A moment of silence, please

From: Lawrence Walker <lwalker_at_mail.interlog.com>
Date: Thu Aug 14 16:07:46 1997

> Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 07:40:20 -0700 (PDT)
> Reply-to: classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu
> From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_crl.com>
> To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers" <classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: A moment of silence, please

> On Tue, 12 Aug 1997, William Donzelli wrote:
>
> > I also talked to a guy that deals with old computers. Two weeks ago, he
> > _finally_ scrapped out a bunch of old machines - really old. Amongst the
> > deaths were various PDP-8s, two PDP-9s, a Burroughs mainframe, and an IBM
> > 7090 of some sort.
> >
> > Of course I wretched. The loss of the PDP-8s is bad (I do not know
> > specific model numbers), but the others are a real shame. Known PDP-9s
> > number in the _low_ single digits, the 7090 perhaps less, but old
> > Burroughs equipment is probably extinct.
> >
> > In any case, this shows that the stuff was not _all_ scrapped years ago.
>
> This shows the need to get the word out to people that you collect old
> computers. You never know who's going to say "Oh really? My dad has
> this old mainframe in his garage that he's throwing out next week." Once
> word gets out that you collect old computers, people will be coming to
> you. It gets in their head and they start to find the opportunities for
> you through casual contacts with friends and relatives. This has
> happened to me on a few occassions; people I have explained my hobby to
> have come back to me saying they saw System X or heard of someone wanting
> to get rid of System Y.
>
> Sam
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass

 
This newsgroup is a real savior. I was beginning to think my friends
and relatives references to my "lunacy" might be justified. But NOW I
realize that I'm not the only obsolete computer nutcase. Kind of
gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over.
 I must, however, admit to a transgression of which I am still in
deep denial. In a pique of " I have to make some room in this bloody
1 bedroom apt." I threw out a bunch of mono monitors as well as a
working LANPAR terminal. From the guys that Lotus reputedly stole
their system from. Lotus won the court case because of some
technicalities in LANPAR's copyright application. I only shudder to
think that it might have been the last one in existence.

ciao larry
Received on Thu Aug 14 1997 - 16:07:46 BST

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