Ebay horror ...

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Tue Jun 12 03:43:44 2001

The only one I know who even talks about mainframes is Will Jennings, and I've
never seen his accomodations. As far as I know, none of his big iron is
running, for want of the appropriate power feed. Apparently his dad got him a
boxcar in which to store his hardware.

However, back in the early '80's I was given an IBM 690 system that got as far
as being set up in my barn and connected to power. I knew nothing about the
thing, but the friend who encouraged me to let them load it on my dumper and
haul it off, hooked it to power there, and it seemed to humm, consume power, and
keep the barn (it was January-February) such that the critters hardly left their
stalls, it being quite balmy inside the rather large two-story 45-foot-square
barn. I was chosen as a recipient because I had the requisite power feed,
thanks to the metalworking business the previous owner of the "farm" (what
realtors call a "ranchette" because it's too dry to raise crops and too small
(10 acres, in this case) to raise livestock) had operated. Soon I also had a
360 on the dumper, which could be driven into the barn, as well, but, having
seen what the 690 did, it was soon bound for conversion to spare parts and scrap
metal. The 360 was never even unloaded, so I've no idea what or how complete it
was. I needed to haul some feed for my critters, so it had to go. The 690 was,
apparently working, didn't show any sign of producing anything of use, so it
soon went to someone who wanted it worse than I, which still was very little.
It was, even then, a classic.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Quebbeman" <dhquebbeman_at_theestopinalgroup.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 1:09 PM
Subject: RE: Ebay horror ...


> > My own inclination is to view computers that don't run as projects or as
> > parts-supply, and computers without reusable parts as dumpster-bound. I'd
> never
> > want a machine that requires power I can't supply. I'd never want a machine
> > that I can't see how to fix, either. Once it's relegated to the parts bins,
> it
> > gets dismantled and put in the parts stock, right down to the screws and
> > washers, and the sheet metal goes to the scrapper or to the dumpster.
>
> At first, I was dittoing along with this, until I got to the
> PSU-I-cant-repair part. I understand the thinking, of course,
> but I can think of quite a few machines that would fit that
> bill that I'd take as long as I could find an *indoors*
> location for them (having noted the rust remark below).
>
> Eventually, someone might have the desire to acquire it and
> the means to power it, and I'd be tickled to have enabled
> that to happen.
>
> Do you *really* know people who keep mainframes rusting
> in the yard? CDC Cybers, by any chance?
>
> ;-)
>
> -dq
>
>
Received on Tue Jun 12 2001 - 03:43:44 BST