LSSM is chasing this, was Re: General Data? Computer Equipment Auction - GSA

[Tom Hunter]

Dave,

Your following comment is offensive:

"I hope these systems go to a good home, and don't disappear into the black
hole of a private collection."

You equate private collections with black holes. I think on the contrary
many private collectors do a better job at preserving old systems than
"museums".

I remember several "museums" which have failed in recent years.
At least four of them have been much too greedy and took on way more than
they could handle and in effect turned the collections into scrap.

And then there is of course the sorry saga of the Living Computer "Museum"
in Seattle which has sucked up a lot of old systems from private collectors.



On Thu, Mar 17, 2022 at 6:05 AM Dave McGuire via cctalk <
cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:

> On 3/16/22 16:56, Dave McGuire via cctalk wrote:
> >> The LSSM is very interested in this machine for public display.  It
> would
> >> complement the museum's collection of PDP-11s and other 16 bit machines.
> >
> >    By "very interested", Mark means "is actively pursuing".  Some of our
> > donors are willing to foot the bill for the acquisition and subsequent
> > retrieval trip; we've just about got it covered.
> >
> >    For those who may be unaware, LSSM is a public minicomputer/mainframe
> > museum in Pittsburgh, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,
> > that has been open for about six years.  The two DG machines in this
> > auction will have a good home with us; it is our intention to restore
> > them and place them on public exhibit for use.  We have an established
> > track record of "getting the job done" in this context.
> >
> >    I'm letting this crowd know in case any of the current bidders are
> > here and just trying to keep these machines out of the scrap stream,
> > etc.  We are donor-funded and don't have a lot to spend on this.
> >
> >    If you would like to support us in this endeavor, we accept donations
> > by check or via PayPal, see http://www.lssmuseum.org for more
> > information.  Donations may be tax-deductible depending on your personal
> > tax situation.
> >
> >    Thank you for your consideration.
>
>    Ok, it hit $1200, we're out of the running.  I hope these systems go
> to a good home, and don't disappear into the black hole of a private
> collection.
>
>              -Dave
>
> --
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA
>