Well, I can give you a couple, though they refer not to mainframe, but to
mini-computers.
Story #1:
One of my collecting friends had been aware of a PDP-11/20 minicomputer at
the University of Wisconsin (UW) for a while. At some point he must have
told the woman who was then his girlfriend about it and our mutual interest
in collecting such machines.
One day at home (luckily I happened to be on vacation that day) I got a
phone call from her indicating that they were throwing the machine out that
very day, and if I wanted it, I needed to act quickly. Apparently she was
not able to reach my friend at that point -- I don't recall exactly why,
but since he sails alot, he may have been on a boat somewhere.
I hopped in my car, and sure enough, on the loading dock was three racks
full (if I recall correctly) of PDP-11/20 and associated gear (RK03 disk
drives, TU56 DECTape, etc.). I called Hannes, and immediately set to work
disassembling the machine. For a little while I was a bit worried that
someone at the University might wonder what I was doing taking apart this
"valuable" computer, until I noticed that there was a nice little sign on
it. The sign had originally read:
"Turn off Computer when not in use"
However, someone had written on the sign:
"UW Surplus was here - this is JUNK! Call Building & Grounds for disposal."
I still have the sign. My friend had it framed, and it hangs next to the
machine.
Story #2:
The UW Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (UWECE) had just
purchased a new set of DEC Station workstations, and wanted to get rid of a
PDP-11/20, an 11/40, an 11/45 and other associated gear. Thru a set of
connections we had with some staff and the affected Professor their (Dr.
Richard Marleau, a wonderful man), we reached an agreement to remove the
equipment, saving everone a lot of trouble.
We chose to do it on a Saturday, when the disruption would be minimized,
plus they were in something of a hurry to have the gear removed. We rented
a truck and we parked near a back entrance to the building.
I don't remember the exact order of events any more as to which came first,
but I think the first thing that happened was that UW Protection and
Security, as they were then named, did manage to notice us, and a woman
officer questioned us. We explained the arrangement, and she took down our
identities, but, somewhat understandably, wanted further proof of the
arrangement. I don't recall exactly how, but the 2nd in command in the UW
ECE Department wanted to know why it was we were hauling all of this stuff
away and had we paid for it - he did not know us either. We explained the
arrangement, but I think we would have driven away empty handed except that
a couple of other people whom the Professor at hand did know knew about us
and the arrangement. Plus the officer (who probably had time to
double-check our identity by then) seemed satisfied that we would be easy
to track down, had that been necessary. 8-)
Jay
----------------
At 01:07 PM 11/16/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Er....
>I'm freelancing for a US magazine that wants a story (provisionally called
>"Rusty Iron") about mainframe collecting and mainframe rescues. Naturally
>the deadline's Friday 11/20.
>
>I know there have to be some outlandish stories here and would greatly
>appreciate seeing them, either here or in mail, with an eye to arrangement
>for publication.
>tia,
>
>__________________________________________
>Kip Crosby engine_at_chac.org
> http://www.chac.org/index.html
>Computer History Association of California
>
Received on Tue Nov 17 1998 - 20:08:26 GMT