----- Original Message -----
From: John Wilson <wilson_at_dbit.dbit.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2000 3:54 AM
Subject: Re: value of RK05
> On Fri, May 05, 2000 at 08:11:08PM -0400, johnb wrote:
> > No, that's going-rate collector prices.
>
> You live in a different reality from the rest of us. If you manage to
fleece
> the collector types who buy PDPs as trophies which they will never use or
> understand, more power to you, they certainly deserve it. But just
because
> someone, one time, paid $X for something, doesn't mean that that something
> is officially *worth* $X from now on. The rest of us have been doing
trades
> and freebies with people with similar interests, and plan to continue to
do so.
>
I base the price on *alot* more than one sale. Ie: 3 PDP-11/35s for $6-7K
minimum.I don't think you want to know what Classic-11s (pre 11/20) sell
for. Remember, I put the 11/35 on eBay to specifically show what these
machines *really* sell for - I was a bit disappointed, it only went for $6K.
The collectors that tend to buy my equipment *do* in fact use it for fun..
probably about as much as folks here. For most, it was the first computer
they ever used. Look at what list members here are willing to pay for little
pieces on eBay. Again, I want to re-interate that I sell quite a few
minicomputers and my prices are based on demand/offers and the prices I
quote here are based on numerous sales. BTW Museums are willing to pay
considerable money for old all-transistor minicomputers now as well!
> > And, no, I don't know anyone who has
> > ever *paid* for any license for any old DEC equipment for personal use.
>
> You do now.
>
(1) - again the software is 30 years old.
> Re RL01/02 drives being worthless, maybe to collectors (non-users) but
those
> guys live in a fantasy world anyway. I just got a request this week from
> a commercial user (in Russia) who was desparate for spare RL drives, and
it
> sure isn't the first time. Meanwhile, no one is looking for RS64s or
RS11s
> or RP02s as replacements for their commercial systems, because those
drives
> are inherently unreliable at this point. So again, the fact that one or
> two rich kids wanted to buy an RK02 so they could build a shrine to the
early
> career they want to *pretend* was theirs, doesn't mean that those drives
are
> genuinely more desirable than the workhorses that real users have
*actually*
> relied upon for 75% of the PDP-11 line's history.
>
I said the RL01s were worthless to collectors. Price is of course based on
rarity. I think *every* PDP-11/34 was shipped with RL01s ;-)
http://www.pdp8.com/
john
> John Wilson
> D Bit
>
Received on Sat May 06 2000 - 10:36:42 BST