1 Feb
1999
1 Feb
'99
4:48 a.m.
I hope you're kidding about the Altair serial number 1... I would
rather hope that he would be investigated for 1) stealing it in
the first place, or 2) accepting stolen property...
Megan
1 Feb
1 Feb
2:15 p.m.
On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, Megan wrote:
I hope you're kidding about the Altair serial
number 1... I would
rather hope that he would be investigated for 1) stealing it in
the first place, or 2) accepting stolen property...
I assume you're talking about my (joke) reply about the UPS man auctioning
it off.
One must wonder where this box ended up though. It had to have landed in
someone's lap. My guess is that by coincidence it landed in the hands of
someone who'd been wanting an Altair and maybe wished for one the night
before it was accidentally delivered to their doorstep. So he kept it
thinking his wish came true.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
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2:39 p.m.
On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, Sam Ismail wrote:
One must wonder where this box ended up though. It
had to have landed in
someone's lap. My guess is that by coincidence it landed in the hands of
someone who'd been wanting an Altair and maybe wished for one the night
before it was accidentally delivered to their doorstep. So he kept it
thinking his wish came true.
C'mon, I thought you knew your shrikwrapped Altair folklore: Ed Roberts
was toiling away on unsuccessful calculators and other gadgets in the New
Mexico desert, when an indian chief shared his pipe with him. Roberts saw
many things that night. After several UFOs, aliens, and half-human /
half-coyote people native to that region of New Mexico finally left,
Roberts suddenly knew:
* how to build a computer
* where the Star Ship Enterprise was going that week
* and to hire a kid named Bill Gates
Everything went fine until he tried to ship the first machine to Sol Libes
via freight train. The train entered the Bermuda Triangle and was never
seen again. However, if you watch the episode of Star Trek that was aired
that night, you'll see a strange blue box that appears in the transporter
room after Spock returns from the planet Imsai. Weird, huh?
-- Doug
4:46 p.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
At 11:39 PM 2/1/99 -0500, Doug wrote:
...Everything went fine until he tried to ship the
first machine to Sol Libes
via freight train. The train entered the Bermuda Triangle and was never
seen again. However, if you watch the episode of Star Trek that was aired
that night, you'll see a strange blue box that appears in the transporter
room after Spock returns from the planet Imsai. Weird, huh?
Which does bring to mind a question... (speaking of folklore and all...)
The original design for the Altair as presented in those fateful issues of
"Popular Electronics" had no bus or backplane, but was just four circuit
boards wired together with ribbon cable. (as shown in a picture in part one
of the article)
It would seem, that true seekers of the 'Holy Grail' would be trying to
determine if any machines in that original configuration were ever actually
shipped! And then the task would be to find one of those!
Now, THAT would be on a par with the Apple I ! Eh?
Do I know? That would be telling... B^}
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
5:02 p.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, James Willing wrote:
The original design for the Altair as presented in
those fateful issues of
"Popular Electronics" had no bus or backplane, but was just four circuit
boards wired together with ribbon cable. (as shown in a picture in part one
of the article)
It would seem, that true seekers of the 'Holy Grail' would be trying to
determine if any machines in that original configuration were ever actually
shipped! And then the task would be to find one of those!
Aha, it's good that you bring this up. I can't think of a better
candidate for the title of "Holy Grail" of computer collecting. I mean,
the legend behind the first Altair is worthy of Holy Grail status for
sure. Think about it: it has the same folklorishness and desirability as
the cup that Jesus drank from during his last meal.
The "first" microcomputer, the one that launched the home computer
revolution, being lost during transit, never having been seen again. It
has to be somewhere, even if that's at the bottom of a landfill.
But I wonder. What if, just if, someone were to embark on a Quest.
Venture back in time, interview those involved (a major undertaking in
itslef since some have died and some just really don't care anymore) and
try to track down exactly what happened to this package. Look for
shipping invoices, try to determine who the delivery agents were, what
route did it take. Basically trace the last journey of this first Altair
and see if it leads you to the Holy Grail.
And if you think a $12,100 Altair or a $6,100 Alto II on ebay is
something, imagine what the first (in the truest sense) Altair would
bring?
Now, THAT would be on a par with the Apple I ! Eh?
Do I know? That would be telling... B^}
You're bluffing. All subsequent Altairs sold were the backplane type.
(I'm trying to elicit an admission of something fantabulous here that
you're hiding from us ;)
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
5:13 p.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, Sam Ismail wrote:
The "first" microcomputer, the one that
launched the home computer
revolution, being lost during transit, never having been seen again. It
has to be somewhere, even if that's at the bottom of a landfill.
No it doesn't. Here's the Real Story (TM): Ed Roberts had a publication
deadline for this computer kit. He knew there was no way he was going to
make that deadline, so he stalled. He told Sol that the box was on its
way. Of course, it never showed, so they did a mock-up for the cover
shoot, which is all Roberts ever had until the first orders came in, and
then he was finally able to afford the components to build the first real
Altair.
-- Doug
5:31 p.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Doug wrote:
No it doesn't. Here's the Real Story (TM):
Ed Roberts had a publication
deadline for this computer kit. He knew there was no way he was going to
make that deadline, so he stalled. He told Sol that the box was on its
way. Of course, it never showed, so they did a mock-up for the cover
shoot, which is all Roberts ever had until the first orders came in, and
then he was finally able to afford the components to build the first real
Altair.
You dumb-ass! You just ruined my ploy to get a hundred excited geeks
jumping on the quickest plane, train or bus to New Mexico and embark on a
futile search for the "first Altair". It would have been great to observe
the spectacle but now you've spoiled it. My next practical joke will
surely be sprung on you for this!
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always being hassled by the man.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 01/15/99]
2 Feb
2 Feb
1:47 a.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Doug wrote:
On Mon, 1 Feb 1999, Sam Ismail wrote:
Interesting theory, but then how do you explain the picture of the
assembled '4 board and ribbon cable' unit shown in the body of the
article?
Or was this the precursor to the infamous "World Power Systems" scam?
-jim
---
jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com
The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw
Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174
The "first" microcomputer, the one that
launched the home computer
revolution, being lost during transit, never having been seen again. It
has to be somewhere, even if that's at the bottom of a landfill.
No it doesn't. Here's the Real Story (TM): Ed Roberts had a publication
deadline for this computer kit. He knew there was no way he was going to
make that deadline, so he stalled. He told Sol that the box was on its
way. Of course, it never showed, so they did a mock-up for the cover
shoot, which is all Roberts ever had until the first orders came in, and
then he was finally able to afford the components to build the first real
Altair. 
1:53 a.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
Doug wrote:
No it doesn't. Here's the Real Story (TM): Ed Roberts had a publication
deadline for this computer kit. He knew there was no way he was going to
make that deadline, so he stalled. He told Sol that the box was on its
way. Of course, it never showed, so they did a mock-up for the cover
shoot, which is all Roberts ever had until the first orders came in, and
then he was finally able to afford the components to build the first real
Altair.
Any truth to this story? It certainly sounds plausable judging from what I
have heard about MITS. If it is true, where did the story come from?
3:10 a.m.
New subject: Indiana Jones and the...
On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Marvin wrote:
Doug wrote:
>
> No it doesn't. Here's the Real Story (TM): Ed Roberts had a publication
> deadline for this computer kit. He knew there was no way he was going to
> make that deadline, so he stalled. He told Sol that the box was on its
> way. Of course, it never showed, so they did a mock-up for the cover
> shoot, which is all Roberts ever had until the first orders came in, and
> then he was finally able to afford the components to build the first real
> Altair.
I sorta believe this but not as stated.
To start with the PE publication schedual was articles for say january
had to be in place TWO months before (beginning of november and a little
earlier for the Christmass end of the year. Teh version shown in the
article was a proto from the summer before and not the production version.
There were numerous differences between the two but MITS was ready to ship
though they were not prepared for the initial wave of orders (many times
greater than expected). So those that ordered early got it fast then
there was a period of about 6months where the delays were pretty long due
to backlog.
I beleive the pretty first production model was lost and required the
substitution of the only complete sample for the article shoot in most
likely late october.
Allison
9455
days inactive
9456
days old
9 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
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allisonp＠world.std.com -
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
doug＠blinkenlights.com -
jimw＠agora.rdrop.com -
marvin＠rain.org -
mbg＠world.std.com