Fun fact

[mikefamig]

Who remembers worrying if your files stored on a floppy disk were gong to still be there when you needed them? Well I just copied some files from five 3.5" floppies created in 1994 and they were still readable. I used an IBM laptop PC with a 12" LCD screen. You just can't kill those old IBM laptops.
 
The files were an old (DOS) TurboC compiler that I used to use and some old .com DOS commands  that I wrote back then. Funny thing is that I completely forgot how to code C and can't even read my own code. I may just see if I can get it running when the snow flies and I get cabin fever.
 
Mike.

 

[pete_c]

Here was still using one of the last IBM laptops made (T something or another) for my weather station server.  It was in the wiring closet on the shelf with the LCD folded down.
 
Just recently (a month ago?) here threw away hundreds (literally) of 3.5" floppy disks.  I found them in a storage box that I had put away for whatever reasons.  I do have a few old 8" floppies still on one shelf mixed in with a bunch of computer CD ROM disks in the paper / printing closet here. 
 
This morning noticed that I fat fingered my weather station software stuff such that had my weather station location off by 28 miles for a few months.  It did bring up old memories of fat fingering a tax table in the 80's by one cent then trying to figure out the incorrect automated bean counting at tax time with my account for two days or so (all over a one penny fat finger).  My discussion with the accountant related to something along the lines of computers not ever making mistakes.

 

[zenoparadox]

Well I just copied some files from five 3.5" floppies created in 1994 and they were still readable.

 
Well then I guess shredding all those floppies when we moved over the summer was not overkill.

 

[mikefamig]

Here was still using one of the last IBM laptops made (T something or another) for my weather station server.  It was in the wiring closet on the shelf with the LCD folded down.

 
Your T series was a popular business laptop and the one that I used to copy the floppies is an earlier A series A20 model. I think that it is a 700 mhz Pentium.
 
Mike.
 
EDIT
 
I'm going to hate when this old machine dies. It has USB and ethernet like a new machine but still has a serial port, modem and floppy disk. In addition to that you can slide out the cd reader and slide in a spare battery and even a second hard drive. It is the most versatile laptop I have ever seen and every now and then I have need for a serial port and who knows when you might still need to fax a document. The DMV in Connecticut still used fax machines! And if that is not enough I still have a docking station for it, this was a serious business machine.
 
Mike.

 

[pete_c]

Thinking it is (kept it here some place) a Celeron 1 + Ghz.  I inherited it from my wife.  (old ABNAMRO machine).  I like the little led keyboard illuminator on it.  It is skinny and not a fat computer.
 
She took it with her on a business trip to India.  While going though security in India leaned on it a bit and it went flying some 20 feet.  The case didn't break but she lost the hard drive and wasn't able to utilize her laptop for the remainder of her visit.
 
I still have books here and still look at them or look stuff up (IE: old car repair manuals et al / failover to using the laptop?)