bid
against them, and
that seems to be the norm.
Or, you soon realize that you shouldn't bother bidding
against AEK. <grin>
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allain＠panix.com -
bfranchuk＠jetnet.ab.ca -
classiccmp＠mail.vintage-computer.com -
doc＠mdrconsult.com -
dogas＠bellsouth.net -
edick＠idcomm.com -
foo＠siconic.com -
geoffrob＠stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au -
jhellige＠earthlink.net -
lgwalker＠mts.net -
rdd＠rddavis.org -
rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com -
sloboyko＠yahoo.com -
univac2＠earthlink.net -
zmerch＠30below.com