IBM System/38 Available for Free, Is It Worth It?

From: Robert Kirk Scott <scottk5_at_ibm.net>
Date: Sat Sep 20 00:56:59 1997

There is an abandoned IBM system/38 mini in a nearby tobacco warehouse
that I've been offered if I want it. The main unit is in good shape,
there *is* one panel missing on the front that accessed the disk drive.
It also has a terminal and a printer plotter, and still has the original
software on 8" media. Was used to keep a company's books for years, and
I don't know if the drives were locked when it was moved. Haven't looked
at it that close yet. A little research on the comp.sys.ibm.sys38
newsgroup revealed that the general feeling is that these computers are
not worth fooling with, as basically you get a room-sized 8088 in the
end. What say ye? Is it worth messing with in your opinion? I'd have to
find a place to set it up, and moving it would be a pain. But it would
be a stretch for me and the first opportunity for me to mess with a
mini. What's the consensus?

Kirk Scott
scottk5_at_ibm.net
Received on Sat Sep 20 1997 - 00:56:59 BST