[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
Sellam, I hope you do turn it up!Much cooler than an apple 1!Ed# Sent from AOL on Android On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 6:43 PM, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote: On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 4:01 PM Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > > Both UPS and Fedex will sometimes falsely claim that they had made a > delivery attempt. I've experienced this. > Does REA claim to have delivered the Altair? > I don't know that anyone can ever know at this point. I'm thinking to put out a small bounty for any verifiable information leading to knowledge of the fate of the shipment, and a larger bounty leading to the prototype itself. Anonimity guaranteed, no questions asked. Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
Not to complicate the haunt for the first Altair, but there is no guarantee that it ever existed. Maybe it was an urban legend that it was shipped. If it did, did it work? Might just buy the remaining issue of Popular Electronics featuring the fake Altair. Regards, Tarek Hoteit > On May 9, 2023, at 6:43 PM, Sellam Abraham via cctalk > wrote: > > On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 4:01 PM Fred Cisin via cctalk > wrote: > >> >> Both UPS and Fedex will sometimes falsely claim that they had made a >> delivery attempt. > > > I've experienced this. > > >> Does REA claim to have delivered the Altair? >> > > I don't know that anyone can ever know at this point. > > I'm thinking to put out a small bounty for any verifiable information > leading to knowledge of the fate of the shipment, and a larger bounty > leading to the prototype itself. Anonimity guaranteed, no questions asked. > > Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 4:01 PM Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > > Both UPS and Fedex will sometimes falsely claim that they had made a > delivery attempt. I've experienced this. > Does REA claim to have delivered the Altair? > I don't know that anyone can ever know at this point. I'm thinking to put out a small bounty for any verifiable information leading to knowledge of the fate of the shipment, and a larger bounty leading to the prototype itself. Anonimity guaranteed, no questions asked. Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 1:03 PM steve shumaker via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: A mostly similar variation has it that they shipped the unit via Railway Express Agency (remember REA??) and as the story goes, it was in transit when REA closed their doors unexpectedly and with no warning, went bankrupt. On Tue, 9 May 2023, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote: I don't believe I ever heard that story. Then again, I'm not sure where I got "UPS" from. Perhaps just an assumption on my part. I'm too young to remember REA, let alone having ever even heard of it. Interestingly, there is a tidbit in the REA Stupidpedia article about the Altair 8800 prototype: *In November 1975, REA Express terminated operations and filed for bankruptcy. During the railroad strike of October 1974, the first Altair 8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived.* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency Very interesting. So it's now more plausible that a former REA employee might have the prototype stuffed away in their garage somewhere. Think of a big brown UPS step-van, but GREEN. One more hypothesis: :-) It's still awaiting dellivery, but REA's deliveries are running a little late. They sent an email just last year, asking for delivery address confirmation, but the recipient assumed that it was phishing. :-) I don't know REA's late package algorithm. Back when REA was active (early 1970s), If UPS was unable to deliver a package on time, they would do it next, risking making all subsequent packages alsobe a day late. If Fedex was unable to deliver a package on time, they would put it at the END of the queue! That way, all of the subsequent packages would be on time, with just one package being horribly late. Their advertising was what PERCENTAGE OF THEIR packages were on time. I had something that really had to be on time, so I had it shipped to me Fedex. It was a WEEK late! (so that only one package was late) Both UPS and Fedex will sometimes falsely claim that they had made a delivery attempt. Does REA claim to have delivered the Altair? -- Grumpy Ol' Fred
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On Tue, 9 May 2023 at 16:53, Sellam Abraham via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > *In November 1975, REA Express terminated operations and filed for > bankruptcy. During the railroad strike of October 1974, the first Altair > 8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to > Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived.* > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency > > Very interesting. So it's now more plausible that a former REA employee > might have the prototype stuffed away in their garage somewhere. > I know that it's fun to believe that the prototype might still exist almost 50 years later, but given my experience with package shipping services I'd say that it's infinitely more probable that it somehow ended up so damaged that the shipping service just claimed that they "lost" it. After all, what's the probability that someone working for a small-time shipping service in the mid-'70s was going to have any idea about the value of a hobbyist computer, let alone any inclination to save it for 50 years? -Henry
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 1:03 PM steve shumaker via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > A mostly similar variation has it that they shipped the unit via Railway > Express Agency (remember REA??) and as the story goes, it was in > transit when REA closed their doors unexpectedly and with no warning, > went bankrupt. > I don't believe I ever heard that story. Then again, I'm not sure where I got "UPS" from. Perhaps just an assumption on my part. I'm too young to remember REA, let alone having ever even heard of it. Interestingly, there is a tidbit in the REA Stupidpedia article about the Altair 8800 prototype: *In November 1975, REA Express terminated operations and filed for bankruptcy. During the railroad strike of October 1974, the first Altair 8800 microcomputer was lost. It had been shipped from Albuquerque to Popular Electronics magazine in New York via REA and never arrived.* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Express_Agency Very interesting. So it's now more plausible that a former REA employee might have the prototype stuffed away in their garage somewhere. Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
A mostly similar variation has it that they shipped the unit via Railway Express Agency (remember REA??) and as the story goes, it was in transit when REA closed their doors unexpectedly and with no warning, went bankrupt. Steve On 5/9/23 11:47 AM, Sellam Abraham via cctalk wrote: On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 11:29 AM Brent Hilpert via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: Might note also that the Altair on/in the Pop Electronics issue is physically vastly different than what shipped, it's not even the same case. Yes. According to lore, that unit got lost in transit to Popular Electronics. My theories: 1) It actually did get lost in transit 2) MITS lied and said they sent it, but didn't, because they weren't ready with the prototype for the photoshoot and needed to buy more time to finish it 3) The UPS driver, being an aspiring if unscrupulous electronics and computer nerd, and tipped off as to what was in the package, "lost" it and took it home for himself To the extent that prototype is still out there, it would definitely be one of the few truly "holy grails" of the computer collecting hobby, along with the missing chunk of the Apple 1 prototype. Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
Ok thanks everyone for the clarification. 73 Eugene W2HX Subscribe to my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@w2hx/videos -Original Message- From: Brent Hilpert via cctalk Sent: Tuesday, May 9, 2023 2:29 PM To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts Cc: Brent Hilpert Subject: [cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question On 2023-May-09, at 11:08 AM, W2HX via cctalk wrote: > I see some altairs have a metal escutcheon on the bottom with the stylized > words "MITS ALTAIR 8800 COMPUTER" whereas others, the front panel is just the > dark faceplate top to bottom. What is the difference? Would one have been a > kit and the other sold fully assembled? Or maybe later units vs earlier units? I'm currently working on restoration of an 8800. On this unit, as Jonathan mentioned, the strip is glued/stuck on and some could easily be getting lost over the years. Might note also that the Altair on/in the Pop Electronics issue is physically vastly different than what shipped, it's not even the same case.
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 11:29 AM Brent Hilpert via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > Might note also that the Altair on/in the Pop Electronics issue is > physically vastly different than what shipped, it's not even the same case. Yes. According to lore, that unit got lost in transit to Popular Electronics. My theories: 1) It actually did get lost in transit 2) MITS lied and said they sent it, but didn't, because they weren't ready with the prototype for the photoshoot and needed to buy more time to finish it 3) The UPS driver, being an aspiring if unscrupulous electronics and computer nerd, and tipped off as to what was in the package, "lost" it and took it home for himself To the extent that prototype is still out there, it would definitely be one of the few truly "holy grails" of the computer collecting hobby, along with the missing chunk of the Apple 1 prototype. Sellam
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On 2023-May-09, at 11:08 AM, W2HX via cctalk wrote: > I see some altairs have a metal escutcheon on the bottom with the stylized > words "MITS ALTAIR 8800 COMPUTER" whereas others, the front panel is just the > dark faceplate top to bottom. What is the difference? Would one have been a > kit and the other sold fully assembled? Or maybe later units vs earlier units? I'm currently working on restoration of an 8800. On this unit, as Jonathan mentioned, the strip is glued/stuck on and some could easily be getting lost over the years. Might note also that the Altair on/in the Pop Electronics issue is physically vastly different than what shipped, it's not even the same case.
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
On 5/9/23 11:11, Jonathan Chapman via cctalk wrote: > Everyone lost the metal strip! It's sandwiched in between the trim of the > outer case and the dress panel. Some folks stuck it to the dress panel with > glue, double-sided tape, etc. Those are usually the machines which still have > the metal strip. > > Thanks, > Jonathan Yup, lost mine sometime in the 1980s. The stickum on the strip dried out pretty quickly. --Chuck
[cctalk] Re: Altair 8800 question
Everyone lost the metal strip! It's sandwiched in between the trim of the outer case and the dress panel. Some folks stuck it to the dress panel with glue, double-sided tape, etc. Those are usually the machines which still have the metal strip. Thanks, Jonathan --- Original Message --- On Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 at 14:08, W2HX via cctalk wrote: > > > I see some altairs have a metal escutcheon on the bottom with the stylized > words "MITS ALTAIR 8800 COMPUTER" whereas others, the front panel is just the > dark faceplate top to bottom. What is the difference? Would one have been a > kit and the other sold fully assembled? Or maybe later units vs earlier units? > > > 73 Eugene W2HX > Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@w2hx/videos
