MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



That's because we are relatively new.  We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo

discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an

informal club in the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in

the year.  Now it's 2006 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a

web site which is VERY under contruction.  It's at both www.midatlanticretro.org

and www.marchclub.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Learning Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making slow but steady progress

on that.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event will be the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) will be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the InfoAge

facility.  We also participate in the Trenton Computer Festival every April.

Once we make it through the VCF event, we'll start planning other events such as

a swap meet, regional gatherings, and perhaps a road trip.  We also offer an

online inventory database to help you (and us) keep track of our collections.



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; technologyrewind.com, and many, many, many others.  (If

you're interested in specific machines, just post your question to our

discussion list and we can refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

Evan Koblentz (prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef (treasurer),

and John Allain (web/museum helper-outer).  The five of us take care of

logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  As of spring 2006, we have three or four dozen

paid members, and 100+ on our discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And moreover,

unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

Does anyone know where i can get a cheap IBM 5150 or

same type case..



Adept used to make IBM clones and used the same type

case. In fact I remember a lot of companies making HD

units with the same type case.



I want to build a new PC (new Mobo, etc) in the retro

case. I have two 5150s, but I don't have the heart to

kill a working vintage computer. (or even a broken

one, I would rather restore it)









      

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. 

http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

I have spare cases with power supplies, but they're being saved for

restoration purposes only.  I also have some motherboards, but I have not

put them together.

Bill



> Does anyone know where i can get a cheap IBM 5150 or

> same type case..

>

> Adept used to make IBM clones and used the same type

> case. In fact I remember a lot of companies making HD

> units with the same type case.

>

> I want to build a new PC (new Mobo, etc) in the retro

> case. I have two 5150s, but I don't have the heart to

> kill a working vintage computer. (or even a broken

> one, I would rather restore it)

>

>

>

>

>      

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

> Looking for last minute shopping deals?

> Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

> http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

>

>

>

> Yahoo! Groups Links

>

>

>

>

Yea.. Thats why I am looking for the clones..



There uses to be companies that made pretty much exact

looking clones.



oh well no rush.





--- billdeg@... wrote:



> I have spare cases with power supplies, but they're

> being saved for

> restoration purposes only.  I also have some

> motherboards, but I have not

> put them together.

> Bill

>

> > Does anyone know where i can get a cheap IBM 5150

> or

> > same type case..

> >

> > Adept used to make IBM clones and used the same

> type

> > case. In fact I remember a lot of companies making

> HD

> > units with the same type case.

> >

> > I want to build a new PC (new Mobo, etc) in the

> retro

> > case. I have two 5150s, but I don't have the heart

> to

> > kill a working vintage computer. (or even a broken

> > one, I would rather restore it)

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

> > Looking for last minute shopping deals?

> > Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

> >

>

http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

> >

> >

> >

> > Yahoo! Groups Links

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>







      

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page.

http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

A woman I know is getting rid of a working Apple Mac

LC II.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh_LC



Anyone want it, please let me know..



Thanks







      

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better friend, newshound, and

know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 

http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated 3/30/2006



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

I personally find this cool, some may not.



The guy who did this is in Brooklyn NY



http://www.nycresistor.com/2008/01/13/24th-anniversary-macintosh/





      

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page.

http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)

MARCH frequently asked questions -- last updated early 2008



1. What is MARCH?



MARCH is a user group for people who enjoy using antique/vintage computers.  Our

name is an acronym for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists.  Our club's legal

name has an "Inc." on the end because we're incorporated as a non-profit group.



2. I'm a nerd and live somewhere between Connecticut and Virginia, yet I never

heard of you before.



We began in early 2005 as a Yahoo discussion group

(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midatlanticretro/), became an informal club in

the springtime, and didn't become a legal entity until late in the year.  Now

it's 2008 and our ship is moving at full-steam!  We also have a (simple) web

site at www.midatlanticretro.org.



3. So I have to live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the U.S. to join?



Nope.  That description just conveys where our members and activities are

concentrated.  In fact, we have members from around the country.  We have a few

more in the extremes of New Hampshire, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas.  But as I

said, we're mostly in a triangle between Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and

Washington, D.C. ... our physical home is on the New Jersey shore.



4. Physical home?  Huh?



That's right, we have a home of sorts.  Our home is the InfoAge Science Center

(www.infoage.org) which is a non-profit science museum currently under

construction.  MARCH is one of several groups residing there, and our job is to

run a computer museum on the premises.  We are making steady progress on that. 

We're currently open in "beta" mode and we're planning a grand opening for the

fall of 2008.  Our initial exhibits will be: Computing of the Region; Computing

of the Military; Microcomputers; and a "Best of the Rest" to show off our

collection aspects which aren't yet ready for full exhibits.  We'll also have a

special exhibit area for our members to show their personal collections.



5. What else does MARCH do?



Lots of fun stuff.  The most visible thing we do is maintain our Yahoo

discussion group.  Activity-wise, our flagship event is the Vintage

Computer Festival East.  Our first edition of that hobbyist convention (and the

third VCF East event overall) was in May 2006 at the InfoAge facility.  VCF East

4.0 was conducted in June 2007.  VCF East 5.0 will be in late summer or early

fall 2008 (to be deterined).  We also participate in the Trenton Computer

Festival every April, and in the HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference, plus

other minor events as they come up.  In addition we offer an online inventory

database to help you (and us) keep track our collections, but we need to be more

active in using that ... you can help!



6. Okay, this all sounds interesting.  So by "antique/vintage" do you mean my

old Pentium II?



No, we mean your old Altair, Apple II, Commodore, DEC PDP-8, Epson HX-20,

HP-1000, IBM PC, KIM-1... we could go through the alphabet a couple times but we

think you get the idea by now.  We're interested in truly antique computers, not

merely "used" computers.



7. I still don't get it.  Where can I learn more about what's antique/vintage?



Many places.  Pick up a copy of the book "Collectible Microcomputers" by Michael

Nadeau.  Or for non-micro aspects, go online.  Heck, go online anyway.  Check

out the classiccmp.org mailing lists; the Vintage Computer Festival

(vintage.org); vintage-computer.com/vcforum, vintagecomputermarketplace.com,

old-computers.com; and many, many, many others.  (If you're interested in

specific machines, just post your question to our discussion list and we can

refer you to the best sites.)



8. What's behind the scenes of this wacky endeavor?



We have some de facto officers; an official set of bylaws and all that boring

stuff is being worked on... we're just so busy having fun that we keep

procrastinating.  The officers (i.e., those who were suckered into the gig) are

myself (Evan Koblentz - prez), Bill Degnan and Andy Meyer (VPs), Jim Scheef

(treasurer), and John Allain / Bryan Pope (general helper-outers).  The six of

us take care of logistical crap so the members can have fun with everything

else.



9. Members, hmm, is it like just you and two buddies?



We're much bigger than that!  We have dozens of paid members, and 150+ on our

discussion list.



10. Uh-oh, you said 'paid'... is that the catch?



Sort of.  We realized early on that running a real club takes some money.  To

help raise money, we ask members for a $20 donation or a board-approved

alternative.  For now, alternatives include giving us good-quality folding

tables, doing some kind of work for our club which we'd otherwise have to pay

for, or being a minor. Anyway, this $20 situation is supposed to be a one-time

deal, but in real life, it may become an annual deal.  But fear not: nobody *

has to * contribute anything.  We offer some perks from time to time for the

paid members, but anyone can still participate in our group.  Basically we're a

lot like shareware -- if you like what we do, then please help us pay our bills.

Of course, donations larger than $20 are always welcome, as are donations of

antique computers and various supplies for our museum.



11. So the club is entirely member-supported?



We raise money in other ways as well.  For example, in the past we've rented

some antique computers to film companies as props, and we hope to make a few

dollars from hosting the Vintage Computer Festival and other events.  In our

museum, we'll also sell t-shirts and such.



12. I have some other question not on this FAQ.



Okay.  Tell us what it is.  Do so again by posting to our message boards or

pinging me (evan@...) ... ask us anything, we're not shy!  (And

moreover, unlike some computer clubs, we're not cliquey.  All are welcome here!)



13. What else should I know before diving in to MARCH?



If you're a nerd who thinks really old computers and their related technologies

were cool, then give MARCH a chance.  You'll be glad you did.  Also, if you were

wondering, we're NOT a bunch of old farts who sit around and whine about how

much better things used to be.  Quite the contrary: we're a lot of young and

mid-life farts who ... ooooh maybe we said too much.  :)