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From: control@almsa-1 (William Martin)
Newsgroups: net.analog
Subject: Re: Analog query, sort of.
Message-ID: <197@almsa-1>
Date: Fri, 30-Aug-85 13:32:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: almsa-1.197
Posted: Fri Aug 30 13:32:44 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Sep-85 12:36:11 EDT
References: <2100001@uicsl> <404@uwmcsd1.UUCP>
Reply-To: control@almsa-1.UUCP (William Martin)
Organization: ALMSA-1, St. Louis, MO
Lines: 19

Re: Disposing of older computers -- (this example refers to a digital
computer, but it probably is applicable to the analog one in the
original inquiry) --

I fear that many older and larger computers can't even be given away
these days, except maybe to surplus houses which might buy one as scrap
for parts. I recall that when we were replacing our old IBM 360 with an
IBM 4341 some years back, IBM presented all sorts of charts and figures
that showed that it would cost us less to get the new model, including
all lease costs and associated costs, than what we were paying to just
*air-condition* the 360! The cost curve changes so steeply that old
computers can't even be cost-justified when they are "free"!

So, unless they are valuable as historic artifacts, or perform some
particular analog-oriented function better than a digital computer can,
I fear the old analog machines are going to end up as "experimenters'
specials" in parts bins at the electronics surplus houses.

Will