1956 LGP-30 computer -- with vacuum tubes and magnetic drum storage -- re-discovered in grandparents' basement, originally costing about €500K at todays prices. Plus some old PDP-8 modules. Wish I had had some grandparents like that 🙂 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/11/redditor-discovers-legendary-1956-computer-in-grandparents-basement/ #computing #history
@chrisjhorn around 1983/4 I was offered a retired PDP11 (ex CIE) and a Honeywell (Cara/Aer Lingus?) mini… they’d been donated the local vocational school. Wish I’d realised the scrap (gold) value. Could never have afforded the electricity to bootstrap either.
@gerardbyrne @chrisjhorn I worked on PDP 11/70s at a few places - they required 3-phase power and certainly warmed a room!
@gerardbyrne @chrisjhorn They would never have needed a gas boiler 😉
@peterwhisker @gerardbyrne I worked on multiple LSI-11s -- we couldn't afford anything bigger ;-)
@chrisjhorn @gerardbyrne Think I worked on most things from 11/05 RSX-11S up to the 11/93 and 11/94 RSX-11M-PLUS! Macro-11, device drivers, ACPs, RTL/2... What a life I must have missed 😃
@peterwhisker @chrisjhorn yup. Also as large as three adjacent wardrobes. My parents denied me three phase power all the way through adolescence. Never forgiven them. When I think of the potential….