State of the Hobby - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

1 Jul 1999

--- CLASSICCMP(a)trailing-edge.com wrote:
...
  I'm a little uncertain why it's causing any
hostility.  As Kai pointed
 out, there's thousands of historic and interesting computers and
 peripherals hitting the dumpster every day, and if increased public
 awareness causes some of these machines to be saved, so much the better.

 Admittedly, most of the machines getting tossed aren't necessarily
 in anyone's "top 100 collectible" list, but that doesn't make them any
less
 interesting IMHO. 
Case-in-point: just today, a friend is collecting half-a-dozen machines from
a local high-school that's closing.  He thought they were PS/1's, but from
his description, they might be PC-AT's (he's not a collector).  He found out
about them when he was there to bid on shop equipment.  The workmen told him
that if someone didn't pick them up today, they were going to "throw them
out"... out in this case is literally - out the second story window into an
industrial dumpster.

I asked him to grab these for me, sight unseen, just because I might be able
to scavenge the disk drives (if 360K) for my Kaypro, not because these are
likely to be any "Top 100" list.  Even commodity hardware is work rescuing
if only to keep the older stuff going.  I have a small box of 5Mb and 10Mb
drives for that same reason.

I was amazed/disgusted at the $510 Mac 512K, though, mostly at the seller for
not exactly lying, but not fully representing the truth.  Caveat Emptor.

-ethan

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