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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Ordering Snark Barker MCA (Sound Boaster clone) PCBs -- Want One?
by Alexander Jacocks 20 Jan '21

20 Jan '21

Thanks, Z. Did you already build one? - Alex On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 17:32 Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > The Snark Barker MCA does have a limited number of surface mount > components, namely the CPLD, associated voltage regulator, and some > capacitors. Everything else is thru-hole. > Meanwhile, the ISA Snark Barker is fully thru-hole. > -Alexander 'Z' Pierson On Monday, November 30, 2020, 04:55:15 PM EST, > Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > wrote: > > Bill, > > This is a build-it-yourself project. The Snark Barker is an exact clone, so > it's exclusively through hole. > > Only the PCB is included. If others wanted, I could source the parts > necessary, but I'd need at least a few others interested. > > - Alex > > On Mon, Nov 30, 2020 at 7:38 AM Bill Degnan via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > Would the assembly be surface mounted or original? > > Bill > > > > On Sun, Nov 29, 2020, 8:43 PM Jameel Akari via vcf-midatlantic < > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > $34 I assume is just the board? > > > > > > I’ll take a look at the details tomorrow but this might be fun. > > > > > > -- > > > Jameel Akari > > > > > > > On Nov 29, 2020, at 8:17 PM, Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic < > > > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > > > > > > All, > > > > > > > > I'm in the process of ordering PCBs for the Snark Barker MCA > > > > (microchannel), which was just announced, here: > > > > https://twitter.com/TubeTimeUS/status/1333123576346468352 > > > > > > > > The design files and BOM can be found here: > > > > https://github.com/schlae/snark-barker-mca > > > > > > > > I'll be ordering from PCBway, who does gold fingers, so that the > boards > > > > will be able to be able to be repeatedly inserted, without wearing > out > > > the > > > > contacts. > > > > > > > > Is anyone else interested? The cost (at quantity 5) would be about > > > > $34+shipping, per PCB. The cost should go down with a bigger order, > > > should > > > > more than 4 others want boards. I could probably be convinced to make > > the > > > > parts order, as well, if folks want. > > > > > > > > Thanks! > > > > - Alex > > > > > > > > >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: Printing Press rescue (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA)
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Christian Liendo via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> writes: >Nice.. I really need to check out the National Museum of Industrial >History in Bethlehem. I will now have to check this out next time I go home. >On Mon, Jan 18, 2021 at 2:33 PM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic ><vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Our very own Bill Inderrieden was involved with the rescue. Pictures on >> this website: >> https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-morning-call-original-printing-pres… The Morning Call. I delivered this Morning Call when I was a kid.

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OT: Printing Press rescue (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA)
by Jeffrey Brace 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Our very own Bill Inderrieden was involved with the rescue. Pictures on this website: https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-morning-call-original-printing-pres… 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 cell: 732-759-1783

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Culpability and Provenance
by jsalzman＠gmail.com 18 Jan '21

18 Jan '21

Hello group, Recent discoveries brought me to post this mostly philosophical message and question about what we do as collectors when we come across data stored in or with our acquisitions. For example, I have owned my Kaypro 10 for about five years. I bought it from a fellow collector in Chicago when I was at VCF MW at the time I acquired it. Since that time, I have only powered it up about 10 times. Each time was more for just making sure its hard drive would still spin up and boot, and for poking around my only operational CP/M machine. Just recently, I decided to actually look at the files that were stored on it. It had WordStar installed, and the drive was cluttered with many files without extensions on their names. Assuming they were WordStar files, I was able to open up a number of those files. Most of them were actual Will and Testament documents for a number of people in the Chicago area around 1990. I assumed this Kaypro was once owned and used by a lawyer at that time. Another thing I discovered, and this one has some interesting impact on the device's potential provenance, was a file called RESUME. The file was a WordStar document in that it started with several lines of "dot-commands" identifying it as such. The interesting part is that it was a resume of a U.S. Robotics co-founder and V-P, as discovered in the work history listed in the resume. Yes, THE U.S. Robotics company that made the modems many of us drooled over owning back in the day. So I asked myself... why would this file be on this computer, in WordStar format, if the machine wasn't also owned by the person in question? That leads me to wonder if this Kaypro was also owned by said Founder of USR. This Kaypro may have changed hands several times before I acquired it. It's still a bit of a mystery. After all, it's not like people simply emailed files between CP/M machines as readily as we do now. Plus, someone as computer literate as a computer hardware tech founder might actually be one to write their own resume in a word processor on a CP/M system. Besides, you can certainly understand my feelings and thoughts over the potential provenance of the machine. Those two examples aside, I want to address the opinions of others about the possession of random and potentially personal data found on machines we acquire. This Kaypro has a number of Will and Testament files on it, a few legal drafts, and of course, that resume. So this brings up the philosophical discussion of culpability. Do we, as collectors of these systems, have a certain responsibility to the disposition of data found on our acquisitions? While many laws have been made over the decades governing personally identifiable information, how much of the responsibility to identify and "secure" sensitive data falls on us collectors who acquire our computers through sale or trade vs. the previous owners who decide to get rid of their computers. Before I go on any further about my thoughts, I'll end the intro of the discussion here, for others to offer their input, before I get any deeper into my thoughts on what I have and what I could/should do with it. Looking forward to your respective opinions. Jeff Salzman

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Wanted SD card solutions for Museum
by Dean Notarnicola 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Chris, You can you a Gotek with Flashfloppy firmware to substitute for Mod 1/3/4 drives (You need an expansion interface for the M1.) Though not a floppy replacement, I highly recommend the M1SE http://bartlettlabs.com/ It adds hard drive, network and other enhancements to the M1. There’s also the M3SE for the 3/4. If you don’t have a M1 expansion interface, the MIRE (same web site) adds all EI functionality. You can attach real drives, Goteks, and/or a M1SE to it. On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 2:44 PM Chris Fala <chris.fala(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > I have several Commodore SD devices. I can donate/loan one to the museum > for the VIC-20. > > TFW8b has PET solutions. > https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/sd2pet-future.html is $81.53 at current > exchange rates. Maybe we can pool our funds or ask the list for donations. > > I can't suggest solutions for other manufacturers, but please let me know > what anyone knows about TRS-80 Model 1 and/or III devices that are > available. I need. > > > > > > > > On Sun, Jan 17, 2021 at 2:24 PM Jeffrey Brace <jeffrey(a)vcfed.org> wrote: > >> OK. Steering Committee. >> >> Here is the list that I came up with. Let me know if I need to tweak >> anything and if you think I can send this to the general list. >> >> *GOOD WORKING CONDITION* >> TRS-80 Model 1 >> Atari 1040ST >> Atari Mega >> IBM PCjr >> MSX >> OSI Challenger 2P >> Osborne 1 >> PET 2001 >> Vic-20 >> Zorba >> Amiga 1000 >> Mac Portable >> Mac 512K >> IBM PC Convertible >> Apple III Plus >> TI-99/4A >> IBM 5150 >> TRS-80 Model 100 >> Apple II original >> iMac >> Next Cube >> >> *NEEDS REPAIR* >> TI Portable >> >> *NEED DIAGNOSIS* >> SWTPC >> Heathkit H89 >> >> *DIFFICULT TO FIND DEMOS* >> Ukranian Apple 2 >> TV Typewriter >> >> ========================================= >> 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 >> cell: 732-759-1783 >> >> >> >> <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…> >> <#m_6223536314463200676_m_-9168846585535048499_m_-6305579204510517935_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> >> >

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] VCF Marketing Director
by Jonathan Sturges 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Congrats Adam! :-)

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Zenith “Easy PC” for sale on craigs
by Sentrytv 17 Jan '21

17 Jan '21

Just in case anybody is interested here is the link, not mine. https://newjersey.craigslist.org/sop/d/wallington-easy-pc/7260229025.html Sent from: My extremely complicated, hand held electronic device.

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VCF Marketing Director
by Jeffrey Brace 16 Jan '21

16 Jan '21

Hello everyone, Please welcome VCF's Marketing Director: Adam Michlin! The national board unanimously voted him into this newly created position. Adam was previously a volunteer, Mid-Atlantic Steering Committee member and the Social Media Director where he did an exemplary job increasing the quality and visibility of our organization through our social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Marketing Director position has all of the responsibilities of the Social Media Director, but adds national branding to the mixture. I'm excited to see what improvements that he will bring to this position. He has shown great dedication to his previous position and it shows in his understanding, the quality of his work and the results that he has created. And best of all his pay increases to double his previous salary of zero! ;) -- ========================================= 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 cell: 732-759-1783

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Museum 3b1
by David Gesswein 16 Jan '21

16 Jan '21

I finally remember to create a page describing the image on the 3b1. For people demoing it gives information on what I think was useful for doing demos. If anybody know of more interesting stuff to put on I can. The man page stuff described in the manual isn't yet in the museum image. http://www.pdp8online.com/3b1/demos.shtml

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Culpability and Provenance
by Herb Johnson 15 Jan '21

15 Jan '21

Well, while I have a lot I could post on these matters, I won't. I'm not a lawyer and these are legal matters. The rest is discussion not advice. Certain content one might obtain from others accidentally on an abandoned computer, is outright illegal to own and distribute. Delete it - period. Other content is proprietary and still in distribution, thus an actionable issue by the active producers of that content. And of course, most of us with a clue know what is "private information". Nobody here is "researching" people's private information. This is a vintage computing discussion. Private information must be deleted, copies only to owners who want it and are given opportunities to ask. Most people seem to be indifferent; some are not. The rest, is about technical content of old programs out of use, and possibly original programming done (as in sources, binaries). These things are, in my opinion, the business of those of us in vintage computing. What to do about finding that stuff, has been in discussion for decades. There's common practices about that content. While owners could take actions, many owners are disinterested in doing so, or "unavailable", or in some cases have released their published works. Owners have rights, and the right to say "delete". At least they used to, when content resided in their own hands. Another subject. Informing former owners about discovered content beyond impersonal programs and documents, has some merits both to us and to the prior owners. Tony shares his experience, that he's informed some owners about protecting their data. All that said, I'm informed by the posts on this subject, from persons who identify their sources of authority on their decisions (Tony mentioned HIPAA compliance for instance). And by various experiences discussed. Authority and or experience matters to me, when I see advice, certainly when I give it. I don't say I have much authority, other than years of practices; I have no authority on legal matters, little on business. I'm a technologist by training and historian by circumstance. Myself: I preserve the history of development of certain programs and hardware on my Web site. Much of that is published information, descriptions and repairs of hardware, documentation, sources or disassemblies. Some of it is biographical information from public sources and personal correspondence (republished by me with permission). Generally I have permissions, as owners of content have the rights to say "no", and privacy rights. Over the decades: I've been contacted by content-owners or their heirs or their associates and customers. Most thank me for recognizing those known to them, a few for recognizing themselves! Some provide more information. Some people want their privacy, or at least used to when privacy existed. And some, are no longer interested in certain past works. So it seems to me: If the VCF Inc. chooses to, they might gather some informed and authoritative opinions and recommendations and practices, and make that information available, as a service. They may also choose to do so, to inform their officers and volunteers as to "best practices" within the VCF collection. One service might be, to identify kinds of content - such as I and others have identified - and suggest the kinds of practices one might take. That service alone, may help persons in deciding what to do, where to seek advice. But I'm not credentialed in most of these matters. I have certain practices I follow. Mostly I tell people "this is at your own risk. Seek professional, legal or more experienced advice. I'm not responsible for your consequences. Make your own choices." Otherwise I lead by example and effort and results, I hope. 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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