Uh, is this thing on?

From: Captain Napalm <spc_at_armigeron.com>
Date: Fri Mar 14 10:10:11 1997

It was thus said that the Great Bill Whitson once stated:
> On Thu, 13 Mar 1997, Captain Napalm wrote:
>
> > IBM PCjr - Working condition, all original parts (new style keyboard
> > though - never did get the chiclet style one).
>
> Too bad - you've gotta love the infra-red keyboard interface!

  But both keyboards for the PCjr (the original chicklet one, and the
replacement keyboard) are infra-red (although I never did use the infra-red
port, instead opting for the keyboard connection cable. Ends up being
cheaper as I didn't have to buy AA batteries).

  It was perhaps the only two keyboards made by IBM that didn't have a nice
feel to them [1].
 
> > Tandy 6000 - Currently in the process of being restored. It would have
> > been done a while ago except for my having dropped it. I
> > think it survived, except for some major damage to the
> > case.
>
> Doh! It's awful to save a machine from the junk pile only to bring
> it home and wreck it yourself.

  The Tandy 6000 is one heavy machine. The unit contains a built in monitor
(10" I think - it's at home, I'm at work), one 8" drive, and a half-hight
MFM harddrive in an akward enclosure. And the design of the case is that of
a madman[2]. Both Tandy 6000s I have broke in the exact same place when I
opened them for cleaning [4]. I fixed one, and have yet to get around to
fixing the one I dropped.

> > Newton - My only Apple computer, and looks to be orphan. Works, in
> > daily use 8-)
>
> I'm not sure if this will _ever_ be a classic... :)))

  I don't know ... it's not a bad machine.

  -spc (Tired of using cheap PC crap ... )

[1] I'm very picky about my keyboards, and actually prefer IBM keyboards
        to any other kind. The best is the IBM AT keyboard, which has a
        nice layout, heavy construction and can be used to bludgeon a person
        (or a bad computer). The orginal IBM PC keyboard has the same feel,
        but the layout makes it all but unusuable. PS/2 keyboards don't
        quite have the same feel, but they're still better than 99% of all
        PC keyboards out there. Plus you can remove the keycaps and swap
        them around on unsuspecting people [3].

[2] The same madman must have designed the uVAX 2000 case, because in
        that one, you have to remove the motherboard to get to the
        harddrive.

[3] Which I did to my officemate when I worked at IBM.

[4] The monitor is attached to the top part of the case, with some
        analog circuitry along the side of the case. Attached to this
        is a connector to a small ribbon cable leading from the computer
        itself. In both machines, this connector came off with part of
        the board it was attached to still inside. Easily fixed with
        two DB25 connectors and some solder.
Received on Fri Mar 14 1997 - 10:10:11 GMT