The seller of a DEC PDP-8 on eBay recently updated the description to say that he has accepted an offer near his asking price of $18,000, pending receipt of funds. The “straight 8” is perhaps the most sought-after DEC model among collectors, and very few (if any) have been publicly sold. Assuming the accepted offer is somewhere between $15,000 and $17,000 (and that this is not a ploy on the seller’s part), I believe this would be a record price for a PDP-8 if the sale goes through. Does anyone know otherwise?
Category: News
Vintage Computer Festival Announces Southern US Venue
Southern vintage computer hobbyists now have their own Vintage Computer Festival. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday, August 7-8, 2010 at Nedderman Hall, University of Texas Arlington.
It is sponsored by the Museum of Information Technology at Arlington and
the University of Texas Arlington College of Engineering. No pricing has been set for exhibitors or attendees. They are looking for volunteers to help run the event, including exhibit manager, contest judges, registration manager, and speaker coordinator. Anyone interested in helping out or seeking more information may contact Gil Carrick at gilcarrick-at-gmail.com.
Claude Kagan’s Burroughs B-205 Lost in Fire
The barn where Claude Kagan founded RESISTORS, one of the first computer clubs, in the 1970s burned to the ground the morning of Dec. 3, 2009. The barn housed a number of vintage computers including a Symbolics 3670, a number of AT&T 3B2s, and most significantly, a Burroughs B-205 mainframe. According to posts on the Classic Computing mail list, everything is a total loss.
At 85, Claude is one of the few remaining pioneers of the early mainframe era. He created the SAM76 programming language. He was unhurt in the blaze, and his house was untouched.
The 9-ton Burroughs debuted in 1956 and was tube-based.
Classic Tech 