I don't believe this ****

From: William Donzelli <william_at_ans.net>
Date: Tue Jan 6 10:13:50 1998

> > > >>computers been contacted by someone that wants to dispose of your
> > > >>collection as scrap? Talk about insulting!

Yes, that was completely tactless on their part. Maybe if they collect
something like Hummels, perhaps you should have offered to grind them up
to make spackle.

> > You guys know that I agree with your sentiment 100%. That said, I'd
> > rather see the systems melted down for scrap (assuming it's a reasonably
> > efficient and environmentally safe process) than to see them go into a
> > landfill. I can't imagine how many beautiful systems are rusting away
> > under 3 million tons of garbage someplace. I don't want to see them
> > scrapped either, mind you, but given the choice....

I agree here, and for the most part, the majority of computers end up
being recycled, either in the U.S. or abroad.

I have nothing against the scrappers, other than those that flat out
refuse to deal with the collectors. It is VERY efficient (something like
98% by mass get recycled now - CRTs and some photocopier parts are the
only stumbling blocks), and frankly, one can make a good living at it.
What one can not make a good living at is refurbishing them - they just
get devalued too fast.

Lets face it, we can not save it all. True, we should try to get the
goodies into the collector's hands so they survive. Often in makes more
sense to try to resell a system than to scrap it (like the TT030). For the
most part, however, computers (and other electronics) probably should be
scrapped. For example, one place I deal with in Kansas City (and now
Chicago) has a roomful of IBM Series/1 minicomputers all humming away.
Eventually, they will get decommissioned. If I were a scrapper and won the
bid for them (sometimes the bid just means picking them up!), I would keep
one for myself, one sripped down for spares, and offer any others to
members on the list (or the collecting community in general). If those
latter ones do not move, they would get scrapped. This applies to just
about anything, PeeCees, VT100s, ES/9000s, C64s, etc. - with the exception
of the special machines (_old_ machines, prototypes, high demand
collectables, etc.). Obviously, the day I scrap a S/360 will never come.

William Donzelli
william_at_ans.net
Received on Tue Jan 06 1998 - 10:13:50 GMT