On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 08:48:07AM -0800, Brad H wrote: > > Haha. I don't know if I'd call using all that iron to run Christmas lights > 'practical', though it is very cool. I'm just trying to get out of the home > computer collector mindset. We buy machines that can do all sorts of > things, especially games with graphics. And when we're done we can simply > move them aside or tuck them in a closet. A PDP with racks and all that, > not exactly portable. :) So I wondered what PDP guys did to keep interested > and how much they actually used the machine over the course of, say, a year. > >
For me it is really about the learning experience. And boy is there much to learn. It's very interesting to see what is different and was is similar between various operating systems and architectures (and decades). Learning the history makes you appreciate what you have and understand why some things are the way they are. Deaign decisions made 30-40 years ago that affect your every day life. I've dedicated my garage to the hobby. It's a mere 20 square meter so I can only fit about ten racks or so. /P
