Restoration: how far should it go?? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

17 Jun 2003

I agree.
The whole historical significance of classic computers is the way they inspired
tinkerer's everywhere.
When you see my Altair, with its maze of prototyped wire-wrap interfaces, the monitor made
from a converted B&W TV set, and the homemade "light pen" -- it brings all
of this history into perspective.

Never mind the fact that I haven't dared to power it up in years :-)

-Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Vintage Computer Festival [mailto:vcf@siconic.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:48 PM
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: RE: Restoration: how far should it go??

On Tue, 17 Jun 2003, Feldman, Robert wrote:

...
  A greyer area is the following: I bought a Tan-case
Osborne 1 early on.
 Later, I had it upgraded with the 52/80/104 column display option and
 double density disk controller. As a "collector", does one remove the
 upgrades and have an "original" O1 (and it was used in the original
 configuration for quite some time), or keep the mods and have a fuller
 representation of the product's lifetime? Personally, I would keep the
 mods. 
Me too.  They're part of its history.  I don't see how the machine would
be better represented in its "factory" condition than in the condition it
was in when it was last used.

-- 

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 *