• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

EX Silicon Valley resident, EX CA too(?)

L

LGriffin

Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2010
Messages
10
Location
Gateway to Yosemite
As the title says, I was born and raised in the Santa Clara Valley. I'm looking to move again, and have decide to part with my vintage computers. My first thought was ekay, then I google and found these forums.

I got hooked on computers operating an IBM 1130 for an Aerospace company in the late 60s. I followed PC computers till 82 when I bought an Osborne with a 300 baud modem. I was an active RCP/M-er, including Co-Sysop on several RCP/M BBS systems.

I'm open to any and all questions and will try and answer as best to old memory will provide.

Larry
 
I'll start:

What do you have and what are you looking to do with it? Are you seeking to donate it to willing collectors, sell it to the highest bidder, find a good home for a reasonable price?

Will you ship or is this pickup only?
 
Right, welcome to the forums also.. though perhaps the stay won't be as long as you'd like ;-) Always nice to find folks posting here and looking for other collectors. Certainly would be interesting to know what you've acquired through the years. I'm sure some amazing stories go along with the equipment.

- John
 
Erik said:
I'll start:

What do you have and what are you looking to do with it? Are you seeking to donate it to willing collectors, sell it to the highest bidder, find a good home for a reasonable price?

Will you ship or is this pickup only?
Click to expand...

I don't have a clear idea of what I'm going to do with it. I do have some docs that should go to a serious Altos collector. There seems to be some value to the Xerox 8/16, and manuals. I also have my last CP/M machine an Altos 580 with 40 MB, Altos 586 running Xenix, Qic-36 Tape drive, Tape Interface(?). There is an Altos on Ebay with a high BIN. Software, Wordstar, ZDOS, CP/M-86 for PC. I haven't really inventory what I have, those are the big pieces.

I can ship, but the hard disk of this era might not ake kindly to it. If the hard disk can be saved the are some files there. I was Co-SySOP on two RCP/M systems. Potpourri, and Oxgate 1. I was also a member of FOG and PRACSA.

I'm not sure how long my stay might be. I'm pretty buggerred up with projects. I've read a few posts and I'm tempted to if my 580 will boot, but if I do anything it would probably be to preserve the HD.

Larry
 
Very nice of you to consider not tossing everything in the bin!
People told me to throw out al 'that old junk' I had accumulated and the only thing I regret now is the stuff I did throw out...which is very little :D
 
Although I understand and also get that instant "noooo!!!!" feeling when I hear about it, it's understood. So many folks end up forced to get rid of items in crappier ways than collectors but while collecting is great, and I fully support it, some times you never get a good request or response until after you toss it. Just a few weeks ago at the VCF Southwest a few of them had to admit about getting rid of lots of their documentation and items from working at DataPrint and TI. Some of it was stuff they offered to collectors and some of it was probably just too hard of a sell but regardless it happens as much of a bummer as it might be.

But hey, great that you found your way here eventually. Hope folks can offer up some useful conditions to salvage the systems and reimburse you as well. I think you're also aware of the completed auctions search right? That's usually a better search for practical value vs BIN auctions which may never get bought at that price.

Of course you can do the same here on our local VCGM for no cost to post items and you can still set a reserve that you aren't willing to sell for under $X.
 
I have a hard timer throwing anything out that is still useable. I've seen more stuff end up in the dumpster. I worked for a company that moved from Sunnvale to south San Jose. The IT department left behind all their old IBM PC manuals. I ended up with 7-10 moving boxes of manuals.I took them to the HAM radio club fleamarket at Foothill Jr College, and sold them all day long, very nice.

I took another look at the manuals I have, most of them are Concurrent DOS. The manuals I have for the Altos 580 and 586 exceptional, they came out of the Engr Dept.. I'd like to see the Altos manuals go to someone willing to share. I did forget one of the big items an Altos Terminal.

Larry
 
Ah, the good old 1130! That's how I got hooked, too. What a system. I remember it inspiring me to tell a friend that I could see the day would come that you'd be able to get an entire computer system the size of a desk!

For those sniggering keep in mind a card punch/reader was among the features I envisioned for that desk. :) Basically a full-up 1130/1600 type system with CRT and print terminals, hard disk, and the features of an 026 or 029 all in one cabinet. I figured I'd need to plug it into the dryer outlet, but hey, that's why there are clotheslines! :D
 
The Digibarn computer museum is right near you...contact Bruce Damer to donate your items and poss put some in his museum. digibarn.org
Bill
 
LGriffin said:
I have a hard timer throwing anything out that is still useable. I've seen more stuff end up in the dumpster. I worked for a company that moved from Sunnvale to south San Jose. The IT department left behind all their old IBM PC manuals. I ended up with 7-10 moving boxes of manuals.I took them to the HAM radio club fleamarket at Foothill Jr College, and sold them all day long, very nice.
Click to expand...
Yay! :D World needs more people like you.

I took another look at the manuals I have, most of them are Concurrent DOS.
Click to expand...

Ah, that would be interesting to see - perhaps consider scanning one of the user's manuals or selling/giving them to someone who preserves documentation. I have a few digital copies of C-DOS with no idea how to use it, and thus haven't messed with it.
 
Billdeg, the Digibarn looks interesting.

Raven, I'm going to list most of the computers and software here in the classified section. I have 2-3 copies of Concurrent CP/M manuals, and at least one set of disks for them. Concurrent CP/M is a neat OS. I ran it in a Lawyers office for years. The OS is multi-user and multi tasking in the 386 version. Each user has 4 screens (tasks) available. The tasks were selected with the keys, ctrl, and, 1-4. You could run a batch file looping in each of the tasks, without degradation of speed in any one task.

I was hoping to get to list some of the collection this week, but it looks like it will be put off a bit longer.

Larry
 
C-CP/M is interesting too, but I (and you, before) was referring to C-DOS, Concurrent DOS.

Look forward to your postings of the things you're getting rid of, though. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top