February 2019 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Evan Koblentz 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

>> Hence my question whether there would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. Yes. Also as I told others, you're welcome to come up here and see if any of the VCF collection hardware suits you. On Thu, Feb 21, 2019, 1:56 PM Brian L. Stuart via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > On Thu, 2/21/19, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > >... That said, I think an early UNIX > > is a good idea but I'm less sold on > > doing it by means of simulation. > > > > If I had a known-good Unibus > > PDP-11, I'd seriously consider putting > > ... > > So, yes, I think > > it would be great to have early UNIX but I'm in it > > for the hardware. > > This has in fact been my biggest hesitation about this as > an exhibit for this year. However, I don't actually have > any Unibus gear at all. Between that and the fact that > I usually have the same exhibit at East and Southeast > and as you point out transportation of the real thing is > challenging if not prohibitive, simulation is my best option. > > Having said that, I could pull out a 3b1, but I'm pretty sure > someone else is already doing that, and the early research > UNIX is a lot more interesting to me than the commercial. > > The truth is the part that I would find most interesting is > a deep dive into Lions' commentary on the 6th ed kernel, > but I don't know how to make an exhibit of that where > it wouldn't just be a poster session. > > The other option is that I could do another ENIAC > exhibit. It just seems a shame to miss the opportunity > to revisit my early UNIX experience in the 50th > anniversary year. Hence my question whether there > would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. > > BLS >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Brian L. Stuart 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

On Thu, 2/21/19, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks(a)gmail.com> wrote: >... That said, I think an early UNIX > is a good idea but I'm less sold on > doing it by means of simulation. > > If I had a known-good Unibus > PDP-11, I'd seriously consider putting > ... > So, yes, I think > it would be great to have early UNIX but I'm in it > for the hardware. This has in fact been my biggest hesitation about this as an exhibit for this year. However, I don't actually have any Unibus gear at all. Between that and the fact that I usually have the same exhibit at East and Southeast and as you point out transportation of the real thing is challenging if not prohibitive, simulation is my best option. Having said that, I could pull out a 3b1, but I'm pretty sure someone else is already doing that, and the early research UNIX is a lot more interesting to me than the commercial. The truth is the part that I would find most interesting is a deep dive into Lions' commentary on the 6th ed kernel, but I don't know how to make an exhibit of that where it wouldn't just be a poster session. The other option is that I could do another ENIAC exhibit. It just seems a shame to miss the opportunity to revisit my early UNIX experience in the 50th anniversary year. Hence my question whether there would be interest in early UNIX on a simulated 11. BLS

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Last call for Group Unix Exhibit
by Brian L. Stuart 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

On Wed, 2/20/19, andy diller via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hello - if you are interested in being part > of a group Unix Exhibit with linked tables please put some > info in this sheet: I haven't really decided for sure about what I want to exhibit this year. One option I've been considering is to set up one of Oscar's PiDP-11 model PDP-11/70s running 6ed UNIX to show some about early UNIX. Would there be interest in such an exhibit and would it be welcome in the group UNIX Exhibit? BLS

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Need to Borrow IBM VGA CRTs for VCF East (8512, 8513, or 8514)
by J. Alexander Jacocks 21 Feb '19

21 Feb '19

All, Does anyone have 2 IBM PS/2 VGA CRTs (8512, 8513, or 8514) that I could borrow to use with my exhibit for VCF East? I could also use 1 Model M, as I only have two, and 3 IBM two-button early PS/2 mice (like this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_PS2_hiiri.jpg) Not looking to buy, as I’m only keeping one machine, afterwards, so that my collection doesn’t grow beyond bounds. Thanks! - Alex

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Fwd: PC Collection
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Mid-Atlantic folks: have at this! (We're declining for the VCFed collection.) CC:ing Alan H. so he can bring this to AHCS attention too. Maybe it's the kind of collection that people can do as a group haul. THE OWNER IS NOT ON THIS LIST, so don't be the person who replies on-list and makes me roll my eyes. :) On 2/19/19 6:26 PM, Erik Klein wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: *Gene D. Robinson* <robinsgd(a)wctel.net <mailto:robinsgd@wctel.net>> > Date: Mon, Feb 18, 2019 at 10:45 AM > Subject: PC Collection > To: <webmaster(a)vintage-computer.com > <mailto:webmaster@vintage-computer.com>> > > > Erik, > > The purpose of this letter is to see if you might have any interest in > acquiring my collection of approximately 100 old PC computer systems. > There are also approximately 20 early laptops going back to the early > 1980s > > I am nearly 76 years old and can no longer adequately curate my > collection gathered over the past 25 years. Although some are quite > valuable, such as a very low serial number original IBM PC and the > Columbia PC (the first PC clone) and an early Eagle PC, I would like > to keep the collection together rather than sell them individually on > eBay. I hope you might be interest in acquiring the collection, or if > not, you might offer advice as to how I should proceed. > > The heart of my collection is perhaps unique and is based on a > realization that hit me when in the late 90s while pricing out that > the original IBM PC would have cost about $3,500, adequately equipped > to be useful and productive in 1981-’82. I realized that was still > what a high end, well equipped PC would cost. As I investigated, I > soon saw that $3,000-$3,600 had remained constant down through the > years as the cost of a high-end PC. Thus, the idea for my collection > was born: > > A high-end PC each year, priced in mid-year, with software installed > appropriate to the year. > > Below is a list: > > *YEAR* > > > > *SYSTEM NAME* > > > > *PRICE $* > > > > *CPU & SPEED* > > ** > > > > ** > > > > ** > > > > ** > > *1981* > > > > *IBM PC Model 5150* > > > > 3,480** > > > > *80088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1982* > > > > *Columbia MPC* > > > > 3,195** > > > > *80088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1983* > > > > *Eagle PC-2* > > > > 3,613** > > > > *8088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1984* > > > > *XPC-XT* > > > > 3,515 > > > > *8088-4.77 Mhz* > > *1985* > > > > *Conquest PC Turbo* > > > > 2,900 > > > > *8088-8 mhz* > > *1986* > > > > *PC's Limited AT* > > > > 3,122 > > > > *80286-8 Mhz* > > *1987* > > > > *PC Limited 286-12* > > > > 3,499 > > > > *80286-12 Mhz* > > *1988* > > > > *DMP 386* > > > > 2,907 > > > > *80386-20 Mhz* > > *1989* > > > > *Home Smart 386* > > > > 3,117 > > > > *80386-25 Mhz* > > *1990* > > > > *Comtrade* > > > > 3,370 > > > > *80386-33 Mhz* > > *1991* > > > > *Computer World 486-33* > > > > 3,520 > > > > *80486-33 Mhz* > > *1992* > > > > *Strobe MPC* > > > > 3,416 > > > > *80486-50 Mhz* > > *1993* > > > > *Gateway 2000 4DX2-66V* > > > > 3,345 > > > > *80486-66 Mhz* > > *1994* > > > > *Gateway 2000* > > > > 3,446 > > > > *Pentium-90 Mhz* > > *1995* > > > > *MidWest Micro P5-133 PCI* > > > > 3,494 > > > > *Pent-133 Mhz* > > *1996* > > > > *Dell Dimension XPS P200S * > > > > 3,287 > > > > *Pent-200 Mhz* > > *1997* > > > > *Unicent Titana II266XLA* > > > > 3,263 > > > > *Pent II-266 Mhz* > > *1998* > > > > *Quantex QP6/400 SM-4x* > > > > 2,899 > > > > *Pent II-400 Mhz* > > *1999* > > > > *Compaq Presario 5700t * > > > > 2,828 > > > > *Pent III-550 Mhz* > > *2000* > > > > *Tiger TM71A* > > > > 3,149 > > > > *Athlon 1 Ghz* > > *2001* > > > > *Gateway 1800* > > > > 3,160 > > > > *Pent IV 1.8 Ghz* > > *2002* > > > > *ABS Digital 8* > > > > 3,100 > > > > *Pent IV 2.53 Ghz* > > *2003* > > > > *Gateway 710XL* > > > > 3,090 > > > > *Pent IV 3.2 Ghz* > > *2004* > > > > *Cyberpower * > > > > 3,411 > > > > *Pent IV 3.6 Ghz* > > *2005* > > > > *Cyberpower* > > > > 3,389 > > > > *Athlon 64 FX 57* > > *2006* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > *2007* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > *2008* > > > > ** > > > > > > ** > > The only non-PCs in the collection are the three original home > computers that came on the market in 1977 within a few months of each > other: Apple II, Commodore PET 8k, and Tandy TRS-80. There is also an > original Mac from the fifth week of production in February 1984 that > comes with all the original disks, manuals and accessories. At last > check these all worked properly including the cassette tape drives on > the Tandy and PET. There is also a large selection of original > software cassettes for the PET, extremely rare. > > I also have a hundred feet of shelf space filled with old software > going back to VisCalc, Lotus 123, and DOS 1.1 and numerous games going > back to the early 80s. The first of these computers to have a hard > disk drive (Zenith Z-100 in 1984) plus each subsequent computer has > the correct software installed on it for its year including Windows > 1.0. Some of the computers are the actual brands shown in the table, > and some are generic versions patterned after brand name machines. > > In addition, I got interested in how a high-end machine would compare > to a low-priced PC ($400-$500 including monitor) and started > accumulating those machines (or building generic versions). I found > that generally these low-cost machines had the performance of the > hig-end PCs from about three years earlier. > > I have some other machines of particular interest such as the a new, > never removed from the box, IBM PCAT, an IBM PCXT with the original 10 > MB hard drive that boots and runs programs just fine. There’a a Tandy > 2000 (80186 cpu and its own unique operating system), and the first > 386 PC (Compaq Deskpro). There’s also a complete collection of /PC > Magazines/ from Vol 1-No.1 up to fairly recent plus many old /Byte/ > magazines and /PC World/. > > I’m hoping you might have some interest in this collection or, if not, > that you can advise me what to do. Perhaps you might know of an > auction company that could sell the collection. I can send images if > you want to have a better idea of the scope. > > Gene D. Robinson > > Abbeville, SC > -- Evan Koblentz, executive director Vintage Computer Federation www.vcfed.org evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 VCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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Warehouse work tomorrow or Friday?
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Can I get one person to help me all day in the warehouse, either tomorrow or Friday? There are 206 people on this list ... let's hear from somebody new for a change. :)

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InfoAge is closed today
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

InfoAge is closed today due to the weather. Evan Koblentz Executive Director, Vintage Computer Federation evan(a)vcfed.org / (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org @vcfederation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Peter Cetinski 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

> On Feb 20, 2019, at 10:37 AM, Peter Fletcher via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000. > Nice! A Jay Miner tribute is classy.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Evan Koblentz 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

>> Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. My fault for not fully reading your exhibit registration. Dean told me last night. I need to update the webpage. Was going to reply to my own comment here but you beat me to it. On Wed, Feb 20, 2019, 10:38 AM Peter Fletcher via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. > Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all > be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the > Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental > in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000. > >

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Atari exhibit(s) at VCF East
by Peter Fletcher 20 Feb '19

20 Feb '19

Just wanted to let people know that the Atari Exhibit is a group effort. Dean Notarnicola, Bill Lange, Anthony Becker, Bill Winters and I will all be participating. We will be covering the 400/800 through to the Falcon030. We will also have a tribute to Jay Miner as he was instrumental in the creation of the 2600,400/800, as well as the Amiga 1000.

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