- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Vendor Registration - VCF East 2023
by Jeffrey Brace 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

Anyone wanting to be a vendor should register here: https://forms.gle/zGsPxCcuDQBXm3fb7 Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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1968 Longley-Rice model in Fortran IV
by Mike Markowski 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

I just subscribed to the list last week, still getting a feel for topics and hope this one is of interest. I was recently looking into the RF propagation model by Anita Longley and Phil Rice, still widely used after a half century. Going from one old report to another, I found the original 1968 CDC-3600 Fortran IV source code as an appendix in a report. After correcting the many OCR errors with O/D/0/Q, I/l/1 and similar, I posted about it to the PiDP11 mailing list. Several folks joined in and the code now runs on several old OSes in addition to F77 if you want to run it on linux. The output is, well, admittedly not as fun as a game, but if you want some contemporary code for your retro computing or happen to also be an EE working in RF, it is at https://udel.edu/~mm/itm/ Merry Christmas! Mike Markowski

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VCF East 2023 Exhibitor Registration
by Jeffrey Brace 26 Dec '22

26 Dec '22

VCF East 2023 Exhibit Registration is now open. Register your exhibit through this URL: https://forms.gle/u6NZVYUaqtwEWyX67 Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Fwd: Merry Christmas (Use fixed width font)
by Duane Craps 25 Dec '22

25 Dec '22

-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Merry Christmas (Use fixed width font) Date: Sun, 25 Dec 2022 10:28:13 -0500 From: Duane Craps <duane1219b(a)gmail.com> To: VCF <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> CC: Duane1219B(a)gmail.com MMMMMMMMM M M MMM M M MMMMMMMMM EEEEEEEEE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR YY Y Y YYYYYY Y Y YY CCCCC C C C C C C C C C C C C HHHHHHHHH H H H H H HHHHHHHHH RRRRRRRRR R R R R RR R R R R R R R R RRR I I I I IIIIIIIII I I I I S SSS S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S SSS S T T T TTTTTTTTT T T T MMMMMMMMM M M MMM M M MMMMMMMMM S SSS S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S SSS S from my 1219 emulator

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A Mastodon Instance for VCF - an Invitation
by Andrew Diller 24 Dec '22

24 Dec '22

With support from the VCF Board I have created a new service for supporters of the Vintage Computer Federation: A VCF Mastodon instance. I have a direct invite to sign up below, or the public url if you just want to look around. I also have some Q&A words below that may help explain why we are doing this. Just go right to signup: https://social.vcfed.org/invite/QDJkojxi Take a look around: https://social.vcfed.org/public Why do we need this? Mastodon is a federated network of instances (servers) every person that wants to participate needs an account on an instance. Many instances have rules and themes around topics. I thought it would be interesting to have one centered around VCF, its supporters which acknowledges our charter and its goals. The Board agreed and we have created and then set up a server inside of VCF's AWS (Amazon) account. This hosts the Mastodon instance. Is VCF Leaving Twitter? No, VCF is exploring Mastodon in conjunction with continuing to use Twitter. Mastodon is an interesting federated technology and as such offers a unique and different way of engaging socially with others on the Internet. It complements Twitter and has some fun new ways of tracking events and postings, more like classic Twitter in terms of a straight non-influenced timeline. Why would I use VCF's Mastodon? There are a few reasons. One: we are here and offering accounts. Some of the larger M. instances have been overwhelmed with requests and are closed to new accounts. The VCF Mastodon Instance (VMI) is open and can allow an easy way for interested individuals to sign up and explore the fediverse with fellow VCF supporters. What did you just say? You can read more about the fediverse here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse It's another interesting technology that has been around for a while but gained recent notoriety as more people have joined up. Mastodon is just one front-end application that participates in the larger fediverse. I have already seeded it with some interesting retro federated sites so you should see postings when you visit. If you decide to join up and start to follow people who are of interest to you it will widen the Federated stream on the site. Please feel free to click on the link and sign up for an account. So far I've found it interesting and fun. You can decide for yourself. If you have questions about using it once you sign up ask me via Mastodon DM me via Masto----> @dillera@social.vcfed.org Again, the VCF Instance is here: https://social.vcfed.org/public Happy Holidays -andy diller Social Media Manager, not Director, at VCFederation

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interesting unit
by Duane Craps 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

Looks like it could be a good storage device for 8 bit computers -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 2:03 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > So how will this affect InfoAge(?) in the future? > There is no way to know for certain. The only way that I see it affecting InfoAge is in rental of different equipment. Of course there is a chance for someone at NetFlix to discover the history of InfoAge, do some filming and draw in more visitors. For the Vintage Computer Federation most shows that we have rented artifacts to in the past have been far away. This would be super close, so much easier to rent artifacts. As for VCF East, it may make it harder to get hotel rentals if there are a lot of people using up the local hotels. However this may incentivize more hotels to be built, which would be helpful overall. There are also plans to renovate or rebuild abandoned housing in the surrounding area since the Army moved out of Fort Monmouth. There have been other businesses that have moved into Fort Monmouth including churches, rehabilitation centers, CommVault, etc. This is the first really big named place to open up. There are still acres and acres and acres of undeveloped land (total area of Fort Monmouth is 1,126 acres). I know because I have read the local news and drive through the center of the campus periodically. I invited anyone when visiting VCF to drive through and see what I mean. Jeff Brace > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Dec 22, 2022, at 9:52 PM, Ethan O'Toole via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > "New $848M Netflix Studios Monmouth At Former New Jersey Army Base Is A > Firm Go; Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Sees “Billions In Economic Output” From 12 > Sound Stages – Update" > > > > "Netflix will pay $55 million for a big parcel of land in New Jersey, > then invest about $850 million to build a state-of-the-art production > studio, according to details of the streamer’s bid. " > > > > "The 289-acre site of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a former army base, > would be one of the largest fully integrated production facilities in the > world and a very close second to Netflix’s biggest U.S. production hub in > Albuquerque, New Mexico, which totals 300 acres." > > > > > https://deadline.com/2022/12/netflix-studios-fort-monmouth-new-jersey-produ… > > > > So uh, this is really close to VCF. 10 mile drive according to the Goog > but much shorter as the crow flies. > > > > - Ethan > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Christian Liendo 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

My crystal ball sees property value increases. Who knows, they may rent out the site for films, which will bring in some much needed cash flow. I say this is a good thing. Except for me because I can't move there now because it will be too expensive. On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 2:03 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > So how will this affect InfoAge(?) in the future? >

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OT: Netflix studios coming to former Army base in Monmouth NJ
by Ethan O'Toole 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

"New $848M Netflix Studios Monmouth At Former New Jersey Army Base Is A Firm Go; Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Sees “Billions In Economic Output” From 12 Sound Stages – Update" "Netflix will pay $55 million for a big parcel of land in New Jersey, then invest about $850 million to build a state-of-the-art production studio, according to details of the streamer’s bid. " "The 289-acre site of Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, a former army base, would be one of the largest fully integrated production facilities in the world and a very close second to Netflix’s biggest U.S. production hub in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which totals 300 acres." https://deadline.com/2022/12/netflix-studios-fort-monmouth-new-jersey-produ… So uh, this is really close to VCF. 10 mile drive according to the Goog but much shorter as the crow flies. - Ethan

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Herbert Johnson 23 Dec '22

23 Dec '22

Jeff Jonas discussed the IBM 1130 front panel. He noted well-labeled controls and computer operations to the single instruction or cycle or clock. It's good information. But Jeff ends with this: > All that was lost with the microprocessor :-( All the data busses and > registers are internal with no pins, thus relying on a monitor to > view/alter registers. That's the glory of REAL font panels: they're all > HARDWARE, they can't lie :-) The MITS Altair 8800, the IMSAI 8080, the MITS 680, the Ithaca Intersystems DPS-1; all supported MITS-class front panels. The earliest 1802 computers, same era, had a byte-level, single clock/instruction front panel (and little else). Home-built early 8008 and 8080 systems, often included front panels. Terminals were expensive, memory was limited, and front panels helped debug the hardware. People looking back today, don't appreciate the limited resources (and limited wealth) during 1970's micro computing. MITS people may not have known about the IBM 1130 front panel. But certainly, Ed Roberts knew about the Data General NOVA, which sat in his office, and which has a front panel. (David Greelish interview with Roberts.) The MITS front panel, like the Nova, permitted single-cycle and single-instruction operation of the 8080 microprocessor. It could not display registers, those are internal to the 8080. So, front panels were not "lost with the microprocessor". They simply fell out of favor, by the late 1970's. Briefly: as microcomputers became more powerful and hardware stabilized, software debugging was cheaper and preferable to hardware debugging. Computers designed for the office and home, were styled like office equipment. I lived through the era, it's hard to prove why something stopped happening. On "hardware panels can't lie". They can fail too. And some devices won't run at toggle-clock speeds. Problems may not manifest on a front-panel if they are intermittent. Front panels are a tool, like other tools they have utility or not. Should I say, "all that was lost, when personal computers became commonplace"? Things change, sometimes there's reasons. Regards, Herb Johnson retrotechnology.com -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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NABU Disk images and Forum
by Andrew Diller 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqFx9Mc6vzY <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqFx9Mc6vzY> I love that they are tracking/working this out via the VCF Forums! https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/bad-disk-image.1240644/ What a change from just a few years ago when the forum seemed to be on the verge of fading away. Props to the VCF Team that has breathed new life into it. -andy

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[The Washington Post] Remember the pay phone? This man is bringing them back at no cost.
by Glenn Roberts 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

Interesting article about bringing back free “pay” phones. Hopefully everyone can click on the link below to read the story… (sent with the “gift” option in Washington Post app…) Remember the pay phone? This man is bringing them back at no cost. “There are lots of people who can’t afford a cellphone or a phone bill,” PhilTel co-founder Mike Dank said. By Cathy Free https://wapo.st/3YFblYX Download The Washington Post app. Sent from my iPad

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Jeffrey Jonas 22 Dec '22

22 Dec '22

I could go on and on about the glory of the IBM 1130 front panel until I froth at the mouth and fall over backwards (arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!) Here's an attempt to summarize all its goodness. Lookit the panel itself https://www.technikum29.de/en/computer/ibm1130.php Everything is clearly labelled, easy to read. Logically arranged: registers on the left, status in the center, instruction and interrupts on the right. First of all, you SIT at the console with the keyboard and most of the switches in easy reach. Quite the "personal computer" of the time. The number of buttons & switches was minimal because many were multi-purpose depending on the magic "mode switch" on the far right of the display. "run" mode was the usual mode: run at full speed. Too fast? Interrupt-run caused a level 5 (low priority) interrupt after every instruction for tracing, breakpoints, watchpoints, etc. Still too fast? SI: single instruction. Each press of the "START" button ran ONE instruction and the CPU halted, showing the full status on the indicators. Still too fast? Try SMC: Single Memory Cycle. Core memory was a limiting factor so each instruction had 1-7 memory cycles: I1 I2 IX IA E1 E2 E3. I cycles were instruction fetch: first word, 2nd word, indexing, indirect addressing. E cycles were execution: depending on the number of memory accesses required (single word or double-word). The 1130 was somewhat unique in that addresses were for each 16-bit word. There was no byte access, thus no need to address bytes. Still too fast? Use SS: single clock cycle. There were usually 8 clock cycles per memory cycle, sometimes many more as controlled by the cycle control counter. This is where the machine internals REALLY show. A manual gave the flowchart of every instruction for you to follow along clock cycle by clock cycle. The top center shows 1-8 for the clock cycle. The bottom indicators were available for the CE (customer engineer) to wire up as required to debug circuits. There were even a few spare gates to help with 'watchdog' circuits when debugging the hardware. All that was lost with the microprocessor :-( All the data busses and registers are internal with no pins, thus relying on a monitor to view/alter registers. That's the glory of REAL font panels: they're all HARDWARE, they can't lie :-) -- jeff jonas

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Herb's Website made front page on HackerNews
by Herbert Johnson 19 Dec '22

19 Dec '22

It's a bit hyperbolic, to say my site "made the front page" of HackerNews. So, the precipitating event, possibly was https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/d_dri.html#gaby an update in mid-June 2022 to the license that DRDOS Inc CEO Brian Sparks gave to the CP/M archive site some years ago. Sparks essentially owns CP/M. Read the fine Web pages for details. Otherwise, someone on HackerNews noted one of my many Digital Research Web pages http://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/ - home page for DRI https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/d_dri.html - early DRI CP/M work http://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/dri_16bit.html - later probably found while Web searching for CP/M ownership information. My pages get attention, because "content is king on the Web" still holds. Here's what I mean. Few Web sites have followed the trail of sales of Digital Research assets, ending with Brian Sparks and DRDOS Inc. associates' final purchase. Few cover all the products of DRI, and their relationship to other software products, particularly 16-bit class products. Scope of content matters. I did all that, before Kildall's story became well-known in 2004, in a biographical write up contained in "They Made America". And, before the IEEE honored Kildall's first business location on the 40th anniversary of Kildall's first boot of CP/M (a date not well-established, by the way). Persistence of content matters. The scope of DRI and CP/M is a rich story. But most accounts of CP/M focus on Dr. Gary Kildall's life when CP/M began with him, and end with MS-DOS and the IBM PC in 1981. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kildall made other contributions after Digital Research, and had other issues. These I do not cover. I followed the CP/M trail from where it started, to many products and people impacted by it, and to wherever that led. Regards Herb Johnson retrotechnology.com -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

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Herb's Website made front page on HackerNews
by Christian Liendo 19 Dec '22

19 Dec '22

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34039000

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Televideo
by Bill Degnan 17 Dec '22

17 Dec '22

My apologies about the public post....Dimitri...call me at the shop about the Televideo. I still have the 286. Sorry I lost your original message. Thanks Bill

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Micro C issues are gone
by bob＠corshamtech.com 17 Dec '22

17 Dec '22

Micro Cs are spoken for? Bob

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8-bits and 80 columns
by John Heritage 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

Hey all -- Which (popular) 8-bit computers gained "easy" or even "standard" 80 column support? I know there are a ton more 8bits than I'll list below, but my understanding is: Atari 8bit -- XEP80 official accessory but almost no one bought it; used joystick ports.. slow and limited 80 column (black and white?). Atari did have a 60 column graphics/text mode IIRC. there is a software hack that uses narrow characters for '80 columns' but hard to read, and came out after the machine was no longer commerically sold. Apple II - supported via cards. If 80 column support became common, when did it become common? what was normal for color count, etc? C64 - C128 mode natively offered 80 column support; millions of these sold. So maybe common later on? 16 colors. PET - no 80 column? C Plus/4 - software hack? ZX Spectrum -- available via some clones only, not common? BBC Micro - Looks like a native mode for 80 column support? TRS-80 - no native 80 column support? Thanks! John

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Free to the first caller:
by Martin Flynn 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

Qty 2 SKU: FC1020042-01G Description: EMULEX FC1020042-01G 2GB 64BIT 133MHZ PCI-X FIBRE CHANNEL HOST BUS ADAPTER If there any takers, will leave in the top of the toolbox in the Makerspace

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] What we can learn from vintage computing
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Dec '22

16 Dec '22

On Thu, Dec 15, 2022 at 5:26 PM bob jeffway.com via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > I agree 100%!! > I co-teach a class at University Of Massachusetts in Amherst using Bob > Applegate's KIM-1 replicas. > We start with machine language programming, then move to an assembler, and > teach all the low-level stuff; address bus, data bus, controls, clock, etc. > and how to interface hardware. > > Bob Jeffway > > This is my first post, hopefully I did it right? Is a Reply All correct? > Hi Bob! Good to see you on the list and post. Yes your post worked and you are cleared to post in the future. I always do reply all to be safe. The Google app defaults to reply to sender and not all, so one has to go out of their way to reply all. Jeff Brace > On 12/14/2022 8:51 AM EST Jonathan Chapman via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > This is from a programmer's point of view but still interesting reading > > https://github.com/readme/featured/vintage-computing > > Decent article! There's absolutely value in learning this old stuff. I > still maintain that hacking on old computers at the architecture/machine > code/asm level gave me a distinct advantage over "academically stronger" > (better at memorizing, mostly) folks in college. > > I don't know if they're still doing it, but at some point in talking with > folks at the MIT Flea, someone had related that MIT was still offering > either a comp arch or comp org type of course using the PDP-11. This was > some time between 2010 and 2015. Like the article says, before a point it's > possible to understand all parts of a whole system. > > Thanks, > Jonathan > > -- ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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What we can learn from vintage computing
by Christian Liendo 14 Dec '22

14 Dec '22

This is from a programmer's point of view but still interesting reading https://github.com/readme/featured/vintage-computing

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Festivus 2022 Wrap-up
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '22

13 Dec '22

It was really nice to see everyone and felt really festivus this weekend. It's a labor of love to spend hours planning, setting up and breaking down this event. I'm sorry that some couldn't make it. I'm sending out a note now before I forget and life takes off again and I'm too busy. So please excuse the rough and quick nature of this email. I know that if I don't send it now, then I may never remember. I felt like everyone really enjoyed Festivus and all that went on. First I want to thank David Riley for cooking all the burgers, hotdogs and bratwurst Saturday night. I want to thank Bernie S for cooking the Perogies on Sunday. Thanks to Ian for bringing lots of video games as well as CJ, Jeff Salzman and others who I'm forgetting. Thanks to Bill Inderrieden and others who helped me setup on Friday night. Thanks to Ian Litchefield who helped put the tables, chairs, couches, and beds back last night. Thanks to Doug for keeping the museum running smoothly with all the extra visitors from the Holiday Train Show and Bill, Ian, and Rick for supporting. I'm sure I'm forgetting some people. Please let me know what things that you liked and if you have any constructive criticism, please send that to me privately. I'm always looking to improve the event. Now I'm off to VCF East planning! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Steering Committee Results
by Chris Fala 12 Dec '22

12 Dec '22

I was just reminded that only the people attending the Town Hall on Saturday evening know this information. Regarding the Steering Committee election, Doug Crawford and Alex Jacocks were reelected, and Jeff Salzman won the other seat. Congratulations to all three!!! I will be departing my position on the SC in January. It has been a pleasure serving VCF-MA. Chris

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8 mm data tapes new in box
by Sentrytv 11 Dec '22

11 Dec '22

Good morning to everybody who attended the non-Festivus event. On my table in the mini swapmeet area I had 8mm Data tapes Brand New in the box. They were not purchased by anybody but someone took them off my table last night. So I’m putting it out there for that person to come forward and pay me for them please. Or return them now please. Thank you Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] What's the code for the door?
by RETRO Innovations 10 Dec '22

10 Dec '22

/me discovers new (to me) Weird Al song I now need to listen to... Thanks for the Friday pick-me-up. Jim

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Name Tags at Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I will be giving everyone a name tag at Festivus to know people's names. There will be some new people, so it will help everyone, not just the forgetful like me ;) ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Festivus Overnight Signup
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I created a separate signup for those staying overnight in the bunk rooms at Festivus to make it clearer and easier: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KGQvZ9SlQ3zZ_ySviHIdfBcoeClwmW45RWJ… ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Festivus Swap Meet 2022
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

If you are planning on selling at the swap meet, let me know how many tables that you will need. I will be setting them up tonight and need to know how many I will need. We are setting up in the Women's Bunk room. The Google Sheet for that is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i23VBX8AwsYA2FRH6eS8UlKvj73PN2gb4Wr… ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Video games on their way to Festivus!
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

Ian is supplying the following game systems: 6 or 7 TVs with Wii, N64, NES, Jaguar, TG16, Sega Genesis. Amiga Bill will be bringing an Amiga 500. Jonathan Sturges Atari 5200 Mike Rosen Xbox CJ eMachines, iMac, PS/2 Jeff Salzman Retro Pie on PC I didn't have time to get my C64 together. In any case it looks like that the game room is full. If anyone is bringing something else, let me know and we will find a good spot across in the cafeteria. ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Help needed Dec 10 at 10AM with fiber optic installation
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I know some of you will be coming earlier to Festivus and I'm hoping that some of you can help CDL before the party gets in full swing later in the day. CDL is requesting assistance with the following: 1. Running a 12 strand, single mode, fiber optic cable from 9059 (CDL building) to 9010B (new vcf museum space). A portion of this is aerial, CDL will rent a man lift for this work. The balance is routing the pre-terminated fiber optic cables through holes that InfoAge drilled, and lay it across the ceiling joists. http://compdecon.org/media/9059_to_9010b.jpg 2. Running a 6 strand, single mode, fiber optic cable through the attic of 9010B out to "Broadway" and into the 9036B attic (near the vcf warehouse), again via holes that InfoAge drilled.. http://compdecon.org/media/9010b_to_9036B.jpg The fiber to connect the 9010 (vcf museum building) rack to 9036 (adjacent to the current warehouse space) is on hand, ready to install. If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact me and I will put you in touch with Martin. Thanks so much! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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What's the code for the door?
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

For the Festivus building 9010-D, you must complete this quote: "Party like it's ...." Any questions or problems call VCF's museum landline: (732) 722-5015. That will forward to my cell phone. ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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A fairly exact KIM-1 Clone
by Christian Liendo 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I didn't know anyone made these. http://retro.hansotten.nl/6502-sbc/kim-1-manuals-and-software/kim-replicas-…

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Main Street Grill - last time
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

After setting up tomorrow for the party, some of us will be going to Main Street Grill for the last time. It is closing up at the end of the year. This was a frequent dinner place for repair workshops over the years and during Covid helped us to social distance in a less crowded environment. It had the best burgers and will be missed. Setup starts tomorrow at 5PM. So maybe we will go out to dinner around 7:30 or 8:00 PM depending on how long it takes. ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Festivus food shopping done
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Dec '22

09 Dec '22

I finished the food shopping at shoprite and delivered it to where we are having the party. I got: Hot Dogs Hamburgers Burger buns Hot dog buns Tomatoes Cheese slices Pickles Milk Orange Juice Lettuce Ketchup Mustard Relish 12 pack of: Coke, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Diet Coke, Coke Zero. 48 bottles of water I will be there for setup at 5PM tomorrow. ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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OT: Two free 32” TVs @ InfoAge
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

There are two TVs in our future warehouse that need to be removed. If anyone wants them, please let me know. If no interest, then they will be recycled. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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NABU teardown
by Duane Craps 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

Another tear-down of the NABU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLYjZoShjy0 In the comments the seller said that he is selling a lot after the video came out, -- DuaneCraps sdɐɹɔ ǝuɐnp

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NABU availability?
by Douglas Crawford 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

Anyone have a live craigslist link? The 71 from ebay are gone. Thanks DC

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Festivus Food Signup
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

If you need suggestions on what to bring, let me know. There is a suggestions tab too. Bill Inderrieden and I are getting Mike's subs for lunch around noon. 24 half subs. This was a big hit last year as earlier in the day there was less food available. Most people (and food) tend to arrive later in the day. Sign up list is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RYFWZX50h_wcuSWIF8JpwsZRDP8pVtIsHdo… ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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33 signed up so far for Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

Let me know if I missed anyone: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sg24kXek70jkz5_lnsKftM-yQ0L9gcsxbsG… Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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VOTING IS CLOSED
by Chris Fala 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

The voting form has been disabled. The election for the Steering Committee has ended. Thanks to everyone for your participation in selecting the leadership of our organization. Results will be announced this Saturday evening at the Town Hall at our Holiday party. Chris Fala Steering Committee Chairman

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Festivus Attendance List
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Dec '22

08 Dec '22

If you are attending Festivus, then please put your name down on this list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sg24kXek70jkz5_lnsKftM-yQ0L9gcsxbsG… One name per line even if they are a guest. I realized that having an attendance list only would be helpful in planning. Some people are not bringing stuff, so they wouldn't be on the potluck list. I want to get a rough estimate as I'm buying the burgers and stuff tomorrow night. I filled in those that have already signed up for various lists. Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Extra FreHD PCBs Available
by Alexander Jacocks 07 Dec '22

07 Dec '22

Folks, I bought some PCBs for the FreHD for TRS-80. If anyone is interested in the extras, let me know. Thanks! - Alex

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Final Day of Steering Committee Elections for VCF - Mid Atlantic
by Jeff S 07 Dec '22

07 Dec '22

(The statements made here are my own, and not directly from or on behalf of VCF-MA) Today is the last day to make, change, or otherwise consider voting for the VCF Mid Atlantic Steering Committee positions. This is YOUR organization. Therefore, YOU are the one who has the best interests in mind for the organization, and as to who YOU want to see as members of the Steering Committee to help lead the organization. The Steering Committee is an important conclave. The intent of the committee is to help be the voice of direction for our member's interests. They are effectively your representatives, charged with listening to both you and VCF-MA leadership, and maintaining communications and information flow between the two. The Steering Committee election is NOT a popularity contest. There were a LOT of support statements made by non-candidates on behalf of current candidates. While it's perfectly normal that members may support one or more candidates with a passion, garnering votes through public expression of that support is simply playing politics. The Steering Committee is not a political entity, nor should it be subject to "good 'ol boys" methods of advocacy. Doing so could lead to bad practices where the Steering Committee is basically the same people having excessive exposure every election cycle. An organization does not grow on repetition. It grows on change. YOU are trusted by the organization to make sound decisions on your own, and to place those YOU feel are capable of fulfilling the duties of a Steering Committee member who is charged to effect change for the better. There is nothing wrong with adding new blood to the mix, if need be, to encourage change. Therefore, it is important to read the candidate's own position statements, and base your voting decision on those. If a candidate must rely on external support to make their statement, then ask yourself if that candidate is able to make important committee decisions on their own. The current Steering Committee candidates are as follows, with a direct link to their Position Statements (in no particular order): Doug Crawford - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-doug-crawford/ Chris Fala - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-chris-fala/ Alex Jacocks - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-alex-jacocks/ Jeff Salzman - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-jeff-salzman/ Dean Notatnicola - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-for-dean-notarnicola/ Ethan O'Toole - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-for-ethan-otoole/ Adam Michlin - https://vcfed.org/position-statement-adam-michlin/ There are a lot of candidates, and it is more important than ever to understand where each candidate stands. Ask yourself if they represent YOUR beliefs? Even if you already voted, please take the time today to re-read all of the Position Statements. Pick the three candidates YOU feel will help the organization promote the needed changes to grow. If your vote remains the same, it's trusted that you voted in good conscience and the organization is thankful for your vote. If you wish to reconsider your vote, you can still do so. The voting rules are to take your most recent vote up to December 7, 11:59PM EST. You can click on the original voting link you received from Chris Fala (provided below) and cast a new vote if you wish. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdqnOZddYcoHTc59HLVn4QxWaEAdNehGL3… Remember, this is YOUR organization. Make sure you are voting for those who YOU trust to guide the organization in the direction you wish to see it go. Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Sincerely, Jeff Salzman

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OT: Interesting Electronics Project/Kit
by Chris Fala 07 Dec '22

07 Dec '22

I am sure many of you already saw this if you are subscribed to the Hackaday e-mail newsletter, but I wanted to share just in case. It immediately reminded me, as mentioned in the article, of the Radio Shack x-in-1 kits, a few of which I had as a kid. It got ideas flowing in my head. https://hackaday.io/project/188464-dc-zia-30-in-one-badge https://www.tindie.com/products/hamster/dczia-30-in-one-defcon-30-badge/

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Article on Tom's Hardware
by Gregg Levine 07 Dec '22

07 Dec '22

Hello! Google maintains a newsfeed that surfaces on those devices that properly grok it. (Phones and IOS devices other than Phones.) Anyway the reporter for Tom's hardware reported how an individual in the UK which is documented here: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-psion-sidecar Essentially the fellow stuck a Pi Zero W into a box and connected to the thing. And the complete details are in his (the builder) connected to that blog. Here: https://www.kianryan.co.uk/2022-11-28-psion-sidecar-ppp-modem-and-terminal/ Suffice to say it bothers me because that's one family of handhelds that seemingly missed me. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."

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Rockwell R65F11A FORTH Chips Available
by Jonathan Chapman 06 Dec '22

06 Dec '22

All, I recently bought three Rockwell R65F11A FORTH chips from the following listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/185625244395 Not affiliated with the seller. They took over a month to arrive, but are genuine, and work fine in a perfboard project I'm building! I haven't tested every single I/O bit but it comes up and runs RSC FORTH V1.7 dev ROMs. The chips that I received are not relabeled and have original 1986 markings. Seller accepted an offer of $19/ea from me, but I did buy three. These don't come up very often, and are much more prototype-friendly than the R65F12, which has more I/O lines but is packaged in a QUIP-64. Thanks, Jonathan

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Big UK retro-tech event in May 2023
by Stephen 06 Dec '22

06 Dec '22

https://www.retrotechuk.com/ Organised by:- https://www.bvws.org.uk/events/diary.php Stephen WaltersProfessional Celebrity Photographer / G7VFYwww.facebook.com/mister35mm Tel 07956-544202

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Docent Slots during festivus
by Douglas Crawford 06 Dec '22

06 Dec '22

Hi- If you would like to spend some time with museum visitors during festivus, sign up on this page or message me privately. I'll have a simple a tour guide for anyone who might like to try this but haven't done it before. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-opnfD8oB5ybmjl7-14e19RfCLnOVO8YfU-… Thanks! Doug Crawford

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Reminder about Festivus party on Dec 10 & 11, 2022
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Dec '22

06 Dec '22

In case anyone missed my previous email, here is the info again: COST: $15 per person. Options to pay: Cash or credit in person Send via PayPal paypal(a)vcfed.org To be added soon: Payments through vcded.org website DAY AND TIME: Saturday, December 10 at 10AM Burger Cooking: 6PM Town Hall: 8PM End Time? Whenever ;) Sunday, December 11 Starting at 11AM Breakfast at OB diner: 9AM Perogies: 1PM? Ending at 6PM POTLUCK (recommended, but not required): Signup for what food and/or drinks that you will be bringing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RYFWZX50h_wcuSWIF8JpwsZRDP8pVtIsHdo… VIDEO GAMES: We will be setting up the game room this year: Signup: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lb2QObhwbP2rqYFI8TFmN6ANZvJo5eK8sa7… SWAP MEET: Buying/Selling/Trading/Free Signup: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i23VBX8AwsYA2FRH6eS8UlKvj73PN2gb4Wr… REPAIR WORKSHOP: No. Not this year. I’m Sorry. Last year there were complaints about the party members being split between buildings. We want to keep everyone in the same building and focus on the social aspect. I didn’t reserve the CDL workshop this time, so please don't setup anything there. VCF SWAG: Let me know if you want anything before the party and I will put it aside. I will not be selling VCF swag like last time. I will be busy hosting and enjoying the party. There are t-shirts, hoodies, mousepads, stickers, etc. available. ========================================= Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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SC Elections
by Tony Bogan 05 Dec '22

05 Dec '22

All, I just saw Chris’ email about two days left for VCF Steering Committee Elections and then realized I had not seen my email on the list I (thought) I had sent the other day! So, here it is :-) For those who are undecided as to which people they are voting for I wanted to give my thoughts and share perspective for several of the nominees. Adam Michlin, Chris Fala and Doug Crawford have all my confidence as well as my support. This year was tough for me because there are other candidates I would like to see on the SC, but right now three seats are up, so three choices must be made. What a great spot to be in with so many great people to choose from! Adam Michlin and i have worked closely on more projects than I have time to mention, including being on the steering committee together at its inception. He has worked tirelessly to promote VCF and improve our museum, warehouse and events. Despite some of the roadblocks thrown in his way he continues to do those things and more. For those that don’t know, when there is a miscommunication, misunderstanding, missed opportunity or just plain screwup, Adam is inevitably the one who smooths things over, corrects the mistake and bears the brunt of the ire of the aggrieved party when there is one!! This man literally greases the wheels of so many things that few if any of you ever hear about. There is, in my humble opinion, no one more qualified to help steer our organization into the future, period. Chris Fala and I have also worked on many projects together, been on the SC together and share a love of Apple computers while eschewing any desire to have a commodore (sorry, couldn’t resist an Apple vs commodore dig at Chris) Chris took the foundation and framework of the SC Chairman seat built by Dean Notarnicola and truly made them his own. After Dean worked tirelessly to help create the SC and then became its first Chairman, Chris has taken the position to the next level and shown just how much he is truly interested in seeing VCF thrive and grow. While no guarantee that if elected he would still be the Chair, the point is in any capacity he is someone we DO NOT want to lose as one of the drivers of this organization. I was so happy he decided to accept the nomination I submitted for him, he is needed in more ways than I can count. Doug Crawford and I have also known each other for quite awhile now and our relationship was solidified by the fact that Chris Fala is the one who introduced me to Doug!! I know this email is long, so the best way for me to show the level of support I have for Doug is to mention that he is the person I immediately reached out to when I had to step down from the SC to deal with my wife’s health issues and see if he was willing to step in if the SC approved him as my replacement. Knowing Doug as I do, I was confident he would jump in head first and immediately start to come up with ideas to improve VCF and then turn those ideas into reality. In quick fashion he exceeded my expectations and proved I had grossly underestimated his impact on the organization and literally took things to the next level. My seat became his for a brief time, now it’s time for it to be his seat for the next few years!! Difficult to not go on about the other nominees that are deserving of your support, but as mentioned only three seats are currently available and choices have to be made. Was difficult not going on about their qualities, but knowing who the nominees are this year, we cannot go wrong no matter which ones are elected! I hope those who have not voted yet will do so and cast their votes for those nominees they’d like to see sit on the Steering Committee. Perhaps my comments here have helped make your decision a little easier. Tony Bogan Sent from my iPhone

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