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Museum Report 2021-06-23
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

About a dozen visitors today, which means that summer visitors have begun. Normally there are very few visitors on Wednesdays, but in the summer we get a decent number. The first two visitors were an older couple and their grandson from Florida. He specified to his grandfather that at the top of his list of things to do was to come visit our museum. He was a finance major, but had learned to program in the "R programming language". I had never heard of this, but in any case I explained to him how computers worked, and the history of computers. He was fascinated. He stayed about 2 hours and I had him try some BASIC programming. He loved it! There was another visitor who was Bulgarian and recognized the Apple 2 clone that we had in the museum. She actually knew what it was and where it was manufactured and some history. Her son tried out some BASIC programming on it and stayed for over an hour. There were some other visitors who spent about 40 minutes there, but it became hard to help everyone with three groups of highly interested people. There were 3 last minute visitors, but the girl really liked that most of our computers were hands on because many museums don't allow that. She really enjoyed using them. Overall a good day at the museum. ========================================= 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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Ampex Computer
by Douglas Crawford 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

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Homebrew Computer Systems from Bob the donor
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

>From "Bob the donor": "{FirstComputerAssembled.jpg} is what it looked like in working order, not just the box of parts I sent with bernie. The rocker switches were for entering the boot-loader for the cassette interface, which used a 565 PLL to convert the FSK audio to bits for the UART. IIRC, it used the same tones as were used on the ham bands for TeleType chats (because I also did that). {FirstComputerCircuitBoardsTop.jpg} This was my first computer because I was introduced to the MOS Tech 6502 in 1975 and thot it was Really Neat. That IC cost me $25 back then; it's the 40 pin white ceramic item on the 'middle' board. The half board, far left, is the cassette interface. To its right is the memory board (note the 2102s, partially installed at this point). There was only 2 KB of RAM, both because of the price and also my rather small programs. Various 'glue bugs' are below the RAM and on the next-right board with the processor. Below the uP are parallel interface ICs and the UART. The rightmost board is the video generator, which used a character-generator IC (the largest bug). It required another 2 KB of 2102s, used in two banks that alternated access, because they were so slow. IIRC, the display was 32 lines of 64 characters. I later removed this part, added a UART and powersupply so it worked as a standalone video display. That was in the box of parts, and should still produce serial-to-text. {FirstComputerCircuitBoardWiring.jpg} Is pretty self-explanatory. A mouse would be right at home! I added a few more wires every evening after it was too dark to continue finishing the house construction. Entering the boot-loader every time quickly became a bother so I soon added some NiCads and a small secondary powersupply to keep the main 2KB alive. It was quite a project for how little I did with it; a word processor that could output thru a Model 19 TTY, and also display ham RTTY when I didnt want the noise of the 19. It turned out that I was far more interested in building than in coding, which is why this computer didnt last and you got only a box of some parts of it. The computer in the metal case is an Apple 2 clone board. As you've discovered, I had to 'bend' the board to make it fit the neat enclosure. The price of Apple (or any) 5.25" drives was high, which is why I 'went hardware' again and installed an 8-Track drive and circuitry to make use of it. A larger pulley on the motor provided a faster tape speed (probably around 8 or 9 ips, but I dont remember exactly), dual UARTS read/write to the stereo head (writing square waves at this speed required something like 45 volts IIRC). This required special code, which was in the battery-backed CMOS RAMs that replaced the original Apple ROMs. I copied the useful parts of those ROMS into the RAM so the computer still behaved like an A-2, but my code and the 8-track 'imaged' the RAM and system state, then restore it all on demand. No doubt the battery is long dead from decades in storage, so it's all junk now. As bernie and I were loading it into his car, I noticed the back-panel connector for a paper-tape drive. I no longer have that or I would have included it. So far, I have not found any code listings or diagrams, but will forward anything that turns up." Here are the pictures folder for anyone interested with the new pictures added: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DhjdsPnDN9s5vkCTalxUilHZGvctiVtt?us… ========================================= 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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Bernie S paid a visit!
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

Bernie S paid a visit on May 16 at the very end of our repair workshop. He had brought some items for Dmitry. One thing was a custom built 6502 system with all sorts of wires. Another one was a custom built Apple // clone. Very interesting to see all these items. Sorry this is so late, but I've been busy planning for VCF East. Here are some pictures of the items: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DhjdsPnDN9s5vkCTalxUilHZGvctiVtt?us… ========================================= 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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Saw this and thought this list is exactly the target audience.
by Mark Whittington 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

[image: image.png] Not sure how the list handles embeds, so here's a link: https://imgur.com/a/gsSGV1a

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Laserdisk transfer to digital?
by Dave McGuire 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

Frequently this is not the case, though, and it's not the case here. Matt is a professional video archivist; he wrote the book on this. -Dave On June 21, 2021 3:45:45 PM Sentrytv via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > ---------- > Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Laserdisk transfer to digital? > From: Sentrytv sentrytv(a)yahoo.com > Date: Jun 21, 3:45 PM > To: vcf-midatlantic vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org > > As usual, there is a complicated answer and way to do things > and > there is a simple answer and way to do things. > > Somewhere in between is the correct way to do this. > > JM2C > > Sent from: > My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > >> On Jun 21, 2021, at 1:03 PM, Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Since Matt has offered, and he has the expertise, I think that we should >> have him do it. >> >> If you want, at the Baltimore workshop, bring the LDs and, and I will bring >> them to Matt, in Pittsburgh. >> >> - Alex >> >>> On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 4:30 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < >>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>> >>> On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 4:23 PM Jeff Salzman via vcf-midatlantic < >>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>> >>>> I have a laserdisc player, time base corrector, and video capture card. >>> How >>>> soon does this need done? >>> >>> There is no rush for this, but I would like someone to work on it steadily >>> so that it doesn't get forgotten. >>> A player was donated, but don't know if it works or if it is better or >>> worse than your player. I will leave that up to you. >>> Alex Jaccocks has offered to do this, but maybe both of you can figure out >>> between you two who wants to do it or collaborate. >>> >>> >>>> >>>> Jeff Salzman >>>> >>>> On Sun, Jun 20, 2021, 3:23 PM Dean Notarnicola via vcf-midatlantic < >>>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>>> >>>>> So called “Video Game Enhancers” are simple time-base correctors and >>> will >>>>> remove Macrovision. >>>>> >>>>> On Sun, Jun 20, 2021 at 3:07 PM Wil Birkmaier via vcf-midatlantic < >>>>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Laserdisc has a few different formats: all analogue, analogue video >>>> with >>>>>> mono analogue audio and digital audio, or analogue video with all >>>> digital >>>>>> audio. >>>>>> >>>>>> They key to a good capture these days is to get the best composite >>>> video >>>>>> converter you can find as the video is stored like a vinyl record, as >>>> an >>>>>> analogue composite video stream. So yes using the svideo on some of >>> the >>>>>> newer players, the conversion of composite to svideo is still not the >>>>> best. >>>>>> I need to find a link to a decent converter to 720p I have been using >>>>> with >>>>>> vhs and am happy with. >>>>>> >>>>>> On Jun 20, 2021 14:45, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < >>>>>> vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> Does anyone know if it is possible to transfer laserdisks to a modern >>>>>> digital format? There are 16 laserdisks recently donated that have C >>>>>> programming training from 1984, which was part of a UNIX and C >>>>>> training program. The reason for the transfer is that we don't know >>> how >>>>>> rare these disks are nor how long laserdisk will last. >>>>>> >>>>>> There are 16 laserdisks as well as supplemental floppy disks and some >>>>>> paper >>>>>> manuals. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ========================================= >>>>>> 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 -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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IBM and RCA computing video
by W2HX 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

After some telephone switchboard stuff, lots of shots of IBM and RCA computers in this pentagon data center video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8hLqpigv1g 73 Eugene W2HX

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Dean Notarnicola 21 Jun '21

21 Jun '21

Thanks! I was only able to locate it on Amazon using the full string ‘Vintage Computer Federation’. This is the way it is listed on the IRS website. On Mon, Jun 21, 2021 at 10:40 AM Jonathan Sturges via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > A quick note to anyone changing their Smile charity to VCF. I couldn't > get smile.amazon.com to locate VCF by any name-based searching I tried, > but using the tax ID # (47-4133714) works. > > -Jonathan > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Jonathan Sturges 21 Jun '21

21 Jun '21

A quick note to anyone changing their Smile charity to VCF. I couldn't get smile.amazon.com to locate VCF by any name-based searching I tried, but using the tax ID # (47-4133714) works. -Jonathan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

The $32.71 is from everyone for the quarter of the year. Jan. 1 to Mar 31, 2021. On Sat, Jun 19, 2021 at 9:45 AM David Hayden via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > "This is my Amazon Smile donation to VCF for this quarter ?" > > That's what they want you to think. But the fine print shows something > different: > > "... the amount of $32.71 as a result of qualifying purchases made by you > AND OTHER CUSTOMERS who have selected this charity" > > While your purchases certainly help, they don't help as much as you might > think. > > Dave > > -- ========================================= 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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VCF East 2022 Dates: April 29, 30, May 1
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

So the dates for VCF East 2022 will be April 29, 30, May 1. We are returning to our usual time of the year for the show. I'm planning on always doing the show the last weekend of April, unless there is a major reason that we can't (NJ Marathon that same weekend which causes all the hotels in the area to be booked up). My reasoning is that May is a busy month with holidays and events. April has Easter, Passover, Palm Sunday always changing their dates, so the last weekend of April will never conflict with these holidays. Also we want to give us the best shot at "better" weather. Also May starts the summer shore season and the hotel rates go up and availability goes down. Since VCF East 2021 will be 6 months before VCF East 2022, I am reserving the date and doing some pre-planning for that date. After East 2021 is done, then I will have to right away start planning for East 2022. So I will be doing what I can ahead of time. I'm brainstorming the theme for the 2022 show, and will announce it later. I know that there are some important anniversaries like the 40th of the C64 and others. I will try to get speakers around that, but the overall theme will be as generalized as possible. If anyone has any suggestions, then I'm open to them. ========================================= 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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past, present and future
by Herb Johnson 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

> [ a future VCFed exhibit on] PC Transporter for the Apple > //e. I will also be able to show demos of Ted Nelson's JOT and Jef > Raskin's SWYFT systems for anyone interested. Sounds good to me. I'm familiar with some of Ted Nelson's work. I never saw JOT in action. Raskin, I"ve heard of. Not sure what the Apple product has to do with either person's interests. I'm over 60 by the way, so these are contemporary to me. > The potential uses for them I see in the > decentralized internet space (which is already being crowded out by > corporate interests). I am not aware of "decentralized internet". I did a Web search, and it seems to be something that MIT people are looking at for grants and funding (and businesses and IPO's). As in: https://dci.mit.edu/decentralizedweb That does not strike me, as a vintage computing subject. I'm not in charge of those judgements, but I think it's a fair call to make. If MIT is talking up half a dozen start-ups to supersede the modern Internet, it's not "vintage". I have no clue about such stuff, myself. And I'd suggest, a lot of my vintage computing colleagues won't know either. I don't think this should lead to a thread of explanation. As you said, "contact you privately". I myself think that would be off-topic. I used a search engine to learn more; so can others. But you know: vintage computing things, don't *have to be* potentially usable today. They have their own time and place where they were (or weren't) in use. They should be considered in their context. Vintage things, often are simpler and more approachable. More familiar to those of that time; and static so they can be examined by people of after that time. This is something I know about. Still, my opinions. But to see old stuff in use today, is kinda fun, if that's reasonable. To that extent, I have a "different opinion", which you asked about. 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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Prop rentals, another way VCF raises money
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

So VCF just rented out a NeXT computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse to a TV show fo Apple TV+. The show will be called Ripple Effects. It is still in production, but you can see some info about the show here: https://screenmag.com/elisabeth-moss-series-chooses-chicago-leonardo-dicapr… Our computer will appear in a scene with another NeXT computer. ========================================= 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] Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Gregg Levine 19 Jun '21

19 Jun '21

Hello! It's a big rabbit hole. That's the same amount that shows on mine. (Not at this address) So far I've gone and left the setting, and so far everything that gets bought by me from Amazon goes that way. So... It could be anyone else who has gone ahead and done so. ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8(a)gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again." On Sat, Jun 19, 2021 at 9:45 AM David Hayden via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > "This is my Amazon Smile donation to VCF for this quarter ?" > > That's what they want you to think. But the fine print shows something different: > > "... the amount of $32.71 as a result of qualifying purchases made by you AND OTHER CUSTOMERS who have selected this charity" > > While your purchases certainly help, they don't help as much as you might think. > > Dave >

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RE: Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by David Hayden 19 Jun '21

19 Jun '21

"This is my Amazon Smile donation to VCF for this quarter ?" That's what they want you to think. But the fine print shows something different: "... the amount of $32.71 as a result of qualifying purchases made by you AND OTHER CUSTOMERS who have selected this charity" While your purchases certainly help, they don't help as much as you might think. Dave

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past, present and future
by Jeffrey Jonas 19 Jun '21

19 Jun '21

I hope the URLs weren't munged by the cut-and-paste 1) https://spectrum.ieee.org/video/geek-life/profiles/extended-directors-cut-t… Extended Director's Cut: Ted Nelson on What Modern Programmers Can Learn From the Past The inventor of hypertext talks about the birth of personal computing, the web, and how to think beyond the currently possible Editors Note: Due to popular demand, we're releasing this extended version of our interview with Ted Nelson, in which he talks about the work of Douglas Englebart, and in more detail about the origins of Xanadu, and how he views programs as art. … Back in the summer of 2016, Nelson was a keynote speaker at Vintage Computing Festival East in New Jersey and IEEE Spectrum had the chance to interview him off-stage. 2) computer history as of 1978 https://ia802603.us.archive.org/28/items/byte-magazine-1978-07-rescan/1978_… July 1978 Byte: pg 48: ANTIQUE MECHANICAL COMPUTERS, Part 1: Early Automata History-Williams pg 64: The First Ten Years of Amateur Computing, by Sol Libes pg 84: A SHORT HISTORY OF COMPUTING History-Reid-Green pg 124: HOW TO CHOOSE A MICROPROCESSOR Architecture-Frenzel 3) compatibility is good, incompatibility is okay too The "how to choose a microprocessor" article noted that the Z80 succeeded by being 8008/8080 code compatible, thus capitalizing on the pre-existing code base. Being "PC compatible" was essential for years, thus the intel/AMD duopoly and the reason the intel Itanium failed. But ARM started to erode that, and now Apple Silicon: https://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/the-mac-is-selling-l… The Mac Is Selling Like Never Before Thanks to the M1 Chip Apple's homegrown chip fulfills Steve Jobs' whole widget design philosophy

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] FW: Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Tony Bogan 18 Jun '21

18 Jun '21

That’s great! I’ve been doing all my work purchases from Amazon on Amazon smile now, and this time of year we buy stuff frequently so it should hopefully be making a difference. I had a bad habit in the past of forgetting about it so now I’ve set all the shortcuts on work and home computers to go to smile.amazon.com. Tony Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 18, 2021, at 1:22 PM, Jim Scheef via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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The TI-99/4A turns 40!
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jun '21

18 Jun '21

Didn't realize that it came out in 1981. Fun article: https://www.howtogeek.com/731558/a-successful-failure-the-ti-994a-turns-40/ ========================================= 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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FW: Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile
by Jim Scheef 18 Jun '21

18 Jun '21

This is my Amazon Smile donation to VCF for this quarter – but look down the email at the total for VCF! I’m not sure what time period this reports covers, because I have not spend any significant money on Amazon since January. Most of my purchases are small stuff, but, as you can see, this donation adds up to benefit our favorite 501(c)3. I hate contributing to Jeff Bezos’s latest toys, but knowing some tiny percentage goes to VCF makes it slightly less onerous. So, if you’re going to spend money on Amazon. Make sure you to do it thru Smile. Jim From: Amazon.com <store-news(a)amazon.com> Sent: Friday, June 18, 2021 12:03 PM To: jscheef(a)outlook.com Subject: Your selected charity received a $32.71 donation from AmazonSmile There’s no extra cost to support your charity by shopping with <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> AmazonSmile. <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> Dear Jim, This is the quarterly notification to inform you that AmazonSmile has made a charitable donation to the charity you’ve selected, Vintage Computer Federation Inc, in the amount of $32.71 as a result of qualifying purchases made by you and other customers who have selected this charity. Thanks to customers shopping at smile.amazon.com <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> , or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app, everyday purchases have generated over $293 million in donations to charities worldwide so far. AmazonSmile's impact: * $712.30 to Vintage Computer Federation Inc* * $262,635,668.36 to all charities in the US * $293,003,584.01 to all charities worldwide To track donations or change your charity, simply visit Your AmazonSmile Impact <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> page. <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> Go to smile.amazon.com Want to use AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app on your phone? Learn how to activate here <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> *Message reflects the charity you were supporting as of June 8. Please see smile.amazon.com/about <https://smile.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3Q03K2FXR862G&K=2YGCAIIZA4SK3&M=urn:rt…> for AmazonSmile program details. © 2021 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210. Reference 588247430 Please note that this message was sent to the following e-mail address: jscheef(a)outlook.com

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Tales from the Repair Workshop 6/12 & 6/13, 2021
by Daniel Fitzgerald 17 Jun '21

17 Jun '21

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High Scores on Netflix
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

Just started watching a new show on Netflix called "High Scores". It highlights different videogame history (of the 80's) phenomena each episode. It reminds me of the 2000's show "Icons" which did something similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icons_(TV_series) So far I like it a lot! Great fun and learning some history that I didn't know. ========================================= 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 2021-06-12 & 2021-06-14
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

Saturday and Sunday a super high interest guy came. I think he was about late high school age and visiting from Georgia. He stayed Saturday for hours and was programming BASIC on the Zorba by himself. He asked to borrow a Microsoft BASIC manual so I gave him one from the IBM 5150 and off he went. I don't know what his end product was as I was busy with the repair workshop that day and couldn't stick around. Dennis can fill us in as he was docent that day. On Sunday he came back again and was programming on the TRS-80. He used the TRS-80 Graphics Programming book as a reference and created an etch-a-sketch program. It's quite rare for a visitor to stay for hours like that and sit down and program on these machines. From time to time I will get visitors that are patient enough to sit down, type in a short program and teach them the basics of BASIC programming. ========================================= 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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Tales from the Repair Workshop 6/12 & 6/13, 2021
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

I have two tales to tell about the repair workshop that are funny, but I won't tell them here. You will have to ask me in person, but I intend to repeat them over and over again until people get sick of me telling them. Then I will tell new stories. The repair workshop was well attended this time with the usual suspects and some new ones as well. Jeff Salzman and Herb got the H89 working! So now it is available for operation and display in the museum. I thank them very much for all their hard work in working on the repair of the machine and getting it into operation. It has been sitting in the museum for years as a static display and it is lovely to see it actually display something on the screen and operate. We have Vcalc and 1 or 2 other pieces of software (I forget what they are at the moment). Jeff Salzman intends to make other software disks available to the museum the next time he comes or he can give me the disks at the July repair workshop @ System Source. David Gesswein worked on the PDP 8. The original intention was to train me on papertape and software loading, but he discovered that there were some faults. He had suspected it to be one problem on two cards, but that wasn't the case. He found out one of the diodes needed replacement and it worked better. However there was another problem on another card, but he ran out of time and will take the card home to troubleshoot and narrow down the problem. I know that others were working on various things, but I didn't have time to get details. Always a fun time at the workshop and lots of stuff getting fixed. Going to Brick House Tap & Tavern was a welcome change. Main Street Bar and Grill is nice, but we have overdone it and needed to change up things. I'm considering doing an outdoor grill at the August repair workshop cooking burgers and hotdogs. Next repair workshops are: July 10 & 11 @ System Source : SIGNUP <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KROoCNqTiTWgsXvijGBqvNblZa8weS6a8hE…> August 14 & 15 @ InfoAge: SIGNUP <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J028DlSdvSUlh3BsrGfmalHQ9qbFfPSUQa9…> ========================================= 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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MICRO (6502) magazine article index by system
by Bill Degnan 15 Jun '21

15 Jun '21

If anyone is interested and it's not already published WWW-wise, I scanned the "MICRO index by system" published by MICRO magazine, which ran from 1977 to 1980 or 1981. I found the index within a stack of MICRO magazines I have been moving around. This is useful to have because MICRO had a lot of useful technical info relating to the 6502-based micros of the time period. It's hard to search the web for "micro index" - one just gets a lot of nasdaq stock stuff. I did not check 6502 or other archive sites, this may already be listed there, but here it is again https://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=783 Bill

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July Repair Workshop @ System Source
by Jeffrey Brace 15 Jun '21

15 Jun '21

The July Repair Workshop will be at System Source. Signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KROoCNqTiTWgsXvijGBqvNblZa8weS6a8hE… The Vintage Computer Federation and the System Source Computer Museum are hosting a vintage computer workshop on Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11 th 2021 at: System Source Computer Museum 338 Clubhouse Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031 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. We will go to dinner afterwards. If you are interested in dinner, then please indicate on the signup form here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KROoCNqTiTWgsXvijGBqvNblZa8weS6a8hE… 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 sign up. We will feature tours of the museum throughout both days and several mini-workshops: - Retrobright workshop (bring your yellowed plastics) - Pre-industrial computing class - Learn to use a slide rule, and various types of Abaci - Hot Metal Typesetting (3500 lb word processor - Preview/contribute to new exhibit IBM PC@40 We will have most of the IBM PCs (and predecessors) load up with various operating systems and software If you need a machine to work on, please let me know. We have lots of computers awaiting restoration! Let others know what you are working on. If you have unusual needs, (220 Volts, fork lift, etc please email Bob Roswell at museum(a)syssrc.com Bob Roswell broswell(a)syssrc.com https://museum.syssrc.com 410-771-5544 x 4336

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Tales from the Repair Workshop 6/12 & 6/13, 2021
by Herb Johnson 14 Jun '21

14 Jun '21

Heath H89 (actually an H88 upgraded) At the May workshop on the museum H89, I replaced some 20V caps on a 20V DC line on the CPU board. This is a common H89 problem where the caps short out on a DC line that's over-voltage. Jeff Saltsman also at the May workshop, repaired his own H89 floppy drive which had gummy disk-hub bearings. I did the same repair on the museum H89 drive; we both succeeded. So the museum H89 would boot HDOS but the keyboard returned odd codes on several keys. Jeff later "repaired" the floppy controller board. There was also an H89 in pieces in a box (not Heath box) which looked ripe for parts. At the June workshop, I found on the H89 a damaged keyboard encoder chip on the terminal board. I replaced keyboard and chip from the box o' H89 items. A terminal board from the box failed with smoke and flame. Again a capacitor short which I fixed but to no good result; but it sourced the keyboard encoder chip. That fixed the funny-keys problem. A surprising amount of rust was found at the bottom of the museum H89 which I partly cleaned. Also I repaired by replacement, the recently-repaired floppy controller board, with a swap from the boxed H89. Thus it's useful to have multiple and even damaged duplicate computers in the Warehouse. Jeff Saltzman provided assistance and test disks, as he did in May. He'll provide some disks for the Museum's use. I suggested he pull the floppy drive from the boxed H89 and restore that drive. It likely needs the same repair as previous drives; these are all the same model. The H89 now boots and operates CP/M and HDOS from its internal floppy drive. It's useful for demonstration but may need more testing. I"ve brought home the museum's external H89 drive in cabinet, for restoration. Of course I'll return it when I can, say within a month. I'll have a Web page to show the various repairs, among my other H89 repair pages at retrotechnology.com DSD floppy drive/controller Work for myself was on a PDP-8 compatible floppy drive system by DSD. I had duplicate hardware and assistance from David Gesswein. His extra drive cabinet completed my drive controller and Shugart drives. I built flat-cables and assembled and cross-tested both DSD units. David and I got mine working! (The controller has a local-test mode, no PDP-8 needed.) I may have a floppy-drive system for my PDP-8/F! I'm grateful for David's help and equipment and his time. Others I only wish I could have helped David with the Straight 8's problem; it's tech on the trailing edge of my experiences. 1960's transistor logic is not 1970's TTL logic! One card is equivalent to a few TTL chips if that. We are so lucky that TTL has endured half a century or so. David provides an account. You won't find that detail anywhere else! And I was able to help Dan FitzGerald with some Apple Mac equipment, as Dan had requested on the Google registration form. I provided some moral support for others at the workshop. But I likely missed other workshop activities as they were in two other rooms. Busy weekend. regards, Herb -- 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Tales from the Repair Workshop 6/12 & 6/13, 2021
by Ethan O'Toole 14 Jun '21

14 Jun '21

[NON-Text Body part not included] System source is in MD outside of the Baltimore and DC areas. It's awesome. - Ethan

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Bernie S paid a visit!
by Herb Johnson 13 Jun '21

13 Jun '21

> Bernie S paid a visit on May 16 at the very end of our repair workshop. He > had brought some items for Dmitry. One thing was a custom built 6502 system > with all sorts of wires. Another one was a custom built Apple // clone. > Very interesting to see all these items. The photos reveal, some kind of late 1970's, hand-wired cassette-based computer of some sort. And some kind of massively reworked possibly-Apple-II motherboard surrounded by hand-wired boards. Jeff, were you told some kind of history associated with these constructions? Otherwise for anyone not alive in the era, these will be indecipherable pieces of chips and boards. And, that applies to most people interested today. I'll give some interpretation, otherwise this stuff looks awful from a 21st century view; and that saddens me. Without my seeing them myself - I was on campus but unaware - all I can say from the era, is that many techs were obliged to wire up their own computers from pieces of other digital technology. Why? Because computers were not available or too expensive on the one hand, and pieces and parts of older computing tech were available cheaply on the other hand. And some people had the ability, tools and parts to design (or copy) and hand-wire their own boards. Those skills were valuable in the years before (and after) personal computers started becoming available. When personal computers became CHEAP and available, this technology was abandoned - that's why it's all dusty and rusty. And so that's what you see now. Regards, Herb -- 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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Wanted: Tandon TM100-2A
by Mike Loewen 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

Does anyone have a working Tandon TM100-2A for sale? IBM faceplate okay, too. Mike Loewen mloewen(a)cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/

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Quick update for the VCF team re the goings on in Building 9059
by Martin Flynn 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

1) Replaced the chipped and worn out screwdrivers and torx drivers with new Wiha kit. 2) Started replacing the soldering stations with Hakko FX888D-23BY stations 3) Added new assortments of heat shrink tubing and LED 4) Added the "MS" dies for the Daniels DMC WA2 pneumatic crimpers, already have the "D" dies and a stock of pins. BM-21 tool holder is inbound https://www.dmctools.com/oscar/catalogue/bm-2a_315/ 5) Thanks to Andy, CDL now has a compressor to blow the accumulated junk out of a PC. 6) ESD safe storage boxes were donated, they are sitting atop the parts bin. Anyone want to sort and label? 7) Restock of machine IC sockets underway, delayed due to supply chain issues. Lastly, CDL is standing up a dedicated BBS server in the next two weeks, access details are below * OS: Ubuntu * BBS: Citadel * Dial-up pilot number: 848-274-2600, locked at 1200 baud. * SSH: citadel.compdecon.org

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JUNE 12 & 13 REPAIR WORKSHOP INFO
by Herb Johnson 11 Jun '21

11 Jun '21

> Martin Flynn > Fri Jun 11 02:50:00 UTC 2021 > > Herb, CDL just replaced the screwdrivers and torx sets with Wiha products. The T15 tamper resistant driver is 80mm long total - exactly what is adequate length to open a classic mac? - Martin Six inch shaft. That's 150 mm. 80mm is over three inches. The classic 9-inch Macs have two screws deep under the top-handle. I'll bring my Sears Craftsman tool. > Jeffrey Brace > *1) Vaccinated people don't need to wear a mask.2) Those that are > unvaccinated are recommended to wear a mask.* I"ve chosen to wear one despite my vaccinated status. It's polite to encourage mask-wearing. It doesn't oblige guests and hosts to ask about my vaccination status. Also I have hayfever and it makes some difference there. And, in reasonable time, these considerations will be less necessary, so I can be patient. Others may find my reasoning informative. > Herb Johnson > controller stuff with Shugart 800's, with a secret guest. Not so secret, David Gesswein. I didn't see his name on the Googley list when I made my entry. But it was there anyway. I'll need to be in the same building & room as David. 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 Mask Policy update
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jun '21

11 Jun '21

Due to increased vaccination rates and lower covid rates, NJ is a much better place than it has been in the past due to Covid-19. Infoage has changed their policy to "Masks not required if fully vaccinated." Therefore based on NJ, CDC and InfoAge guidelines VCF is changing its policy for VCF sponsored events to the following: *1) Vaccinated people don't need to wear a mask.2) Those that are unvaccinated are recommended to wear a mask.* ========================================= 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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JUNE 12 & 13 REPAIR WORKSHOP INFO
by Jeffrey Brace 11 Jun '21

11 Jun '21

I will be running this month's repair workshop Signup for June 2021 Repair Workshop here: June 2021 Repair Workshop Signup Sheet <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11iQyGDYyrFsAFQp73YwYnL-3soQIVDGOLid…> 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*: June 12 & 13, 2021 *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/11iQyGDYyrFsAFQp73YwYnL-3soQIVDGOLid…> 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: 1) Main Street Bar and Grill 2) Brickhouse Tap and Tavern 3) MJs Signup here for Saturday Dinner <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iSqU1KhZBM4IMCREnYhOBIj1y7FjtcVZROm…> *Sunday Morning*: Bagel order from Delicious Bagels Sign-up HERE <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mOaIF6tAh4CzcQKV-jW4mdKdhPYaz-fRUar…> *Sunday Afternoon*: Wawa GATE: Please close the gate behind you at all times. We want to discourage random strangers from wandering the campus as well as 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: (7 3 2 ) 7 5 9 - 1 7 8 3 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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JUNE 12 & 13 REPAIR WORKSHOP INFO
by Herb Johnson 10 Jun '21

10 Jun '21

I'll be there Saturday to work on some ancient PDP-8 floppy drive controller stuff with Shugart 800's, with a secret guest. Also: if I may, I'll do further repairs on the VCFed Museum's H89 and external drive. The Googley spread-sheet shows someone asking about disassembling a classic Mac case, discharging the CRT and other skills. I'll be glad to show them but others will also know these things. A long Torx T15 tool is desirable. A suggestion to picnic was made; it's certainly plausible and even traditional. My focus is work on site but one must be social when opportunity permits, and when Covid vaccination allows. My hosts will make such decisions, they may have other considerations. 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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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] JUNE 12 & 13 REPAIR WORKSHOP INFO
by Sentrytv 10 Jun '21

10 Jun '21

There may be enough people and it’s supposed to be some decent weather so maybe we could just have it outside? And of course Jeff would cook some burgers and hotdogs on the grill, hint hint wink wink. Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device. > On Jun 10, 2021, at 5:51 PM, laurakid via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > <mime-attachment>

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New Yorkers: Demand Your Right to Repair
by Jameel Akari 08 Jun '21

08 Jun '21

And done. Senator Breslin, the sponsor of the bill, is actually my state senator. -- Jameel Akari > I apologize if this has been posted recently, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Those of you who are NY residents, contact your representatives and let them know if you support Right to Repair legislation: https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=10990 It's more apropos to modern devices, but I still support the idea. Gotta fight for the rights you wanna keep. -Jonathan -- Jameel Akari

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] New Yorkers: Demand Your Right to Repair
by Christian Liendo 08 Jun '21

08 Jun '21

You can notify the state senate online https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s4104 you will have to register On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 2:31 PM Jonathan Sturges via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > I apologize if this has been posted recently, but I thought it was worth mentioning. > Those of you who are NY residents, contact your representatives and let them know if you support Right to Repair legislation: > > https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=10990 > > It's more apropos to modern devices, but I still support the idea. Gotta fight for the rights you wanna keep. > > -Jonathan

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New Yorkers: Demand Your Right to Repair
by Jonathan Sturges 08 Jun '21

08 Jun '21

I apologize if this has been posted recently, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Those of you who are NY residents, contact your representatives and let them know if you support Right to Repair legislation: https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=10990 It's more apropos to modern devices, but I still support the idea. Gotta fight for the rights you wanna keep. -Jonathan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Old-school computing: when your lab PC is ancient
by Dave McGuire 07 Jun '21

07 Jun '21

On 6/6/21 1:22 PM, laurakid via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > I appreciate this thread vindicating my weariness towards smart > technology. My basic concerns were that I didn’t want my kitchen > appliances to be smarter than me jk 😂. Also didn’t want risk of > hacking (though I know highly unlikely, it’s the principle). Beware, it's not all that unlikely. It's happening all over, with all sorts of products. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Old-school computing: when your lab PC is ancient
by Dave McGuire 06 Jun '21

06 Jun '21

On 6/6/21 1:30 PM, laurakid via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Thanks for additional vindication, Dave. I really do have a lot > of concern about cybercrime but since I am a novice assume that > any such concerns will be met with justifiable disdain from this > highly knowledgeable group of industry professionals and enthusiasts. Don't automatically assume that you're wrong, jeeze. I've found you to be very much NOT an idiot. And, you know, I'd say so if that weren't the case. ;) -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Old-school computing: when your lab PC is ancient
by Neil Cherry 06 Jun '21

06 Jun '21

On 6/6/21 1:22 PM, laurakid via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > Also didn’t want risk of hacking (though I know highly unlikely, it’s the principle). Actually it's now highly likely if proper security measures are not taken. Small things are now high value targets as they can work in a coordinated attack. A bot net of cheap security cameras was used 2 years ago in several attacks on services. -- 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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Old-school computing: when your lab PC is ancient
by Christian Liendo 06 Jun '21

06 Jun '21

What they consider old school is rather new school for us. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01431-y But I know there are people here running some really old active systems.

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I enjoyed the Fair Lawn hamfest
by Jeffrey Jonas 05 Jun '21

05 Jun '21

Despite the extreme heat, I enjoyed the Fair Lawn hamfest. I caught up with several familiar folks from the group, got some useful items and some, well, "grab bag" items I'll be offering at the upcoming workshop :-) Upcoming hamfests: Piscataway, Sussex -- jeff jonas

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Fair lawn hamfest Saturday 6/5
by Sentrytv 04 Jun '21

04 Jun '21

Just in case any of you were wondering what to do this Saturday. Here is a link to a hamfest that is at a recycling center, first one for them. https://www.flarchamfest.com/ Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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TRS-80 (Model 1) on eBay
by Chris Fala 04 Jun '21

04 Jun '21

FYI, I just ran across this. It appears to be malfunctioning and the seller is taking offers, so maybe this is a gem for someone who needs parts. I am not pursuing it, just sharing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/304018225356

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Repair workshop is next weekend June 12 & 13
by Jeffrey Brace 04 Jun '21

04 Jun '21

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11iQyGDYyrFsAFQp73YwYnL-3soQIVDGOLid… ========================================= 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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C64 Smart Watch
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Jun '21

03 Jun '21

What a fun idea! https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/technology/im-lusting-after-this-custom-comm… ========================================= 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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Old-school computing: when your lab PC is ancient
by Herb Johnson 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

So Neil Cherry posts about Smart Home [automation] stuff, which can be turned off from cloud access at any moment by the distributors. And Dave McGuire responds, "No offense intended, but I don't know how any intelligent person would ever buy that sort of stuff in the first place." Well, that's the discussion about operating vintage embedded computers, and decades of computing products, in a nutshell. Computing associated with control or operation of things or services, is either old and stable; or new and long-term unstable. And either one has some choices, and can take actions (repair, substitution, etc.) or one can't (and out the old stuff goes, no discussion). "Intelligence" is some other matter about skills and is just argumentative. But it references the more general point - as discussed in the article and the thread. There's some high-value services around some old computers (like operating expensive lab equipment) to compel both computer and equipment to stay in-service as original. Because, costs of replacing the lab-service or to re-engineer a new computer, are unacceptable. Neil made a point about railroad equipment, to say this is not a new thing. I'll work this a bit because the argument interests me. "Stable" means it will continue to run until hardware failure. If it was gonna fail, it already did. If replacing it made sense, it was already replaced. Software can fail but if left unchanged and un-attacked, may be "stable". So what's left as vintage and still in service defines itself. You can call that "survivor bias", and that's what is in the Nature article. "Unstable" in the modern world, means failure will occur when the providers turn off the connected services needed. Or failure of marginally designed hardware (like some modern commodity PC's). Or failure of software that accumulates issues which slow down operations (anything Windows). Or: one gets bored and moves on to the next thing. It's a race to see which occurs first. When the pace of change is faster than the breakdown of products and services, "unstable" as I described it doesn't matter. You've replaced it or moved on already. And if that's the norm, then it takes some explanation to describe an alternative world. That world, is the world of the past (in the United States). The modern bias comes from the computing world experience of the 1980's and 90's, when "smaller cheaper faster" computing due to basic physics, became some mantra. First it applied to any service that could be wrapped around information technology. Then it became about jobs and production and consumables, and other science and technology. Now we have a world where most everything seems to be about information services - with many costs at zero, the "race to the bottom". So how do you make a dollar? Charge for services; extract value from information; build cheap so items need replacement and services can be upgraded. A lot of modern problems are a consequence of that. Neil talks about "reliable" in the sense, of services and items built for durability and repair in use, which still provide a desired service, and a service of high even essential value. In the 21st century "reliable" has to be explained because of the assumption that "new" is better, and lack of (good) experience with repair. And, an effort to avoid repair or maintenance costs to encourage replacements (as a market opportunity for providers). And, a simple lack of (modern) individual experience and understanding, about the physical world and the operation of things in that world. > People at my LUG's hack night, where they try to help new people to > install Linux on their systems, typically react in a bad way at my > work with similar hardware. They just don't want to believe that stuff > like that has been around for well over forty years and more. - Greg Levine Some days ago, someone posted in VCFed or the IXR list, about the need to advocate "the right to repair". I said in so many words, to appreciate "repair" one has to learn about a time when repair was not only possible but considered desirable or even preferable. That's one reason I have a Web site, to preserve some of that history. The Nature article addresses historic artifacts in some of the same ways, not so much about repair as substitution. What it says and doesn't say, I find informative. 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 2021 Pre-Show Survey
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

Please fill out this survey so that we can get some feedback about how we can improve our show: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPhjTsTJPEBLW2SiH4fRLSdl9jV6uMNnb… ========================================= 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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256 Byte - Commodore 64 Demo - A Mind is Born
by Jeffrey Brace 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

Apparently this has been around a while, but I think that this is amazing that you could do a demo with this little size program: https://linusakesson.net/scene/a-mind-is-born/ ========================================= 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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