I’m considering to run another retronetworking exhibit at Classic Computing 2024, after our exhibit there last year. Is anyone else willing to co-host the exhibit again? Last year I fell ill so it was a lot of burden on @manawyrm - let’s hope this year I’m able to take more shifts at the event itself.
I’ve meanwhile bought a number of “Aufsteller” (those stand-up displays for one A4 page providing information about an exhibit).
Things that we need to improve upon, IMHO:
more things to demo, like a local BBS?
a solution (with 5G router or the like) to avoid dependency on potentially crappy internet connectivity at the event
maybe less exhibits, but more things to demo?
make sure we submit our exhibit descriptions in time to be part of the catalogue
My thinking is along the lines of:
ISDN video phones [again]
maybe two fax machines [even G4?] so people can send Faxes from A to B?
Modem + RIPterm setup to remote BBS
Modem + TELIX setup for [local, in case of internet trouble?] ANSI-BBS
A BTX-Terminal?
A few ancient analog phones, maybe at different locations at the venue, each with a small printed directory of numbers that one can call?
An accoustic coupler
having a flyer that people can take with them on the project and how to connect
So far sadly nobody has followed-up. It would definitely be much more fun to do this in a team, as opposed to having to carry, set-up, operate and demonstrate all of it alone. I’d really appreciate some assistance. Thanks!
Before there are no answers here at all, I at least wanted to give some feedback at all.
I would basically like to help, but September is already pretty full for me this year
Hi, will you definitely be there? When would you arrive? In principle, I could come too. But I would probably need an introduction to the exhibits myself before I could explain anything about them.
I will definitely attend [assuming no last minute serious health issues, natural disasters, etc. of course]. Arrival is scheduled for September 26th, departure 29th.
Regarding arrival/departure times: I cannot say for sure, as it’s about 7 hours of driving one-way and there can be many causes for delays. But the goal would be to arrive 26th at some point in the afternoon and depart no later than lunch time on the 29th.
Thanks for offering to help - and we can certainly have a call or the like beforehand to make sure you have some background on the exhibits. Help would also be appreciated if it was just during some of the days.
If its needed and someone has fun to play with it, i can pack my HiPath 3500 (with PRI, BRI, SysTel, Analog…) or my AGFEO AS200IT (also with PRI, BRI, Analog) in my car. But i have no planned exhibition there!
so, both I and the full collection has returned safely from CC2024 earlier this week. A big thanks to @zeflo for his help with setup/teardown and manning/running the exhibit!
I’ve had excellent conversations with many people, both VzEkC members as well as [sometimes quite knowledgeable!] visitors.
Some note-worthy things [that I still recall]:
another exhibitor brought a MINITEL terminal and an Apple II with software to emulate a MINITEL server. We connected all three to analog ports of the AUCM2 and he could manage to get his setup working. I’ve also never seen a portable MINITEL 5 before (Laptop form-factor with LCD screen). This was brought by ntrs_france.
@hans.huebner exhibited a number of different terminals and occasionally connected to our setup via modem. We also tried to make any of his three accoustic couplers work, but it seemed even at 2400bps, the PM would not hand-shake, at least not in the noisy exhibition hall with lots of background sounds. We used a FeTAp 611-2 with the accoustic couplers.
An elderly couple passed by, and the [presumed] husband indicated his [presumed] wife was once doing software R&D for EWSD. It was at BOSCH back then, and she didn’t recall many details; she worked on a “monitor” program for a M68k CPU. The development environment (including CHILL compiler) was on Siemens BS2000, contradicting statements in literature that Siemens never used their own mainframes and instead IBM System 370 for software development of EWSD.
An elderly gentlemen identified himself as former Bundespost technician and stated he was working extensively on EDS / Datex-L network side, including setting up DUST-D and DUST-U (see my Datex-L talk). No big news here, it was just good to talk to somebody with first-hand experience of that technology.
I gave a German talk on how to keep ISDN alive, explaining a bit about the EWSD rescue, showing pictures, …
we showed a young local TV reporter the 7E Talking Head, giving her an idea how live video reporting from difficult environments like the Iraq War 2003 was done.
Another VzEkC member brought an ancient W49 telephone (which he never used); it had no wiring so we quickly attached a wire and integrated it into our exhibit.
As usual, the modem handshake sounds and analog phone ring was the biggest attention magnet for visitors
The internet connection was more reliable than at CC2023. Nevertheless, we only used the local portmaster telnet’ing out to public BBSs, and didn’t set up OCTOI.
We couldn’t demo the amazing RIPscrip artwork that used to be made available by the Searchlight instance/port of Acid Underworld as it was down. Not sure if that’s a general development, or if it was related to the co-inciding hurricane in Florida, where the BBS is located. EDIT: It seems the SysOp passed away
For the next exhibit, I think we should consider some improvments, like
bring a very large screen and simply use a BBS (or show a screen recording of doing that in endless loop?)
do something more useful than just dialing into BBSs? Maybe prepare a demo/guide how to use some door game?
find or create a demo BBS with proper RIPscrip artwork.
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