csfont
New Member
I learned about computers on an Apple ][+, and some spirit of that box has stayed with me ever since. I've been trying to make some room in my basement lately, and got sidetracked, thinking maybe I should revive some of my 8-bit Apples to see if I have anything that isn't available on any archive. If any of those old floppies are still readable, anyway, it would be nice to share a piece of history.
In the meantime, I'm trying to clear out stuff I probably won't use, which is mostly a lot of old PC stuff, but also some Mac and workstation and SCSI gear. If you're in my area (Chicagoland), I'll try to share what I can bear to part with (or trade to get some Apple IIs/NeXTs up and running).
Stupidest thing I did to a vintage computer (might have been 10-12 years ago): I left a BeBox on the curb thinking it wasn't worth anything. I'm sorry, I should have found it a good home. I'm working harder on doing that now for any stuff of interest I've got.
A thing that got me into UNIX: I remember writing a termcap for a BSD UNIX (probably running on a VAX) that would work with ProTERM, because ASCII Express didn't have reverse scrolling (it had something like VT52 emulation). I didn't know it at the time, but I bet that getting that working made me think that I could do anything if I read enough man pages.
Things I'm not sure I could ever part with: Whether I use 'em or not, I'll probably always keep some NeXT equipment. That may have been as formative to me as the Apple IIs. Even today, that influences me (for instance, preferring FreeBSD over Linux, when I have to type on it). Plus, scrollbars on the left are great if you read left-to-right.
Things I think I miss: Diversi-DIAL, being excited at a new Nasir Gebelli game, Cat-Fur.
In the meantime, I'm trying to clear out stuff I probably won't use, which is mostly a lot of old PC stuff, but also some Mac and workstation and SCSI gear. If you're in my area (Chicagoland), I'll try to share what I can bear to part with (or trade to get some Apple IIs/NeXTs up and running).
Stupidest thing I did to a vintage computer (might have been 10-12 years ago): I left a BeBox on the curb thinking it wasn't worth anything. I'm sorry, I should have found it a good home. I'm working harder on doing that now for any stuff of interest I've got.
A thing that got me into UNIX: I remember writing a termcap for a BSD UNIX (probably running on a VAX) that would work with ProTERM, because ASCII Express didn't have reverse scrolling (it had something like VT52 emulation). I didn't know it at the time, but I bet that getting that working made me think that I could do anything if I read enough man pages.
Things I'm not sure I could ever part with: Whether I use 'em or not, I'll probably always keep some NeXT equipment. That may have been as formative to me as the Apple IIs. Even today, that influences me (for instance, preferring FreeBSD over Linux, when I have to type on it). Plus, scrollbars on the left are great if you read left-to-right.
Things I think I miss: Diversi-DIAL, being excited at a new Nasir Gebelli game, Cat-Fur.