[geeks] Re: WOOHOO!!

[Dave McGuire]

On Sunday, October 27, 2002, at 09:46 AM, Michael Thompson wrote:
> I just got a DEC 2020 KS10 to boot from the diagnostic tape. It's got 
> more
> than twice as many bits as the 11/70. It has a LOT less boards than the
> 11/70 though and is a LOT less tricky. I had to fix the vacuum column 
> tape
> drives, memory, power supply, etc. Now I am learning how to fix SMD 
> disk
> drives with massbus interfaces. I had to rewire the RP06 disk drive 
> from
> 3-phase to single phase 220VAC. Yup, 20A 220VAC power for a 170 MB disk
> drive.

   My former boss has three nonfunctional 2020s sitting rotting in a 
warehouse in Maryland.  One day I'll try to talk him out of one, now 
that I know whose brain to pick to get it working! ;) They seem like 
interesting machines, architecturally speaking, but I've never played 
with one.

>  Lots of people ask me why I am doing this.

   I try not to associate with those sorts of people, because they just 
*don't get it*.

   If you perceive any of these people to be of some value, try to 
present it to them this way.  Ask them to try to come up with ANY 
aspect of life that hasn't been improved by the advent of electronic 
data processing.  I guarantee you they won't be able to come up with 
anything real.  Then tell them that, every day, bits and pieces of the 
history of that field, its history, and its technology are being lost 
because of some twisted idea that "non state of the art" means 
"obsolete" which further means "useless".  See if they understand then.

   Or perhaps ask them if they've ever known anyone to restore, 
preserve, and study a very old car, old furniture, old watches, even 
paintings.  Plenty of people do that...THAT won't seem so weird to 
them, I'll bet.

       -Dave

--
Dave McGuire                  "Mmmm, big."
St. Petersburg, FL                -Den