"Mark Metzler wrote:
I was in WalMart last night, and I swung by the Electronics area. I was curious as to how much a replacement drive would cost me for my PC at home, which has a 17gb drive in it. They had a 80gig drive sitting on the shelf next to the surge suppressors for $70. Never mind that it comes with the software to copy everything to the new drive. So I stood there trying to do the math on what it would cost to equate that volume of storage with ST506 drives at $1995.00 a pop. My head started hurting, so I rounded the ST506 to $2000.
It would take 16,000 ST506’s to reach the memory of the drive in WalMart (again sitting on the shelf, not behind a locked cabinet).
At $2000.00 a pop, it would cost me $32,000,000.00.
Now that would have been a nice sale, but would have been stolen by Jim Scharffe or Mike Daniel.
Here is another perspective. If stacked on top of one another, they would be as tall as a 667 story building.
If from sea level, they would stack high enough to top the tallest building in Downtown Denver.
If sold with a cabinet and power supply, Josef Rabinowitz would be retired. "
"Ohmigod! I'm reminded of when I worked for Heath Kline at Priority One Electronics in Chatsworth...and before that for Galaxy Computers in Woodland Hills when the Commodore 64 was introduced! We thought it huge compared to the Timex Sinclair...."
"We both have been into computers since 1970's & currently own 6 OSBORNE's in working condition. Although we use DOS now, we miss cpm & how actually FAST it was compared to Windows. We miss dBase. Append as well instead of Access now. We still have data on 5 1/4" discs we need to put into the dos machines we use now.
Sorry to hear you are leaving the business - we certainly hope you find a buyer who will keep the collection intact!
Best to you & your wonderful efforts!"
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SYSTEM WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VINTAGE COMPUTER SYSTEMS
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO
THE FREEMAN PC MUSEUM
Welcome to The Freeman PC Museum collection. The following is a complete list of vintage computer systems in the museum. Feel free to scroll through the list, view details of the system, see related links and advertisements, and join in on the mini forums for each of the systems.
The following list is complete. If you are searching for a particular model, manufacturer, or a list of computers from a particular year, use the "Search" form on the left. Thank you again for visiting The Freeman PC Museum, and enjoy.
Apple announced the Apple IIe January of 1983 as an enhanced version of the Apple II+. The Platinum edition started shipping in 1987. The Apple II family of computers definitely had a nice long run. This particluar Apple IIe is now part of a computer museum and no longer in our collection.
Apple IIc introduced in 1979 as an improved compact version of the Apple IIe. Features 128Kb RAM, built-in floppy disk drive, 80 columns text display and optional monitor. Uses DOS 3.3, QuickDraw in ROM and ProDOS. This particluar Apple IIc is now part of a computer museum and no longer in our collection.
In June of 1979 the Apple II Plus replaced the Apple II and added AppleSoft Basic and enhanced graphics capability. The II Plus was replaced by the Apple IIe
Apple II introduced in April 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire. This system has a Versa PROM burner and a Videx keypad. Features 6502 cpu, 4Kb RAM, built-in color graphics and (8) Apple II bus expansion slots. First software included Breakout and Pong. The Apple II took off and became one of the most successful computers of its time. Apple II was replaced by the Apple II Plus that shipped significantly more than the Apple II. Note: This item is no longer part of our collection as it has been sent to a new PC museum for display.
The PC 1640 replaced Amstrad's Model PC 1512. It had more RAM and improved graphics. Features 8086 cpu, dual 5.25" floppy drive and 640K RAM. Also was marketed in US with limited success.
IMS Associates, founded by Bill Millard, introduced the IMSAI 8800 in 1977. Designed to compete with the Altair 8800 using the S-100 bus with an improved power supply. Achieved early success and took marketshare from Altair. Imsai followed up this system with several more but never had the same popularity as the 8080.
I have IMSAI serial # 174 that I purchased in Sept of 1975. I later added Don Tarbell's cassette card a VDM-1 card and a Processor Tech 3P+S The keyboard was a hack from an old unknown computer. I used a Friden Flexowriter for my printer. It was built on an IBM Executive typewriter and included a reader-punch. My first copy of Microsoft Basic is 1.1 and was shipped from Albuquerque.
Later I added a North Star 5in floppy system and then an 8 inch CPM system to it.
Also I have a NNC Z80 system.
I still have all the original manuals, including the revisions as they came out.
All still work.
Thanks
Don Dodge
A500 introduced in 1987 by Commodore as a low cost replacement for the A1000. Features 68000 cpu, 512K RAM, and OCS chipset. O/S was upgraded to v. 1.3. The A500 really put Commodore on the map.
Amiga 1000 was introduced in July 1985. It became an instant hit with computer animators due to its improved GUI interface. Features video up to 4096 colors,(2) 3.5" floppy disk drives (880K) and 4-channel stereo sound. This system is now part of a computer museum and no longer in our collection.
