I recently came across a challenge to print a holiday greeting card on a vintage computer, so I decided to make a card on a 1960s IBM 1401 mainframe. The IBM 1401 computer was a low-end business mainframe announced in 1959, and went on to become the most popular computer of the mid-1960s, with more than 10,000 systems in use. The 1401’s rental price started at $2500 a month (about $20,000 in current dollars), a low price that made it possible for even a medium-sized business to have a computer for payroll, accounting, inventory, and many other tasks. Although the 1401 was an early all-transistorized computer, these weren’t silicon transistors – the 1401 used germanium transistors, the technology before silicon. It used magnetic core memory for storage, holding 16,000 characters.
Some people have access to the coolest stuff.
Here’s a video of the card being printed:
https://youtu.be/5p5e_70711E
Thom Holwerda,
My friend collected an old mainframe that was being thrown away. He eventually threw it away too when he had to move.
They have sentimental value, but these things take a serious amount of space, aren’t practical at all, the mechanical parts aren’t easily replaced, no more media is available, would probably cost several times a new computer just to ship…
I’m happy reading about others doing cool stuff with them, but TBH other than conversation starting, I don’t think many of us would really find such a hobby enjoyable.
I’d sleep in a tent if it meant i could have an old mainframe in my house.
After spending all that money on a mainframe that doubles as a heating system for the whole house, you’d sleep outside?
Well, no. I’d be more inclined to hang a hammock between the tape drives and the CPU
Yep, that’d keep you warm right enough. Even better if you’re one of those that needs to have background noise to help you sleep. Now you’ve got a heater and a noise generator that can crunch numbers, just in case you wake up bored in the middle of the night.
Here’s what happened to one guy who bought a mainframe from eBay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45X4VP8CGtk
+1
Wow, that’s awesome and hilarious!
At $237, the university probably just wanted it gone. When universities do upgrades, they usually have a ton of old stuff to toss out of storage, most of which still works but has no market value. I’ve actually gotten a few things from university bins, stuff I wouldn’t have bought if it weren’t free, but still!
It makes me happy that this mainframe found a good home, although the flooding could pose a concern, especially when he goes to college and nobody’s home to watch over things because he said his parents don’t go in the basement, haha.
Edited 2017-12-11 18:21 UTC
And for those interested “whats in the beast” or what makes a mainframe, then here are couple of videos going deep into hardware tear down and you will start to appreciate the engineering in these systems. The cooling and the CPU-s are mind boggling. The systems are essentially becoming a scrap for many companies and instead of selling them, they tear it down to bare essentials and sell the raw materials instead. Sooo much copper and aluminum inside that those are worth much more than the whole thing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuXrsCqfCU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSrazG8DPUk
Edited 2017-12-11 21:03 UTC
I have a old Rigonda portable TV that uses germanium transistors in the high voltage circuits. Perhaps some of these electronics companies should think about using them again, they are certainly robust that’s for sure.
Not sure we should make it a goal to keep using our computers for decades.
But do let me know how your reasonably contemporary http://cdn2.knowyourmobile.com/sites/knowyourmobilecom/files/styles… phone is doing.
You never know, you could end up with a job in the military… https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/04/60-minutes-sh…
I’m pretty sure I want the computers running the local power station to not have to upgrade every few years.
Better yet be upgraded without a single second offline – thats what mainframes excel for. Deallocate one CPU from running any jobs, open the rack, pull that book out, put a new one in, and enable it for accepting the jobs. This way you can upgrade the whole mainframe (CPU, memory, power units, IO interfaces etc) while keeping the jobs running.
Edited 2017-12-12 12:38 UTC
Few years != Few decades
I’m pretty sure I want the computers running the local power station to not have to upgrade every few decades.
You feel proud?
I’m almost certain I need the PCs running the nearby power station to not need to update like clockwork. http://www.gurgaoncompanion.com