- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Stefany Allaire with 2 new talks at VCF East 2022
by Jeffrey Brace 05 Nov '21

05 Nov '21

Stefany will do two talks: 1) How does VICKY II works, the C256 Foenix Graphic Engine. Explanation on how I can have Bitmap/Tiles and Sprites together, plus some overlay. 2) The C256 Foenix Gen X ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Wanted for VCF East: IBM/Lexmark 1040150 ribbon
by Jameel Akari 04 Nov '21

04 Nov '21

If anyone has a spare good IBM/Lexmark/compatible 1040150 printer ribbon and is coming to VCF East, I could use it. I’m planning on bringing a Proprinter XL24 for the World Of IBM exhibit, but my ribbon is a little dodgy and the last-minute purchase options will all be too late. Alternately, if somebody sees that they can get one (or six) _definitely_ delivered to them Friday or Saturday AM and you’re coming to the show, let me know and I’ll buy them from you. Since we’re driving down Thursday night, I’d miss a delivery at home. Shoulda done this sooner, I know. — Jameel Akari

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Ted Nelson email archive now available
by Christian Liendo 04 Nov '21

04 Nov '21

I don't know if this is a duplicate, I apologize if everyone already knows about this. Ted Nelson email archive now available https://library.stanford.edu/blogs/special-collections-unbound/2021/06/ted-… Stanford Libraries’ Department of Special Collections is excited to announce that the email archive of Ted Nelson is now available to researchers. Theodor Holm "Ted" Nelson is an information technology pioneer and systems humanist who began his work in these areas in the 1960s. Nelson founded Project Xanadu, a global hypertext system designed to permanently connect different types of documents. He also coined the terms hypertext and hypermedia. The Ted Nelson email archive contains 236,779 messages related to Nelson’s life and work between 2001-2019, covering his more recent work. Correspondence related to many of Ted Nelson’s projects can be found in the collection, with emails and mailing lists discussing the ongoing work on Project Xanadu and ZigZag. The collection also contains correspondence with many other notable figures in the field of computer science including Douglas Engelbart, Steve Wozniak, Harry Mendell, and Laurie Spiegel, to name a few. One common thread found throughout Ted Nelson’s work seems to be a deep interest in how information is organized, related to other pieces of information, and presented to people who need to make sense of it. As an inventive thinker on matters related to information and technology, it should come as no surprise that Nelson wouldn’t be content to simply use his email account in the conventional way. His email account served many functions beyond communication: a note keeper, a log of daily activities (or “drungs,” a portmanteau of “daily” and “running” coined by Nelson), and a repository for important reference documents (search for “refx” to find these). Another interesting find in the collection are Nelson’s lists of abbreviations, which he also sent to himself for safe keeping. As an archivist, I often come across abbreviations when working with collections that I am not familiar with, especially if they are related to a very specific field or profession. However, none have been as unique as the abbreviations that I found in this collection. These are not the run of the mill abbreviations, rather they were created by Nelson and are highly specific to his experiences and activities. He would often include these abbreviations in his email subject headings as a means of classification and for terms that he wanted to be able to find easily in his email, he cleverly added an “x” to the end to avoid false positives in his search results. The Ted Nelson Email Archive is part of the larger Ted Nelson papers, which contains extensive physical and digital material related to Nelson’s life and work. A preview of the email collection is accessible on the ePADD Discovery website, and the full text is available in the Field Reading Room at Green Library. https://library.stanford.edu/blogs/special-collections-unbound/2021/06/ted-…

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[OT] To preview a bit.ly address add a '+' to the end
by Neil Cherry 03 Nov '21

03 Nov '21

Not sure other folks know about this: Can I preview a link before clicking on it? Bitly Accounts 1 year ago Updated If you aren't so sure about where a link will direct to, it is possible to preview the link before clicking on it. To do this, simply add a + sign to the end of any link in your browser. For example, for https://bit.ly/2MWEvOG just enterhttps://bit.ly/2MWEvOG+ into your browser and you'll be sent to a preview page for the link. I changed the bit.ly example to one that doesn't 404 (Army Times, Suicides up 20%). -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Anyone looking for a mid-level .net (remote) job
by Bob Flanders 03 Nov '21

03 Nov '21

Hi, My company is looking for a .net full stack developer. Anyone you know looking? Regards, Bob

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Testing
by Dan FitzGerald 03 Nov '21

03 Nov '21

This is a *test*, please /ignore/. -- Regards, Dan FitzGerald

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Repair workshop @ System Source Jan 29 & 30
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Nov '21

02 Nov '21

We will be having a January Repair Workshop at System Source. Signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wHIQ-T8EnZdNkUWN_f-rG2hApgCEDqwwdjn… <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__docs.google.com_spread…> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/338%0D%0A+Clubhouse+Road,+%0D%0A+Hunt%0D…> The Vintage Computer Federation and the System Source Computer Museum are hosting a vintage computer workshop on Saturday January 29th and Sunday January 30th 2022 at: System Source Computer Museum 338 Clubhouse Road, <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.google.com_maps_se…> Hunt Valley, MD <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.google.com_maps_se…> 21031 <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.google.com_maps_se…> Plenty of free parking, short walk from Baltimore’s light rail (Gilroy Road Stop) ON SATURDAY we will open at 9:00 AM and will lock up by 7:30 PM. ON SUNDAY: We will open at 9:00 AM and lock up at 5:00 PM *Accommodations:* Try https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g41196-Hunt_Valley_Maryland-Hotels.html <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.tripadvisor.com_Ho…> Feel free to talk with others about sharing a room. Food: There are plenty of restaurants within a short drive. We will have a catered Indian buffet on Saturday at cost ($12.00?) and catered Barbecue ($12.00?) on Sunday for those who are interested. We will feature tours of the museum throughout both days and several mini-workshops: · Retrobright workshop (bring your yellowed plastics) · Lots of New vintage computers from the DigiBarn Collection · Hot Metal Typesetting (3500 lb word processor)

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Mystery 1702A(?) EPROM Programmer
by Jonathan Chapman 01 Nov '21

01 Nov '21

Does anyone recognize this EPROM programmer: https://imgur.com/a/GcmefTl It appears to be for 1702A EPROMs. Working on cleaning it up and figuring it out! Thanks, Jonathan

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Repair Workshop @InfoAge January 8 & 9
by Jeffrey Brace 01 Nov '21

01 Nov '21

Signup for January 2022 Repair Workshop here: January 2022 Repair Workshop Signup Sheet <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dj0GoXICOE7G9IfGaPLRfJLagEiJkj5uqTR…> Spaces are first come first serve to the CDL space. Limited space available. Overflow space in 9032-A building. Sign up to guarantee a table!!! *DATES*: January 8 & 9, 2022 *LOCATIONS:* InfoAge: 2201 Marconi Road, Wall Township, NJ 1) Building 9059 (CDL Hackerspace - Formerly IXR) AND 2) Building 9032-A (Old workshop area in main building) TIME: Saturday START time == 10 A.M. END time == 11PM. Sunday START time == 10 A.M. and END == 5 P.M. *SIGNUP HERE!*: Signup sheet Click HERE! <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dj0GoXICOE7G9IfGaPLRfJLagEiJkj5uqTR…> Fask Masks are required for non vaccinated people. Vaccinated people have the option to wear masks or not. *COST:*- $15 per person, PER day. This money goes to InfoAge and CDL. - $25 per night for those wanting to stay overnight (Money goes to InfoAge). Please pay ME upon arrival. Cash or PayPal is acceptable as payment. Ask ahead of time if you need to use a credit card. *OVERNIGHT*: Bring your own pillow, blankets, soap etc. We provide a bed frame and an uncovered mattress. There are showers and a kitchen for your use. - You can pay via PayPal to paypal(a)vcfed.org. or to me via cash or credit card in person. *EQUIPMENT:* - VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. - Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords, and supplies etc. - If you need particular tools that you don't know or particular parts, please post to the list for those going. They may have what you need. Let them know ahead of time. - Let everyone know what project you are working on ahead of time to inspire collaboration. *DRINKS*: You should bring your own. We have a refrigerator in CDL to keep them cold. VCF will buy some water and soft drinks for member use. *FOOD*: *Saturday afternoon*: Pizza from Attilios (Tinton Falls) *Saturday Night Dinner at 7PM?*: Options: - Otto's Bar (845 W Park Ave, Ocean Township) - MJs (3205 Route 66, Neptune) - The Robinson Ale House (1200 Ocean Ave, Asbury Park) - Brick House Tavern and Tap (3655 NJ-66, Neptune Township) - Main Street Bar and Grill (735 Route 35, Ocean) - Any recommendations? Signup here for Saturday Dinner <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HfPqVcm8M5fX-YFXzcu8yXLmBjLAdsOk8mV…> *Sunday Morning*: Bagel order from Delicious Bagels Sign-up HERE <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LJZWBCAmhHoEPU4ImM5rG_fk5ilYA2uFje4…> *Sunday Afternoon*: Wawa GATE: Please close the gate behind you at all times. We want to discourage random strangers from wandering the campus during museum hours. PARKING: Park in the main parking lot, unless you are unloading. Don't park on the lawn. QUESTIONS? Contact Jeff Brace PHONE: (seven three two ) seven five nine - one seven eight three EMAIL: jeffrey AT vcfed.org Have fun everyone! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Repair workshops January 2022
by Jeffrey Brace 31 Oct '21

31 Oct '21

Two repair workshops for January: 1) @InfoAge: Jan 8 & 9 2) @System Source: Jan. 29 & 30 More info to follow!

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VCF East 2021 wrap-up
by Jeffrey Brace 30 Oct '21

30 Oct '21

Now that I have finished the cleanup and post mortem meetings for East and am mostly rested up and decompressing from the show. I want to thank all of the exhibitors for their great displays. The World of IBM was out of this world. Thanks to Adam and Dean for organizing it! And to all of the co-exhibitors that made a truly unique exhibit space when they took over all of 9032-A. I want to thank all the speakers (most of them not in this list) who were a fantastic lineup and hard to beat in subsequent years. All of the volunteers, especially the Sea Cadets who really filled in all the gaps for support. Every year I lack enough volunteers and end up doing a lot of the setup work and breakdown by myself along with a handful of volunteers. There were more volunteers at the setup and breakdown. I want to especially thank Bill Inderrieden, my right hand man who is there with me starting setup on Tuesday through Thursday during the show for immediate needs and the day after the show for breakdown and cleanup. Also Tony Bogan who helped find an electrician to install new quad boxes and helped where he could before, during and after the show even though he was busy with his boating business and could only be there sporadically. Dean and others who stayed afterwards with the cleanup. Everyone gave their best effort until their bodies said "no more!". The A/V was brought up to a whole new level with Ethan O’Toole, Andy Diller and crew. Such a fantastic upgrade from the amateurish and crude days where we had setup our personal cameras and just left them to record. These guys truly look like professionals with the lighting, OBS setup with multiple camera angles, slide view, etc. They even setup an overflow room in case we got full in the main room. Alex Jacocks did an awesome job in consignment which is a very tough job. We had expanded space there and sales were very heavy. Thanks so much for doing a great job there. You came days early to setup and really made consignment a great experience for everyone. Corey ran the front desk and did a great job of training all the new people volunteering there. Lots of changes and improvements there this time. Everyone seemed to notice how efficient and better the front desk was. I thank Drew for the awesome new program book design. It is a superior upgrade to previous years and people noticed. I want to thank Jeff Jonas for making the signs and all the last minute signs that I needed. I love all the stories that I heard and plan to tell them for years to come, especially how I somehow solved multiple emergencies in the days before the show to avoid disaster. I also love the story of how Thomas Cherryholmes solved his #Fujinet for Adam problem. That is a fun story! There are vintage computer angels looking out for us! And thank all those people who helped out in many ways behind the scenes and in every corner of the show where the volunteers couldn't be. Together we make this a festival where the vintage community comes together in fellowship and fun to make us all the better! Here's looking forward to VCF East 2022 which will be on April 22, 23, 24!

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First speaker for VCF East 2022!
by Jeffrey Brace 29 Oct '21

29 Oct '21

We have our first speaker! Margaret Morabito who recently wrote a book with Bil Herd called “Back Into the Storm”. She also published a book on using the Commodore 128 called “Vintage Commodore 128 Personal Computer Handbook: 2019 Survival Edition”. Years ago she was editor of RUN magazine, and she also designed and ran the Tutoring Center and the Q-Link Community College, as well as the Parent-Teacher Information Exchange. She later also ran the school on GEnie, Delphi, CompuServe, AppleLink, AOL, PCLink. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Heathkit trainer for M6800 at the consignment space
by Crawford Griffith 29 Oct '21

29 Oct '21

Gregg, Connor K. brought two m6800 trainers that I saw. I bought one of Connor’s, so the Heathkit trainer in the ‘sold/hold’ area of the consignment space may have been mine, or another one from Connor K. I do not recall who bought the other one, but someone sure did. The other one had some chips and wires neatly plugged into the breadboard - probably a class exercise. So, with Jeff S’s, there were at least 3 Heathkit trainers there. Now I wish I had a 6501 chip, then I could put it in my trainer, write a new monitor and have a frankentrainer. You know, for the kids. -Crawford

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Label Printer / Coder / Consignment?
by Ethan O'Toole 29 Oct '21

29 Oct '21

Heya, A fellow VCFer hooked me up with a ballin' thermal label printer. I was thinking... If someone could make an app that: 1. Consignment seller could plug in Item name, description, price - Could be done pre-event or on-site - Could be text based like a mainframe for that retro feel or webapp 2. Pile of thermal labels are printed with this info on site when attendee shows up. I think the 3" core direct thermal label rolls aren't terribly expensive - Could kick out a "seller" id card with a code as well for end tally Checkout: 1. Barcode read, item tally done, money tendered, etc 2. Maybe a dot matrix printer involved cause it sounds cool. Either for a receipt or sales transaction log. 3. Can print out end tally page Barcode readers act as keyboards usually with a tab or enter or whatever (configurable) so that part is easy. Could drive that side of it with a python/php/whatever script on a Pi. Text interface is probably easier. Thoughts?

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Heathkit trainer for M6800 at the consignment space
by Gregg Levine 28 Oct '21

28 Oct '21

Hello! Would anyone remember seeing that critter at the consignment space those three days? And who was selling it of course. It wasn't until I made my train to come back on the Sunday, that I remembered that I was interested in it.. What brought this up is an article on Hack-A-Day on the Heathkit revival space at the show. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."

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MOS 6501 in an Ohio Scientific 400 Board
by Jonathan Chapman 27 Oct '21

27 Oct '21

imgur album: https://imgur.com/a/8jIj1dS We built up an Ohio Scientific 400 board for a Motorola 6800, and then plugged in a MOS 6501 and got it running! Thanks, Jonathan

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED October 30 @ InfoAge
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Oct '21

25 Oct '21

Hello everyone, InfoAge now has FIOS and we need help to complete the upgrade to all the buildings. I will be there to help, but Martin from CDL needs volunteers to help with the completion of the upgrades. Martin will need help on October 30 starting at 10:30 AM and ending around 4:30PM with the following: - Running the fiber between 9059 and 9032. It is likely that we will be pulling the fiber for both the 9032A and the 9032D furnace rooms. - Drilling the hole in the Gift Shop floor for the network drop for the Credit card terminal (It's currently on WiFi, however it needs to be put on the wired network) - Running the network cables to the data recovery work area on the second floor of the hotel. Let's see if we can get him help on that day. We want this to be a team effort between CDL and VCF to benefit not only these two groups, but InfoAge as whole! Send me a message if you can volunteer that day. Thanks so much! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Ultimate Festivus 2021!!! December 11 & 12
by Jeffrey Brace 25 Oct '21

25 Oct '21

OK. Now that VCF East is over. It's time for all of us to take a break, relax and celebrate the year in vintage computing! We only had a virtual Festivus last year, so we have to make up for the "lost" year ;) START: Saturday, December 11 at 10AM END: Sunday, December 12 at 5PM ANNUAL VCF MA Town Hall: December 11 at 8PM FYI: The Steering Committee, myself and Corey will be making our annual VCF Mid-Atlantic Town Hall at 8PM to review what has been going on, and what our plans are and to answer any questions by members. WHERE: 9010-C = Cafeteria where we will eat and drink. 9010-C = Mini Festivus Swap Meet where we can buy and sell 9010-C = Game room across from cafeteria 9059 = Festivus Repair workshop COST: $20 per person covers the whole event $25 per person per night for overnight stay Buy tickets through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/festivus-2021-tickets-194874814817 If you want to pay at the door, then you also have that option. I can have the iPad ready to take cash or credit, etc. I will be doing the traditional burger and hot dog grilling outside. VCF will be buying soft drinks. Ian will be bringing his vintage video games. Everyone brings a food or beverage item. Here is the potluck signup sheet for food and drinks: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UtSrLUdnIcRjY3LErfukhYltF1oHno0V6Nk… Here is the buy/sell list for the mini swap meet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19jpgyvVoKaxAuUxQU-7_b3Grk9LWOQ6aAbQ… The swap meet rules are you bring your own table(s) and are responsible for selling things yourself. We will be using the same area that we used for consignment during VCF East. So in other words there is *plenty* of room. Festivus Repair workshop signup: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14C_OObkhtzCsA-LF7rzNhoagb3RovLDsXtB… For those of you who don't know what Festivus is: This is our annual party where we get together to strictly socialize. We eat, drink, and Be Nerdy! We play vintage video games. Last year we added our mini-swap meet where we buy and sell to each other. This was a success, so we are doing it again. New for this year: We will be having a Festivus repair workshop. There will also be the InfoAge Holiday Model Train show in the hotel and 9032-A buildings. The name Festivus has two origins: 1) It was taken from the title of a Seinfeld episode, 2) A variation of "Festival" which is our show (e.g. Vintage Computer *Festival*), whereas Festivus is our party. Any questions? Send me an e-mail. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Museum Report 2021-10-23 & 2021-10-24
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Oct '21

24 Oct '21

Deborah was the docent for the museum on 10/23/2021 had 15 high interest visitors. This is highly unusual, but most welcome. Perhaps the lasting effects of VCF East for those who heard about and couldn't make the show. Usually this time of year we get very few visitors and usually they are of low interest, but we have had increasing numbers of high interest visitors. It is expected that visitors will be high in December as the model train show will be coming in InfoAge again. Today I met a 17 year old who was an exhibitor at VCF West, who goes to school in Connecticut and has a massive interest in IBM computers. His family currently lives in Boca Raton and knows about a quarter century club where former (current?) IBMers meet to socialize. A second 17 year old came by and had a massive interest in mainframe computers and is interested in becoming Bill Dromgoole's Univac 1219 apprentice. This will benefit us a lot to have an additional person who knows about this machine and can operate and demo the machine. After docenting today, I went to the warehouse to organize the VCF East stuff so that it will be ready for Festivus and VCF East 2022 (April 22,23,24) That is all for now. Please drive through. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Research on Sphere company and Mike Wise's Talk at VCF West 1999
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Oct '21

24 Oct '21

Someone named Ben Zotto sent me an e-mail researching for information about the mid-70s Sphere company out of Utah. He is hoping that someone has audio or video of Mike Wise's talk at VCF West in 1999. If anyone has anything, please let me know and I will forward it to him. Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Volunteers requested for work in the hotel (second floor)
by Jeffrey Brace 24 Oct '21

24 Oct '21

Martin is requesting volunteers for next Saturday (Oct. 30) to assist with cable management in the building 9001 (the hotel). Volunteers need to be comfortable drilling 1/4" holes in masonry walls to set anchors to attach wiremold raceway. Some work on a ladder is required. This benefits VCF as well as InfoAge. If anyone is interested contact me or Martin: martin(a)infoage.org Thanks! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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hypertext tools from the 80s
by Herb Johnson 22 Oct '21

22 Oct '21

> > https://fibery.io/blog/hypertext-tools-from-the-80s/ > > An Interesting Follow up from to the Sunday VCF East 2021 'Ted' Talk. The author of the linked document, actually wrote it in April 2021, it's not strictly a follow up. The author makes a claim, that Xanadu was too ambitious, too hard, took the wrong ideas in the wrong direction. It picks a known winner, and sets that as the target. Unfortunately, that's a typical mistake to make in retrospective history. That's blaming the past, for not being the future yet. Then asking "why didn't those losers look forward and be like what won?" Hindsight is easy. Maybe - because the resources available in the future, *weren't available in the past*? Maybe - the vision that won, simply matched what was possible and available at the time? I could spell out, what was available in 1991 (the Netscape/WWW/HTML era). And what was / was not available in the 1980's when Project Xanadu was working in Ann Arbor MI. But it's just too long to detail. I'll just have to say - Xanadu in the 80's didn't have the PC hardware or software or graphics of 1991 PC's. (Even Windows became productive by 1991.) Or high speed dialup modems. Or a just-released private access to "DARPAnet". Or millions of PC users who already were doing desktop publishing, graphic documents, business data processing and content (spreadsheets). Or who were calling up BBS's at night to exchange PC programs, or calling COmpuserve to post in discussion groups. Universities, their content, their servers and networking, that was also a resource for early Internet-ing. So: Netscape glued that all together, into a browser on a PC under Windows, onto a network, with graphics. The networking, connected all that content (initially from university computers), by fast dialup, under graphical-mouse control. Netscape needed ALL of that, to work on 1991 technology. And: most of that was "free" (or already paid for, or newly available like that Arpanet, or part of your monthly phone bill). That's how a "killer app" works. It glues things together, to make a new service or product, that sells like crazy. But it can't happen, until it's about to happen, until everything else is ready. As for Xanadu? almost NONE of that technology I just described - hardware or software or networking or graphics or storage or memory - was commonly available in the 1980's. What was available, was expensive. Most people reading this list, can look at their own shelves, or memories, for what was available then. So: The world wasn't ready, and then it was ready. --------------------------------- As for the argument that "Xanadu was too ambitious". The interesting thing I got from Ted Nelson's VCFed talk, was that Netscape and its kin, some "wysiwyg" systems prior to it, actually watered down what a "hypertext" version of *traditional* paper publishing could have been. They reduced it to something that looked simple: a single column of text, a static page. ".. what you get *when you print a page on paper*", Ted pointed out. Ted envisioned interactive screens, on his first view of a *terminal in the 1960's*. It wasn't what he wanted; it was his vision of what could be. So the counter argument to "Xanadu was too ambitious" is, "Netscape wasn't ambitious enough; but it was implementable on the available technology". The bad news, says Ted Nelson, is that the 1991 implementation became the standard; and now we are stuck with it, and it's become normalized. It's an interesting observation. It suggests to me: What can we learn from computing *before* Netscape? Or even about information, before computers? The past, as a learning opportunity today. Regards, Herb Johnson -- 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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VCF East 2022 Dates
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Oct '21

21 Oct '21

We're thinking about moving the date for VCF East 2022 one week earlier to April 22,23,24. Here is our reasoning why these are better dates: 1) Our teachers, including Jeff and Adam, don’t need to take extra days off work (unpaid) for setup because it is spring break and many schools are closed. 2) Children can come to classes on Friday because most schools are closed for spring break. Tony and Adam will be setting up the Apple 2 classroom and many schools have spring break so we hope more kids will attend. 3) InfoAge has another event the same weekend and we don't want to interfere. 4) It does not conflict with Easter and most who celebrate Passover. 5) Hotel rates are lower than the Shore Season. -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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hypertext tools from the 80s
by Andrew Diller 21 Oct '21

21 Oct '21

Link: https://fibery.io/blog/hypertext-tools-from-the-80s/ An Interesting Follow up from to the Sunday VCF East 2021 'Ted' Talk. Interesting read about Hypertext systems and how much we still don't have today in terms of functionality. Contrained systems led to more focused software IMHO. Also how some of these must have informed the generation of the modern web. -andy

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Large format scanner
by Mike Loewen 20 Oct '21

20 Oct '21

I have a pile of schematics and logic diagrams to be scanned, measuring 17" by up to 36" long, double-sided. Does anyone around PA, MD, VA, OH, NY, NJ have a scanner that could handle it? I'm willing to do the manual labor part, just need access to the scanner. These are training materials from the SAGE Air Defense system, and are the only ones known to exist in the wild. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Now that VCF East is on our back of list of events, what is next?
by Gregg Levine 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

Hello! So now we've done VCF East and it was amazing. (And yes good to see even new people.) What is happening next? The people on Hack A Day are urgently looking forward to the next Swap Meet. And even though I am still space starved, so am I. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."

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Tomczyk Interview
by Andrew Diller 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

Michael Tomczyk: Commodore VIC-20 Developer, Computer Pioneer - a nice article apparently resulting from an interview of Mr. Tomczyk at VCF East 2021. His keynote was a hit with a packed room. Look for it soon up on the VCF YouTube channel... Meanwhile: https://talesfromthecollection.com/2021/10/19/michael-tomczyk-commodore/ <https://talesfromthecollection.com/2021/10/19/michael-tomczyk-commodore/> -andy

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Hackaday Article on VCFE 2021
by Andrew Diller 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

https://hackaday.com/2021/10/19/vcf-east-roars-back-to-life/ <https://hackaday.com/2021/10/19/vcf-east-roars-back-to-life/> VCF East Roars Back To Life

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Compaq LTE 5280 5300 - Requesting assistance
by Russell LeChard 19 Oct '21

19 Oct '21

Good Evening VCF East, I'm new to this group(but not to IT in general [30 years experience ]) I love vintage computers. I'm also in the process of restoring several vintage notebooks. Two in particular are Compaq LTE 5280 and 5300 models. Both have moderate problems. The 5280 is the better model. I'm trying to salvage parts from both to make one good system. I need to replace the Multifunction bay(Floppy/CD-ROM), hard drive bay, and battery bay from the 5280 with the floppy, hard drive, and battery from the 5300. Here is my problem, I'm unable to eject these components from the bays in the 5280. The release buttons seem to be locked and won't slide all the way forward. There are supposedly locking screw holes on the bottom of the unit, but there are no screws in them( they were already missing when I obtained them second hand.) I'm very much stuck! LOL I also have Cerebral Palsy with mobility and dexterity issues (I have one good arm/hand to work with. This makes the disassembly of this notebook even more problematic. This system will be for myself for early/mid 90's DOS games BTW. I spoke to another VCF East member and they suggested I send a message out to the group with this request. I'm in the Toms River, NJ area and I'd even be willing to discuss reasonable compensation(or a trade for other vintage systems( I have others and vintage spare parts)) for someone with the expertise in the Compaq LTE 5000 series for their time and effort. Let me know. Thank you in advance. Take Care, Russell LeChard

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Hackaday article hitting the site tomorrow
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

Tom Nardi of Hackaday said that his article on VCF East will be hitting the site tomorrow. He seemed pretty impressed with the changes that we made with the show this time. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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Large format scanner
by Herb Johnson 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

> scanning 17 X 34 inch schematics and documents > 1) take them to a copy shop ask if they have any copyright restrictions. I've had occasions where a copy shop said "we can't copy materials that have a copyright". They won't tell you that, if they provide a self-serve copier. But I've seen notices on the copiers that "prohibit" copying copyrighted materials. And generally large-format scanners aren't available for public use. Please don't give me a hard time about this. I am reporting a experience, not asking for a lecture on the subject of copyright, nor giving one. And it may be, this experience doesn't occur anymore, or only at national-brand copy services. > 1a) copy-service costs rather high Ask for donations from people who will benefit. Some people reject this idea outright, it seems like begging or pleading poverty, or some kind of evil capitalism. No, no, and no. People who benefit, sometimes like to show their support and gratitude. If this is wrong, why is gofundme "right"? > 2) take a photo It's hard to illuminate a document evenly. Keep in mind: a scanner moves the same light across the entire document. It even self-adjusts for uniformity. Scanners are very smart. A digital camera will *highlight* any change in illumination. and it needs to know the "color" (kind) of illumination (sun, cloud, incandescent, etc.) If you use a single-source (a light bulb), it won't work, parts of the document are different distances away. *Try it with a newspaper.* You might wait for a lightly cloudy day - then the sunlight is diffused uniformly. And set your camera for "cloudy" to get the color right. You might have to use a longer exposure; that means you have to physically mount the camera so it doesn't shake in your hands. And set your camera for the largest-sized images. again, try it with a newspaper to see if you can get away with this. People today are so used to smart-phone cameras, many don't have the old digital-camera experiences I'm talking about, like using natural light, worrying about light-source color/temperature, etc. People who take lots of photos, set up light-boxes and diffusers and all that stuff. All that said: maybe some high-end smartphones & cameras can do some "auto-stitch" thing or "panorama" thing, and get a big image, AND do so at 300 DPI or better detail that documents need. > 3) scan pieces and stitch together with software This works reasonably well, if you are familiar with a image application. I use an ancient version of Paint Shop Pro. I won't describe the details (read the documentation) but it amounts to pasting the cuts into same-pixel-size cutouts, and then moving the current paste to overlap exactly the previous-cut's edge features. With practice it works pretty well. Regards, Herb Johnson -- 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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WTB: XYlogics 472 Pertec Controller or Multibus to VME Adapter
by Jonathan Chapman 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

All, I'm in search of either an XYlogics 472 in the Sun Multibus to VME adapter, or just a Multibus to VME adapter (can get the bare XYlogics boards). I'd prefer the Sun 501-1155 assembly since it has the right back panel connectors, but either way is better than neither way :) Thanks, Jonathan

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Another VCF East video by the TechKnight
by Christian Liendo 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

https://youtu.be/nUEeuwBGLt4

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WTB/WTT: Asante Mini EN/SC with PowerBook Cable for Full Size
by Jonathan Chapman 15 Oct '21

15 Oct '21

All, I've got an Asante Mini EN/SC with PowerBook cable that I'd like to trade for the full-size EN/SC. Turns out you need the special cable even if you're using regular SCSI, and I don't have that one (stacking DB25 on one end, DB25M on the other). I've tested the Mini EN/SC with TangentDelta's PowerBook 180 and it works fine there, so it's definitely just a cabling issue. I'd like to trade it for a full-size EN/SC, or alternately buy an EN/SC as I may have someone interested in buying the Mini EN/SC for their PowerBook. Thanks, Jonathan

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100Mhz 6502
by Christian Liendo 13 Oct '21

13 Oct '21

http://www.e-basteln.de/computing/65f02/65f02/ The 100 MHz 6502 The 6502 was the CPU in my first computer (an Apple II plus), as well as many other popular home computers of the late 1970s and 80s. It lived on well into the 1990s in game consoles and chess computers, mostly in its updated “65C02” CMOS version. Here’s a re-implementation of the 65C02 in an FPGA, in a pin-compatible format that lets you upgrade those old computers and games to 100 MHz clock rate! Supported host systems Chess computers We have focused on Mephisto chess computers first, since these are at the center of Roland’s collector’s interest. But many others are on the wishlist, including Fidelity (Elite A/S Budapest and Glasgow, Prestige, Avantgarde), Novag (Super Constellation, Super Expert C), SciSys (Turbostar), … Mephisto MM II and B&P Mephisto MM IV, MM V, Rebel Portoroz (MM X) Mephisto Polgar Mephisto Milano and Nigel Short Mephisto Rebell 5.0 Novag Constellation Forte A/B Chafitz ARB (various Sargon versions) and MGS Microcomputers So far, we are supporting the two 6502-based members of the classic 1977 “Trinity” of home computers – the Apple II and the Commodore PET series. It may be possible and worthwhile to also support some slightly later machines: The Acorn BBC Micro, Atari 400 and 800, and maybe the Commodore C64 come to mind. I don’t have any of these computers though. Please contact me if you are interested to help with an adaptation of the 65F02! Apple II, including the II plus and europlus, and presumably the //e. Quite a bit of hardware and software trickery by Steve Wozniak, and the older models do not support a real 65C02 – but the 65F02 is a bit more generous in its bus timing and works nicely. The Disk II floppy drive works nicely under DOS 3.3; support for the language card is under development. Commodore PET/CBM up to 8032. A very clean and “by the book” design. The same memory map should work for all models from the PET 2001, the 3000 and 4000 series, and the 8000 series up to the 8032. (But excluding the 8096 and beyond, which require memory bank switching.) So far we have tested this on the 8032 only; the 8050 floppy drive works. A caveat is in order here. The home computers, with their flexibility and expandability on both the hardware and software side, are bound to encounter limitations and incompatibilities: Memory expansion boards and bank switching need to be known to and emulated by the 65F02; and since the 65F02 only has 64 kByte of RAM on board, it cannot fully accelerate the extended memory. Also, while the 65F02 makes an effort to detect the access to time-critical peripheral devices, and switch back to the original slow speed temporarily, there will probably be incompatible software or add-on hardware. And finally, some software you simply don’t want to be accelerated – try an action video game at 100 MHz to understand that concern… The 65F02 supports an optional hardware switch to disable the acceleration. This way, one can still select between accelerated operation and original speed before one starts the host computer. In non-accelerated mode, the 65F02 should be fully compatible with any software or add-on hardware. (Well; unless the software uses undocumented 6502 opcodes…

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WTB/WTT: Intel MDS-800
by Jonathan Chapman 12 Oct '21

12 Oct '21

All, I recently picked up an ICE-85 in-circuit emulator from Jack Rubin (thanks Ian and Connor for ferrying it back!). I thought that the stuff it came with included a Prompt-80 as a controller, but it does not: there's an unrelated Prompt-48 board in the boxes. The ICE-85 came with ISIS control software on 8" diskette. So I guess I'm in the market for an Intel MDS-800. Good luck, right? :P Thanks, Jonathan

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Atari ST in daily use since 1985
by Bruce 12 Oct '21

12 Oct '21

I thought this might interest you folks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LxPEz9x2fs&t=227s Bruce NJ

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VCF East Videos so far
by Christian Liendo 11 Oct '21

11 Oct '21

Mike's Mac Shack VCF East 2021 in Wall, NJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inqZWHtVFu0 Douglas Crawford https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpiYfPzzwYE DRGUILLOTINE VCFEAST 2021 Jeff Brace Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oip0C_oAlh4 DRGUILLOTINE Bil Herd Commodore Engineer and Designer of C128 and More https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8zqJITN4Qc

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OT / Change of Plans
by Martin Flynn 09 Oct '21

09 Oct '21

InfoAge has rented out the planned work locations (9032A, 9001 Dining Room, and the lounge) on the 30th. Unless something changes, we will be defering the outside fiber work, , rack deployment, and WIFI install in 9032A until after Christmas due to other scheduling conflicts. Martin A Flynn / W2RWJ Computer Deconstruction Laboratory 2201 Marconi Road Wall Township, NJ 07719 Tel: +01 732-456-5001 Email: martin.flynn(a)compdecon.org Online: www.compdecon.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compdecon/

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Consignment
by Sentrytv 09 Oct '21

09 Oct '21

message for Alex jacocks I sent an email to you last night via a private email address but I didn’t get a response yet I’m trying to get into consign for this morning please get back to me. Mike Rosen Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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I’m somebody now (we made Hackaday!)
by Neil Cherry 08 Oct '21

08 Oct '21

https://hackaday.com/2021/10/06/vintage-computer-festival-east-reboots-this… Cool we made Hackaday. :-) Jeff a few questions, where should event staff park? https://infoage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TourMap_16x20_self-download.… -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry(a)linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies

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Consignment space table with no owner?
by Sentrytv 08 Oct '21

08 Oct '21

There is a consignment space table, one of the round tables , that has a bunch of PC parts and wondering if there is any owner? Or is this free stuff? I had Alex put some items aside for me. Alex has inquired but nobody has responded. Mike R Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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Apple IIgs monitor for sale at VCF East
by Abraham Moller 08 Oct '21

08 Oct '21

Hi all! Thanks for accepting me to the mailing list! I am excited for this year's VCF East but I won't be able to make it. I just wanted to check if anyone attending is going to sell an Apple IIgs, especially an Apple IIgs monitor (more especially one NIB), for a friend of mine who wants to buy it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Honestly I think he should have gone to Computer Reset to find one, haha. Jon

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Free Empty IC Tubes
by Jonathan Chapman 07 Oct '21

07 Oct '21

All, We'll have two boxes of mixed empty IC tubes available at the CDL hackerspace. Most are recent production (not yellowed and brittle) and almost all have end plugs. Thanks, Jonathan

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Live Streaming during VCF East 2021
by Jeffrey Brace 06 Oct '21

06 Oct '21

Due to the unforeseen circumstances of our planned upgrade from cable modem to FIOS availability, VCF East 2021 live video streaming will be offered for *free* on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/VintageComputerFederation501c3 We will stream most, but not all of the speakers and classes live during the show-- however the bandwidth limits may impact their quality. Your mileage may vary. We ask that you consider donating to the Vintage Computer Federation. These funds will help us continue our work of preserving and sharing computer history. It will also enable us to improve our infrastructure so we can offer high quality video streaming in the near future, among other awesome improvements to our facilities. You can send donations to paypal(a)vcfed.org or a check to our mailing address: P.O. Box 417, Eatontown, NJ 07724 Discord will be available for live discussion during the streams. Here is our server invitation: https://discord.gg/32maJ6gddU For the 2022 show we will have more bandwidth and be able to offer a more advanced selection of options. ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Macs for sale
by Mike Loewen 05 Oct '21

05 Oct '21

A friend of mine has a couple of older Macs for sale, which I would be willing to bring to VCF East: http://q7.neurotica.com/Macs/ Mac 512K M0001W w/keyboard and mouse Mac Classic M0420 w/keyboard and mouse Imagewriter A9M0303 Both systems are working: "both computers booted up.....smiley faces and all." The Imagewriter advances paper, but the ribbon is dried up. I have a box of 6 Nukote BM160 ribbons for the Imagewriter, NIB: $10 for the box. I'll be taking offers for this equipment up until 5:00 on Thursday, October 7th. Minimum offer for each system is $100, and $25 for the Imagewriter. Please send your offers to me off-list. No shipping. Delivery at VCF East or pick up in State College, PA. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED October 30 @ InfoAge
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Hello everyone, InfoAge is getting FIOS soon and we need help to complete the upgrade from cable modem to FIOS. I will be there to help, but Martin from CDL needs volunteers to help with the completion of the upgrades. Martin will need help on October 30 starting at 10AM with the following: - Running the fiber between 9059 and 9032. It is likely that we will be pulling the fiber for both the 9032A and the 9032D furnace rooms. - Drilling the hole in the Gift Shop floor for the network drop for the Credit card terminal (It's currently on WiFi, however it needs to be put on the wired network) - Running the network cables to the data recovery work area on the second floor of the hotel. Let's see if we can get him help on that day. We want this to be a team effort between CDL and VCF to benefit not only these two groups, but InfoAge as whole! ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Kennett Classic Wrap Up
by Bill Degnan 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Interesting comment. On Mon, Oct 4, 2021 at 1:30 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Referencing the picture of the > “APPLE II with the (big heavy) Sony monitor“ sitting on top. > > Who in their right mind would do that? > > Mike R. > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > > > On Oct 4, 2021, at 12:42 PM, Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > I'm so glad that this went well, and gutted that I couldn't make it. > > > > - Alex > > > >> On Mon, Oct 4, 2021 at 10:27 AM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > >> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > >> > >> For those not on the KC mailing list, here is a brief wrap up from last > >> week's event > >> > >> http://kennettclassic.com/comms/LocalKC20211001.html > >> > >> Thank you > >> > >> Bill > >> > >

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Kennett Classic Wrap Up
by Bill Degnan 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

For those not on the KC mailing list, here is a brief wrap up from last week's event http://kennettclassic.com/comms/LocalKC20211001.html Thank you Bill

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VersaWriter
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Hey everyone, One of our exhibitors looking for VersaWriter to pay tribute to the the early days of Sierra where Ken and Roberta Williams used this to help make their early games. Does anyone have this? Thanks! Jeff -- ========================================= Jeff Brace Vice President & Board Member Vintage Computer Festival East Show-runner Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity http://www.vcfed.org/ jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

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