Classic != IBM AT

From: Stephen Dauphin <ai705_at_osfn.org>
Date: Tue Nov 3 15:59:22 1998

On Mon, 2 Nov 1998, Alice Blakeman wrote:

> An Epson Equity has just as much "classic" qaulity as an IBM S/34 or a
> PDP....just in a different category is all, and smaller. Everyone gets hung
> into their own niche and it's easy to see other machines as "junkers"......
>
> > > At 07:04 PM 11/2/98 +0000, Tony Duell wrote:
> > > >
> > > >Yes, but fortunately the starting date doesn't move forwards as well. In
> > > >other words, OK, some 386 PCs with custom chips in them are now classics
> > > >on this list (I have a problem with saying that, BTW...).
> > >
> > > I tend to agree with you. Discussion of ten-year-old IBM PC clones
> > > isn't as interesting. Dare I cause a schism by suggesting that

Still though, this may be a good stepping off point to discuss whether
there are any near classic models that will have some appeal. Many
386/486 cpus will flow to the landfill post y2K and it would be a good
idea to get a head start on a personal want list if any qualify.

It might be way early to debate the merits/demerits of Sony PC
products and that shouldn't be the topic. However, there are companies,
some defunct, which might be more interesting than most, many with
lineage to at least the AT and some back to XT days.

So, any unique models or features? ALR? AST? Northgate? Zeos? Everex?
Leading Edge? Anything with a cool LED readout? Plenty of IBM models of
course. Backplane models? Stuff with odd cpu or riser cards?

I've got a Mitsubishi 286 myself with a weird memory card stuck in a
non-ISA slot and seemingly no internal BIOS setup.

Unlike much older classic computers there should be plenty of these for
everybody and anybody. The trick will be to know what you want before
they are cut loose.

The list may be preoccupied with that 10 year discussion limit, but I
don't see preparation for the next wave of material as too off topic.
Remember this isn't just about collecting computers, but actually saving
models and brands more interesting than average. Better to be prepared
than kvetch afterward that some model was hot and too bad you can't find
it nowadays.

I believe this topic has been discussed before, but this time I am
willing to take notes and post a summary about a year from now. Keep this
note as a reminder and anytime you want to add something, post it to the
list if you think we'll all benefit or email me privately.

So, does anybody want to nominate some weirdo or arcane possibilities?
Would anybody like to go riffle through their complete run of Byte and
cull interesting stuff from the reviews and ads?


                                            -- Stephen Dauphin
Received on Tue Nov 03 1998 - 15:59:22 GMT