"However, your post would be quite useful if it was 1998 (or maybe 1988) and not 2008"

Funny you should mention that. My first scanner was a Canon IX-4015 that I bought on sale at Computer City (the Radio Shack affiliated computer chain at the time)in 1993 for $749 (that was $250 off the regular price). Since then, I've bought two "cheapo" scanners (under $100 each), because finding a SCSI 68 pin to USB interface was impossible when I started using laptops that were USB. For a few years, I'd scan chips using the 4015 connected to my old desktop computer, copy the .jpg files (they started out as huge .bmp files) to floppies, and did any other editing needed on a laptop. That first scanner did the best job of any scanner I've ever had, by far. I'd try to figure out if I could use it again (if the cables are now available?), but I suspect I'd also run into some problems finding drivers and software that would work with current versions of Windows too. The 4015 used twain drivers with ofoto software - it worked great with Windows 3.1.

This was one of the last scans I made using the 4015 - it became too much of a pain firing up my ancient desktop to do the scan because I ran out of room on my desk for the desktop.