First Internet message and ...

[Chuck Guzis]

On 11/26/19 6:43 PM, ben via cctalk wrote:

> But the stange thing now, all the 8 bitters are making a come back
> like the z80 with CP/M (USA) and the 6502 with BBC Micro (UK).
> What ever happened to all the wierd early transitor computers that were
> like 48+ bits and 4K of core memory hit the surplus market in the mid
> 1970's?

Other than in very low-level MCUs, I don't see 8 bit micros making a
comeback.  And 32/64 bits seems to be the rule for MCUs today.

But surplus 2nd generation machines were common in the 1970s?

CDC had a scorched-earth policy when it came to leased mainframes.  I
suspect that IBM did also.  I witnessed CEs taking sledgehammers and
bolt cutters to several interesting mainframes.   The official directive
was that nothing was to leave the facility that could be re-sold.

--Chuck