Dennis Boone wrote: If he is looking to buy a drive, there is one on epay now, that I was eyeing for parts. 8816272606 this is the scsi overland unit, which is pretty gentle with tapes which may be old, rather than trying to go a million miles an hour, like the bigger cipers, etc. Some others may be willing to take them and read them for him, which might be better than trying to assemble a tape reading capability just for a single set of tapes. Jim

On 5/23/2006 at 8:00 PM Brad Parker wrote: The problem with a lot of old Overland drives is that they're basically plastic wonders, where many of the heavy-duty units have at least some part of the chassis that's diecast. Normally, this wouldn't be too awful, but the plastic used on the Overland seems to age badly and break easily. I've had two not survive eBay shipping--no external signs of damage on units packed in styrofoam blocks, but one broken to smithereens and the other badly damaged (but repairable). Some of the Overlands will talk to a PC parallel port, however. If you need SCSI, one of the HP's or Ciphers are pretty good--and many of the HP's can tackle 800 bpi tapes, in addition to the 1600 and 6250 densitites But in the sub-200 lb. category, if you're willing to go with a Pertec interface, the Fujitsu open-reel drives are hard to beat for being nearly indestructible. Sun used them extensively. I understand that there existed a SCSI interface card for the Fuji M2444, but I've never seen one, nor heard of anyone actually using one. Cheers, Chuck

On 5/24/2006 at 12:04 PM Richard wrote: OT on the matter of packing: Just as bad are those self-inflating urethane foam packets. Yes, they can secure an item from moving around--if properly placed, which rarely happens. On the other hand, I've used sheets of styrofoam building insulation to pack delicate objects, firmly encasing them and not allowing any motion at all. In my experince, damage most often occurs to an item being shipped when the item can move even a small amount in the container. Sometimes, adequately bracing and securing the item can eliminate the need for any filler material (anyone remember excelsior?) at all. Styrofoam peanuts are okay, as long as they're contained in a bag. I've got equipment that has peanuts lodged in inaccessible (at least without complete disassembly) places. Another disaster are those cornstarch-based peanuts. Fine when dry, but if they get wet, they turn to a sloppy mess and offer no protection at all. Cheers, Chuck

In article <200605241130410812.52012EFF at 10.0.0.252>, "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> writes: Yeah, I don't trust the average ebay dufus with those. While this is true for many things, like most general rules of thumbs there are exceptions. I was shipped a Heathkit Z89 terminal and it was securely fastened and didn't move a bit during packing. However, this just meant that the g-forces were transmitted straight through to the three plastic mounting posts on the CRT in the enclosure resulting in them being sheared off due to the g-force shocks. Had the thing been wrapped in bubble wrap and enclosed in peanuts I doubt this would have happened because the force wouldn't be spiking through the enclosure to the heavy CRT tube. Or if the item is in a bag. I hadn't thought about that, good point. -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline"-- code samples, sample chapter, FAQ: <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/> Pilgrimage: Utah's annual demoparty <http://pilgrimage.scene.org>

Patrick Finnegan wrote: you mean like these don'ts: 1. Don't pack items with spray foam, without first putting the item being shipped into a plastic bag. 2. Don't expect office tape (scotch tape) to hold a box together. 3. Sticks, bark, and rocks don't make good packing material. 4. Don't try to eat those corn-starch peanuts. They really don't taste very good. or these do's 1. Use double walled boxes for larger/expensive items. 2. Insure expensive items. 3. Expect the package to be dropped from the roof of a building, and pack it accordingly. The more expensive the item. the taller the building.

On 5/25/06, woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> wrote: I've said this here before, but it's in context - I was told by a friend who worked at UPS that there's a conveyor belt at the central UPS depot in Columbus that is 3'-4' off the ground and moves at 30 mph - stuff falls off every day. He said to pack your stuff as if it were going to be flung from a moving car - because it might. -ethan

At 10:55 PM 5/24/06 -0700, you wrote: I beg to differ. I use FedEx ground almost everyday and I've never seen them pick up or deliver ANYTHING in a RPS truck. I also frequently drop packages at the local FedEx office and there are always trucks there but I've never seen a RPS truck there. Futhermore I recently shipped a DEC disk to Richard and the package was damaged and FedEx repacked it imporperly so when Richard got it the shock indicator was showing red. I filed a claim with FedEx and they paid the claim in about two weeks with no problems or quibbling what so ever. They even refunded the shipping costs. Try to get that out of USPS or UPS! I had them That's an interesting idea. How big/heavy a package will they take? The warehouse that I use is directly across the street from an Amtrak station so that might be VERY handy. Joe

Woodelf wrote... Actually, the Museum of Transportation here in St. Louis is a 100% train museum. I is REALLY nice and well worth visiting when you're here. Back on topic - you will find shipping large things MUCH cheaper if you drop the last leg off each end of the journey - in other words, drop off the item at the freight terminal instead of them picking it up at your house, and have the recipient pick up the item at his freight terminal instead of them delivering it. This saves a VERY large percentage of the shipping price if you have a shipper that will do terminal to terminal shipping. I had one package go from $400 shipping to $75 shipping because of this. Jay

On 5/25/2006 at 9:04 AM Joe R. wrote: That's because FedEx bought RPS, and retired the aging fleet. On the matter of the destroyed tuba (it had to have been dropped from quite a distance to sustain the damage it did)--they essentially gave me the run-around for almost a year (while keeping the damaged goods and further damaging it). When confronted about the delaying tactics, they pleaded organizational problems (we closed the customer service office in your area and the records are a mess). Maybe they've improved since that time, but the only way I got my money back was to file a small-claims action against the packaging outfit. I don't know if Fedex ever paid the claim. Now Fedex express service (not the green logo trucks, but the blue logo trucks) is exemplary. They've always paid off on claims promptly, are courteous, and appear to handle things carefully. I'm a loyal customer there. But for bulk packages, I don't see a lot of difference between Fedex Green and UPS. In my area, I actually get better service from the UPS personnel. Cheers, Chuck

On Thursday 25 May 2006 05:04 am, Joe R. wrote: That's because they've re-painted all of the RPS trucks withthe fedex paint-job... We have one of their shipping distribution facilities in the area, in Lewisberry, York County (PA). -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin

In article <200605241701.13332.pat at computer-refuge.org>, Patrick Finnegan <pat at computer-refuge.org> writes: This hasn't been true for any of the CRTs/terminals I've had shipped to me and I'm pretty sure they are all heavier than 20 lbs. The problem with securing everything tight is that you're then conducting all the shocks straight into the equipment. Some of it can handle it. Some of it can't. Anything with a plastic enclosure and heavy items inside it like CRTs is not something I'd trust to having the g-forces directly conducted to the equipment. The peanuts shouldn't migrate unless you leave open space in the box. -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline"-- code samples, sample chapter, FAQ: <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/> Pilgrimage: Utah's annual demoparty <http://pilgrimage.scene.org>

In article <200605242244.31058.pat at computer-refuge.org>, Patrick Finnegan <pat at computer-refuge.org> writes: Well, the best way to ship it is clearly in the original packing material. But honestly, unless the item is NIB, that doesn't happen even 5% of the time. I'm fairly certain that the delivery agencies that have brought stuff to my house don't purposely treat the peanut packed items with care and the other stuff with disregard. I'm betting that they all received equal treatment. Stuff packed with block styrofoam always had more voids and "give" in the items that arrived and some have arrived damaged. Those that have been sent wrapped in bubblewarap and placed in a box with all voids packed with at least 3" of peanuts have arrived in perfect condition. My assertions about "best" packing methods are based entirely on my experience with what I've recieved and are not theoretical. My sample is fairly large, being more than 20 but less than 100 items shipped. (I haven't bothered to calculate an exact count.) Your experience may vary and of course no matter what the packing method if the packer is a dufus that doesn't take any care in packing, then the method of packing doesn't matter. Weak boxes. Used boxes. Voids in the box. Little or no padding. Weak taping of seams. etc. -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline"-- code samples, sample chapter, FAQ: <http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/> Pilgrimage: Utah's annual demoparty <http://pilgrimage.scene.org>

Try nosing around here: http://www.retroarchive.org/cpm/cdrom/FOG/ On 5/24/2006 at 8:57 PM Gene Buckle wrote:

On Thursday 25 May 2006 12:24 am, Gene Buckle wrote: :-) Nice thing is, he also pointed _me_ to that site, which I hadn't seen before. I've gotta see if I can find the time to go into there and do some digging... -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin

Chuck Guzis wrote: Bingo! Thanks Chuck! g.

On 5/24/2006 at 9:33 PM Gene Buckle wrote: Given that we're asking "why", I was wondering about the state of things that clearly weren't public domain or shareware and placing them in a public archive. For example, I've got a few CD's from an outfit called i-Mode, called "Developer Source"--basically a compendium of source code from a whole mess of computer magazines. I take it that said source is still under copyright and must be squirreled away until about 2080. Am I right? Will the CD last that long? Will there still be CD readers in 2080? How about some of the old subscription disk publications, like Big Blue Disk? Fair game to publicly archive or not? That GW-BASIC manual as well as several other publications would still be under copyright--has Microsoft given its consent to republish old manuals? Cheers, Chuck

If the material is no longer available commercially and the material is at least 10 years old then I would put it on line. In those rare circumstances where I know the whereabouts of the rights holder, I will take the effort to ask permission first. If denied, then the material never hits the site. I also hold the policy that if the legitimate rights holder contacts me and asks for the material to be removed, I'll do so immediately. This has (if my memory hasn't failed completely) happened only once. In order to save software & documentation for old platforms, it may be necessary to take the stance that it's easier to apologize afterwards than ask permission before hand. g.

There are several sites that sell Heathkit docs, either originals, paper copies, or pdf files. I've been told that Heathkit has on occasion hassled people selling copies. Heathkit will sell you their authorized copies but they're pretty expensive. For example, I was quoted $45 + $7.50 for the ET-3400 (micro trainer) manual. See their web page for contact information. I later got a pdf copy and even better found a working unit with manual for $20 at a local flea market. (yes, I'm bragging) Jim __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

CP/M 68k: Users guide, system guide, programmer's guide, and C programmer's guide. GEMDOS Tech. reference, version 8 Lisp80, muMath/muSimp, muLisp/muStar and Algol 60. I found my copy of the bios listing for CP/M v2.2.04 for the H89. Is it available already? I also have "CLIBRARY v3.2a" for C/80 documentation. Many thanks to Mr. Stenzel(sp?) for sending those to me. g.

At 09:44 PM 5/24/2006, Patrick Finnegan wrote: Which is why I like the box-within-a-box method. Support the inner box with spare foam (so the box doesn't shift, and such that the foam won't shift) as well as spare peanuts or other material to give some support to the other spaces. Double-wall boxes (like from many tube monitors and some PCs) are great for the outer box, too - but we do realize that our market for big tube monitor boxes will fade over time, too, as LCDs dominate. A good, sturdy box makes all the difference. Kept in dry conditions, they last a long time. I once had a 20+ year-old Terak shipped to me in the original boxes. They still looked brand-new and shipped well. A box gets some of its inner strength from edge-to-edge integrity. I like to be sure that the flaps meet precisely, then tape them down well. Lots of good-quality shipping tape, covering every flap seam. I repeat a mantra I learned when packing up endless boxes of crap after trade shows: packing tape is cheap insurance. - John