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Oldest computer
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In the April 23 issue, we put out a call to all faculty and staff to find the oldest, most obsolete personal computer still in regular use on campus. Our goal was to applaud those members of the UI community who have held their ground against the march of planned obsolescence, who stand by their old hardware in the face of vanishing operating systems, changing disk sizes, and mushrooming memory requirements. We rigorously combed through the mountain of entries we received. All three of them. And the winner is: Ken Phillips, professor of music education. His Kaypro 2X is a piece of history. In the wee years of the 1980s, this early portable computer was the machine to covet. It looks like a small blue suitcase made of steel, complete with a convenient carrying handle. To use it, you rest it on a table, unhook two latches, and remove the lid to reveal a tiny monochrome monitor. The keyboard is located on the inside of the lid. No hard disk. Just a pair of 5-1/4 inch floppy drives, one for your software and one for your data. Cool. “I still use it occasionally,” Phillips said. “I purchased it in 1984, one year after completing my dissertation. I was one of the last bunch that did the ‘cut and paste’ route for the thesis. “I have a number of files on the old computer that I use, and since it is a CPM drive, it can’t talk to my Mac. I wrote my first book on the Kaypro, and now the editor has requested a second edition. I still have the floppies. “A few years ago, the power pack went bad, and KD Engineering (in Iowa City) couldn’t get the part. I was fortunate enough to find an even older model that KD could break down. They also have been able to keep the printer going, which is a Kaypro letter-quality model. It makes a lot of noise. “At one time, Kaypro was taking out full-page ads in USA Today. They were on the cutting edge of computer technology. They are still a viable fine instrument company (Linear), but they were done in by the big giants in computer production. I still love my Kaypro!” Phillips’s entry was unbeatable, but honorable mentions go to: Doug Jones, professor of computer science, whose IBM RT has not been switched off since early in the Bush administration; and John Allen, academic counselor, whose IBM PS/2 takes two minutes and fifteen seconds to boot up. Congratulations to our winners. Now hand me that hammer and chisel so I can get back to my writing. by Sam Samuels |
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