Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site unicus.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!yetti!unicus!emc
From: emc@unicus.UUCP (Eric M. Carroll)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: IBM 1130 Nostalgia
Message-ID: <478@unicus.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 3-Feb-87 02:26:08 EST
Article-I.D.: unicus.478
Posted: Tue Feb  3 02:26:08 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 3-Feb-87 22:46:28 EST
References: <504@PSUECLA> <1029@phred.UUCP>
Reply-To: emc@unicus.UUCP (Eric M. Carroll)
Organization: Unicus Corporation, Toronto, Ont, Canada
Lines: 27
Keywords: IBM 1130, assembly line
Summary: Replaced by Commodore 4032 PETs


I can't resist...

    Back in the 1130's dying days (late 70s), I encountered one at Thornlea 
SS outside of Toronto. The school board had several for student and
administrative use. They were a fun machine. I believe their sucess was
due to the fact that they were indestructable - minimal air conditioning, no
fancy machine room. My father's company attempted to run a subsidiary in the
60's with 1130s as phototypesetters. They went bankrupt. Anyway, around
82 I visited IBM's main Toronto assembly line. They built System/3 and
terminals, I believe. Lo and behold, at every assembly station, there was
an 1130! Apparently, they had quite a few 1130s all assigned to dedicated
hardware debuggers/quality control duties. The assembly line person would
build the System/3, then attach it to an 1130 for its checkout. Sorta sad
to see them all underused like that.
    In 83, I heard that the York Region Board of Education had sold one of
its 1130s, with line printer, hard disk, 8k, and the fast card reader with
mark sense abilities, for a sum of $25. No joke. The Commodore 4032 PETs
they had been buying since they came out had 32k core and twice the disk 
capacity, at a fraction of the size and price. Ah well. It sure would make
a nice basement play-toy, though...

	Eric Carroll
	Unicus Corporation, 
	Toronto Ont.
	{utzoo!utcs!yetti, seismo!mnetor}!unicus!emc
	maybe soon: emc@unicus.com (Any ARPA sites with x.25 out there?)