[SunRescue] Tape drive

[James Fogg]

> > Speaking of VAXen, anybody in/around/near Austin interested in a couple
> > of MicroVAX IIs and some MicroVAX 2000s?  I've got a chance to rescue
> > these boxes, but I dont want them to languish in my garage for years.
> > 
> > Bill
> 


> Will someone please tell me why I can't find any of these on the east
> coast - sheesh!
> 

'Cause East Coast companies like to live on the bleeding edge. They dump their
platforms every 5 years (and the trained staff and software too). Every time I
lived/visited an economically/technically depressed area I found lots of old
iron chugging away. On the coasts I found that every time some IT director
wanted to play with the "latest and greatest" they would flush out all the
proven and functional stuff (and the "too slow to catch up older staff) and
replace it with stuff that needed years of tweaking and software/staff
development (thus ensuring the IT dudes job). When I lived in Central
Pennsylvania I designed hundreds of networks to carry good old Poll Select
and SNA / SDLC (and bisync too) over fast / cheap frame relay. For a little
investment in routing equipment they could take their old and proven platform
to frame relay. Since I moved back to the North East I haven't even seen a
S/390, AS/400 or a Unisys A series.

btw... There is a Vax of some flavor in Harrisburg PA that should be ready for
a new home by now. The local newspaper (the Patriot) was moving business off it.