The message 20060115143700.GA11053@jtkpc.cmp.uea.ac.uk from "Jan T. Kim" jtk@cmp.uea.ac.uk contains these words:
Dear group,
in a cardboard box, we've found
* two PCI ethernet cards (different models, a large one with a 3Com chip on it and three different sockets,
Got three of these - still boxed...
and a much smaller one with just an RJ45 socket
I'd be interested in that one - I count that one as modern.
* two 5.25 inch disk drives
Ah. Those sound handy too. Do you happen to know whether they will handle HD discs? (I have one, so if someone else wants either or both, I shan't want to fight over them.)
If any of you is interested in these pieces, please send me an email. I'd like to get rid of them all at once.
For what values of 'at once'?
It's pretty clear to me that these things won't have any value unless you happen to have some rather old computer system, e.g. out of historical interest or the like.
Why? 5.25" HD floppies hold nearly as much as 3.5" ones, and you can pick them up at computer fairs for pennies.
This email is just an attempt to wrest some final use out of these things before they're scrapped.
I thoroughly approve of that sentiment. I'm still using kitchen utensils which were wedding presents for my parents - before the war.