March 2016 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Should the new museum have a name?
by Jeff 08 Mar '16

08 Mar '16

My idea...keep the name simple, and use a hexidecimal-themed logo for it that you can use as a theme all sorts of different ways. Put the letters into various prompts for older systems, or photoshop them into old graphics, etc. Name: Museum of Computing History, or M0Ch (and you can likely get that as a domain too) Examples of logos, ideas, etc: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b3nazipvw926dba/AADP1SRhomhvg7azTANER66Ja?dl=0 Jeff

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a good summary article about early computer memory
by William Dudley 08 Mar '16

08 Mar '16

http://hackaday.com/2016/03/08/thanks-for-the-memories-touring-the-awesome-… Bill Dudley This email is free of malware because I run Linux.

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More about the STK library
by Evan Koblentz 08 Mar '16

08 Mar '16

Last night I posted about how the STK 9710 has max capacity of more than 40TB compressed, and I lamented that it may not be right for our "history of the present" exhibit after all because nobody has 40TB in their pocket. Corey pointed out that cloud storage should count in the equation. Google Drive accounts give you up to 10TB for $99. Dropbox will sell you an "unlimited" account for $15/month. So technically, yes, you can access 40TB in your pocket-sized device... or at least * from * your pocket-sized device.

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Short file cabinet needed
by Evan Koblentz 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

Everyone, We need a file cabinet for the new computer museum. There are some requirements: - Not taller than 24" - Must be gray color - Awesome if it has working lock/key - We need it in the next couple of weeks, can't wait until VCF East Does anybody have one to donate?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] UNIX PC Ebay
by Brian L. Stuart 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

On Mon, 3/7/16, william degnan via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > I think it's time, if you're a collector of such things to grab up a UNIX > PC before the clean working and complete units fetch prices routinely above > $750, (but not yet). They're still "new vintage" but I predict these are > going to become highly sought-after "tweener" type machines. This is the > PC a lot of the famous hackers used in the late 80s Those are great little machines. Back in the '90s, I used to host a collection of the old archives and related material for these machines. Peter da Silva now maintains that archive: http://unixpc.taronga.com/ One challenge in keeping those machines running are the disk drives. For a machine like the one on eBay now, you need a HH ST-506/412 interface drive. Working ones are starting to get pretty thin. My 7300/3b1s are the biggest reason I'm interested in the recent MFM drive emulators. BLS

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OT: good domain for sale
by Evan Koblentz 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

I own technologyrewind.com which is nearing expiration. Anyone interested in buying it? Would make a good name for someone's collection site.

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museum move report
by Evan Koblentz 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

Today I worked with Tony from about 10:45am to 3:30, and then with Steve A. from 4:00 to 8:30. We three got a lot of difficult and satisfying work done: - Moved four pallets of Univac gear into the museum (one CPU, one tape rack, one I/O console (paper tape + Model 25 TTY), and two peripheral racks. (Duane C. and Bill Drom. know the model numbers better than I do.) We put all this where it'll go long-term in the center aisle. Photo (with apologies for the strange camera angle: http://vcfed.org/evan/univac.jpg) We're going to cover the exposed parts of the pallets with black fabric. - Moved the Cray YMP-EK and StorageTek 9710 tape library into the museum. We put them in the middle of the "history of the present" wall. (That's where we will show dozens of pictures of recently obsoleted household products, along with the Cray and the tape library, all under a big sign: "Everything on this wall now fits in your pocket." It is a bit of an exaggeration for the 9710. Says at http://www.iscgroupllc.com/supported-equipment/tape-libraries/stk-sun-oracl… that the library holds up to 1.4TB, and I don't know of any smartphone with such storage capacity. Anyway, nobody (LOL, other than us) will be looking up the library maximum theoretical specifications. It makes the point very nicely that 1990s supercomputing performance and storage capacity now are (more or less) in an iPhone. A nice touch: the library plugs into an ordinary 110V outlet and fires up just fine. I'm hoping we could run some demos and let people see the robot moving around. Photo: http://vcfed.org/evan/cray_storagetek.jpg. Special thanks to Dan Jacob's son DJ for helping move the Cray (turns out the best way is to remove the front cover and then you can slide a pallet jack under it.) - We began putting microcomputers on shelving units. Got through about a quarter of them. Some of them didn't fit quite the way we hoped and so we had to make some tough decisions. For example, the Epson QX-10 isn't good atop the Lisa cart, because it's just a flat beige box and mostly disappears behind the upper slanted shelf's front lip. Another example is the TDL Xitan which did not fit where intended. Some of these systems will go into the Computer of the Month queue... there is no shortage! We also realized that even some videogame consoles can go in that queue, such as Intellivision and others which have computer-like aspects. - We took in some donations. Don brought over some IBM gear including an AS/400 and a desk-side System/36. An outside person brought us a pair of Xerox 820s, a Cosmac, and a motherlode of Xerox 1800 gear. The 1800 is uber-rare -- it was an early laptop made by Sunrise Systems, canceled before it ever went on sale to the public, and (I think) the never-sold stock was acquired by some middle company. That company released some into the wild. - Related news: More work has been done on the double door. All of the holes in the wall/ceiling, on the hallway side and inside the room, have been patched. The trim pieces were all re-installed.

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UNIX PC Ebay
by william degnan 07 Mar '16

07 Mar '16

I think it's time, if you're a collector of such things to grab up a UNIX PC before the clean working and complete units fetch prices routinely above $750, (but not yet). They're still "new vintage" but I predict these are going to become highly sought-after "tweener" type machines. This is the PC a lot of the famous hackers used in the late 80s Watching what this one does: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AT-T-Unix-PC-Model-7300-/131741621748 -- @ BillDeg: Web: vintagecomputer.net Twitter: @billdeg <https://twitter.com/billdeg> Youtube: @billdeg <https://www.youtube.com/user/billdeg> Unauthorized Bio <http://www.vintagecomputer.net/readme.cfm>

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iUEC Drive on a B128!
by william degnan 06 Mar '16

06 Mar '16

Just got my my iUEC Drive working on my B128! Makes life a heck of a lot easier than using the D9090. b -- @ BillDeg: Web: vintagecomputer.net Twitter: @billdeg <https://twitter.com/billdeg> Youtube: @billdeg <https://www.youtube.com/user/billdeg> Unauthorized Bio <http://www.vintagecomputer.net/readme.cfm>

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Pick 34)-ish
by Herb Johnson 05 Mar '16

05 Mar '16

whitneys posted..... > My two cents' worth. Flying Eagle cents, mind you. > > The History > Micro-Computer Predecessors: The Terminal & The Calculator > Datapoint 2200 aut al. HP-85 eg. > The Kit Scelbi-8H Mark-8 > The Altair/The S-100 aka Attack of the Clones MITS Altair 8800 > IMSAI 8080 What I like about whitneys' list, is that it has themes, a process, and a progression; from which examples are suggested. It's a little whimsical, which is fine. There's too many movie references as suggested. And it allows for some alternative exhibits of computing such as non-USA computers. (I'm not saying other lists did not have these qualities.) I don't agree with some of the history as presented, because to my 60-year-old eye it focuses on post-1980 consumer personal computing and so judges prior history from that view. To me that's a common 21st century problem. For instance, the emphasis on brand dominance as winners (IBM, Apple, ohyeahCompaq). Treating all S-100 as "clones" and only covering the very oldest (MITS, IMSAI, SOL), ignores history. The idea that an Apple I (copy) represents single-board computers is absurd. My point is not to argue; I said "to my old eye...". My point is that the list is coherent and themed, and I commend that. Any exhibit can be revised, other themes presented, on another day. There's no shortage of themes, trends, examples. In due course, each could get their turn. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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