TABLE OF CONTENTS Once upon a time there were these three computer collectors stop me if you've heard this one.
Oh sure, for a few hundred dollars you can get older Alpha 64-bit systems or Intel-based 32-bit systems that will run OpenVMS or Linux, but consider that many companies (and even some users) are trading up to the latest hardware every 18 months or less. Rather than just throwing out this older equipment, owners would rather give it to a good home, knowing someone could use older hardware for learning purposes or for user groups. IT professionals have a lot of guilt about getting rid of perfectly good "old" equipment, so you should make it known at local computer user group meetings that you need/collect/will work on older equipment. Seek and you will find. Knock and someone might open the back door of a loading dock for you!
You have gone to a Saturday sale, gotten a call from an IT friend, or had someone at the back door of a corporate office offering you used equipment. After you negotiate your final deal for the gear, you find yourself driving home, pleased that you now have in your personal collection equipment that someone once paid thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars for, and you have now obtained this equipment for the cost of a tank of gas (or less).
Of course, as you're driving home you realize that if it's...
