[rescue] Odd SBUS cards - anyone want?

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Mon, 3 Apr 2006, Aaron Finley wrote:

> To: The Rescue List <rescue at sunhelp.org>
> 
>> Why would you even bother putting an SS2 on eBay?  I have a whole
>> stack of these things... they're going in the dumpster.
>
> For that matter, I just threw away 3 Ultra 2s. Not worth anything
> anymore..

Such an interesting topic for the rescue list, you two!  Do we post
about overturning Rowe v. Wade and women's sufferage on soc.feminism as
well?

I certainly hope that by "threw away" you meant "gave away".  Ultra 2
systems are as capable as they ever were (which is to say "damn
capable") and would easily be an upgrade (or useful as spares) for many
small businesses running Suns.  An Ultra 2 is neither the slowest Sun I
use at home, nor the slowest Sun I have in production a work (a very
busy semiconductor design firm).

In fact, until just last week, $ork had engineers -using- Ultra 2
systems to great productivity in designing microprocessors.  Those
systems  were only upgraded because they needed additional screen real
estate for schematic capture.  If we could fit a second C3D into an
Ultra 2, the systems would otherwise have been just fine.

I just gave away 13 Ultra 2 systems.  One went to a college student in
Canada who is studying computer science and couldn't afford a real
computer.  The other 12 went to help get an ISP started in Louisiana,
which will bring cheap (ie: break-even) Internet access to an
impoverished and isolated rural parish.  I can assure you of three
things:

   1) Every one of those systems was a severe upgrade of what the user
      had and could afford before (nothing).
   2) Every one of those systems was appreciated.
   3) Every one of those systems has a long useful life ahead of it.

But, if you're only interested in the monetary value of things, yeah
they're complete crap.  That doesn't change the degree to which it's
inconsiderate to brag about stuffing the landfill with useful equipment
on a list diametrically opposed to that concept.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke   )   "Let me hear you make decisions
Elgin, TX          (     without your television."
USA                 )        --Depeche Mode, "Stripped"