1969 Programming? That was back in the days of punch cards. Geez. Even before punch cards. Mag tape? What system? IBM something? What languages? Wow.
This is a very important point, and I need to repeat it here: there is absolutely no difference for me between a system that has a hardware failure and has to be replaced and a system that has lost all software and OS support and needs to be replaced. Simply put, a brick is a brick. A door stop is a door stop.
I cut my teeth on an IBM PC. And have owned one in one form or another since 1984. And, at various points, I actually considered Apple and I could never justify the higher price for both the hardware or software. A wintel system was a third the cost of a basic Apple Mac or whatever. BTW, I used Apple PCs/Macs throughout the years (all owned by my parents). First, a IIE and then Macs and then Power Macs.
Apple bad experience #1: the ipod and the battery solution for all Apple products. Why the heck not design in a removable battery. The battery is the first to die and I have a closet drawer full of ipods. Lots of $300/$400 bills. Apparently, this is the standard for all of their devices. And it is race to see if the battery will die before the support. Usually the battery dies before.
Apple bad experience #2: My (wife's) ipad. Although it still works I am having trouble getting apps for it. Another $600. BTW, it was a b-day present for my wife and my wife is not happy. Guess where I put it? In the drawer in with the pile of dead ipods.
Apple bad experience #3: My dads Power Mac G5 and Canvas. The darn thing was released in 2003 and retired in 2006! AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS!!! Anyway, my dad created a bunch of family tree documents in Canvas and we are no longer able to read them and convert them to a more modern format where we can use them. Guess what, software and hardware support is gone. Believe me, I tried! My dad even bought a couple of the old green monster Imacs thinking that we might recover the files that way. Anyway, that is a rat hole. Anyway, I'll sell it you you for $1000 if you want it.
In comparison: I am typing this response on my Dell Ipsiron E1505 (now 8 years old) and my son still uses our Dell Dimension 8300 (11 years old) and office 2010. Have I had problems with PCs? Absolutely! But, I could repair them myself because the system wasn't locked down. I could buy a power supply, maybe a new video card, etc.
Funny, on last night’s Mad Men, the episode, which takes place in 1969, revolved around the firm installing an IBM System 360.
Good Grief, dhs12345, there are thousands of places that will replace your iPod, iPhone, iPad batteries for as low as under $10, or you can do it yourself. A removable battery requires 60% more space (battery case, access port, connection, latching). 30% more weight (see previous parenthetical comment). Replace your batteries and move on!
Apple bad experience #2: My (wife's) ipad. Although it still works I am having trouble getting apps for it. Another $600. BTW, it was a b-day present for my wife and my wife is not happy. Guess where I put it? In the drawer in with the pile of dead iPods.
So you gave up. What iOS version is running on your iPad? I would bet there are tens of thousands of apps that still run. But you seem to want to do things out side of the norm. . . You don't want to let the iOS handle your mail, contacts, or other integrated things iOS is famed for doing... you want an APP to do it for you. . . because you want it done YOUR way. You want to tweak and twonk the operating system. You think that hardware and software don't advance in four years? So sad to disabuse you of that. . . but both more on. Apple does the best it can to bring its older hardware forward but when it no longer can, that product has reached its end of practical life. That doesn't mean its obsolete. If it still works, it still works. But YOU stuck it in a drawer. Why not sell it. Buy your wife what you want. Move on.
Apple bad experience #3: My dads Power Mac G5 and Canvas. The darn thing was released in 2003 and retired in 2006! AFTER ONLY 3 YEARS!!! Anyway, my dad created a bunch of family tree documents in Canvas and we are no longer able to read them and convert them to a more modern format where we can use them. Guess what, software and hardware support is gone.
OH, that's got you upset has it. Apple did not write Canvas. Why do you hold Apple responsible for the decisions of a third party publisher? They chose to not bother to do the easy conversion to the later conversion to OSX beyond Panther. It took just two weeks to convert Illustrator to OSX for Intel but Canvas elected against doing it. Apple would even help those developers who asked. Canvas didn't ask.
That said, Canvas was a powerful program that could output its files in a myriad (i exaggerate only slightly) of file formats. What format did your dad have his files stored in? The files should still be readable on the HD. Does he still have his PowerMac? If so, boot into Panther, run Canvas and save the files out in a modern file format. I'd suggest JPEG. If you have the software, but the PowerMac is not bootable, there are still ways to perhaps get at your files. Let me know and perhaps I can give you some pointers at what we can try.
Oh, in answer to your questions... Punch cards. Did a lot of programing in FORTRAN. You handed your pile of punch cards in through a little window into the computer room. . . and then a week later, they handed your pile back with a large printout (if there were errors in your punch card program) or a small print out (if everything worked!). If the pile of paper was large, you went to work debugging the program to figure out what you did wrong to result in the printer vomitting through a case of green lined paper.
The college still had some paper tape fed stuff too... Real antiques.