------ Original Message ------
From: "Dave McGuire via cctalk" <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
To: "P Gebhardt" <p.gebha...@ymail.com>; "cctalk"
<cctalk@classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, 17 Mar, 2022 At 21:37
Subject: Re: LSSM is chasing this, was Re: General Data? Computer
Equipment Auction - GSA As I've said privately today to three people
who have emailed me off-list about this, since starting the LSSM project
about ten years ago, I've seen many, probably 25, situations in which
widows have junked their dead spouse's prized computer hardware. We've
all heard of those situations, but as we've been actively looking for
hardware, we see it a lot more, and even I was shocked about just how
common this actually is. This is a fate that seems to befall most
private collections.
That, combined with rodent infestations, rust, etc resulting from the
typical garage/barn/shed/basement storage that we've seen over and over,
has impacted my opinion of private collections.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
These are all valid concerns, especially since some collectors generally
have eyes bigger then their belly, wanting more machines than they have
the appropriate storage for. I fear i have been just as guilty (though i
generally keep anything of value outside of the rat infested shed)
However, there are a great many people who do try and keep their
collections indoors and on display. Obviously, this is much easier with
machines like the 80's micros than it is with 60's and 70's big iron and
minicomputers, which is likely the reason (plus larger production
volumes) that so many machines of the 80's and beyond survive and are
relatively plentiful.
It's also rather unfair to defame private collectors. A lot of them
(especially the ones that come out of barns, leaky sheds, garages and
basements) were the ones who saved the equipment from the scrappers in
the first place. Much of this large system equipment survives (maybe in
poor condition) purely because of the private collector. I believe that
whilst climate controlled museums are ultimately the best place for
functional equipment (where knowledge and skills can easily be pooled),
the private collector has an important role in the preservation of
equipment as well.
Cheers,
Josh Rice
