4 ms·

The Dying Computer Museum

121 points by Tomte 2y ago

ChrisArchitect 2y ago
Related: The Living Computer Museum auction listing https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41275766 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41275766
- ChrisArchitect 2y ago
  Discussion on the Living Computer Museum closure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40789179 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40789179
  - specialist 2y ago
    Thanks for link. Gleaned from that prior discussion that Paul's will says "sell everything to donate to philanthropy". Standing up an endowment for a museum is philanthropy. Such a shame.
shrubble 2y ago
One thing I would like to see mentioned is that some people did donate valuable computers to the museum, presumably because they were told it was a museum and now that PDP10 for example is being sold for cash. While they may not have tracked every single item that was donated, if it is not really a museum, returning certain items should be considered, if desired by the person who made the donation.
- freeqaz 2y ago
  Damn, that makes this extra sad now. This whole thing has me really sad. Does anybody know if they still sell shirts? I would enjoy having one for the memories.
- quietbritishjim 2y ago
  It's in the screenshot of the old front page: > We are looking for the following systems and peripherals for the Living Computer Museum in order to restore them and make them available to the public. It's definitely a deception if they were donated having been told that.
sitkack 2y ago
I hope textfiles got all the magazines!
hi-v-rocknroll 2y ago
I'll gladly take all the PC boxed software, floppies, and ISA VLB, AGP, PCI, and PCI-X cards. :o) Central Point Copy II PC Option Board Enhanced and greaseweazle are always ready for action. (I also have 2.88 FDDs and just about every model of TEAC FDD.)
- h2odragon 2y ago
  You willing to pay the shipping costs?
kristopolous 2y ago
Aren't we rich enough to figure this out? Surely there's enough money in our community to have a museum like this. There's museums for silk, condoms, dog collars, salt, chocolate... We can do this. Come on. Move it to CHM, charge more for the hands-on, run classes, get other foundations involved... Let's not sit this one out.
- lotsoweiners 2y ago
  Ok…you start.
  - kristopolous 2y ago
    I'm not a millionaire. I'd do what I can. But you know, there's people with hundreds of millions reading this. Multiple of them. And the $10 million deficit isn't some requirement for a roomful of old computers. It could be run on Amazon property for instance, probably for 1/20th that. We shouldn't be forced into the stupid solution of liquidating a museum due to a willful failure of intelligence. I thought we were better than that
    - larsbrinkhoff 2y ago
      At least a little something is being done: https://icm.museum/ https://icm.museum/
- advisedwang 2y ago
  The article says it cost more than ten million dollars a year to run. That's a hard pull for another institution or a new public subscription to cover. It wasn't like those other museums because it did a huge amount of work to be a living computer museum. Getting and keeping ancient systems up is expensive. I think the best thing we could hope for would have been the machines to end up as static, dead exhibits like a conventional museum. Better than nothing but missing the spark that made LCM great. That would also at least have kept the door open to re-starting the effort in the future. It's a shame that Vulcan just auctioned off the assets. Did the really need the cash? It could have been donated to another museum etc.
RockRobotRock 2y ago
reminder the guy who runs this site is interesting and gives good talks
modeless 2y ago
The Living Computer Museum was so great. I don't know where else I could type on an actual teletype machine.
freeqaz 2y ago
Hug of death. Anybody got a mirror?
- rrreese 2y ago
  https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/5672 https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.text...
- aleken 2y ago
  https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/5672 https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.text...
hatthew 2y ago
https://archive.is/DeCgc https://archive.is/DeCgc
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
irdc 2y ago
Maybe this is a good place to call attention to the Dutch Home Computer Museum (https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/ https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/), who did place their collection in a separate foundation.
benoliver999 2y ago
I never really thought about this before, but I guess it's true that if you aren't careful your donation to a museum is really just gifting something to a rich guy.
TrevorFSmith 2y ago
If you're in the Seattle area then the SDF is a gem not controlled by a billionaire.

121 points by Tomte 2y ago

Related: The Living Computer Museum auction listing https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41275766 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41275766

ChrisArchitect 2y ago
Discussion on the Living Computer Museum closure: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40789179 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40789179
- specialist 2y ago
  Thanks for link. Gleaned from that prior discussion that Paul's will says "sell everything to donate to philanthropy". Standing up an endowment for a museum is philanthropy. Such a shame.

shrubble 2y ago

One thing I would like to see mentioned is that some people did donate valuable computers to the museum, presumably because they were told it was a museum and now that PDP10 for example is being sold for cash. While they may not have tracked every single item that was donated, if it is not really a museum, returning certain items should be considered, if desired by the person who made the donation.

freeqaz 2y ago
Damn, that makes this extra sad now. This whole thing has me really sad. Does anybody know if they still sell shirts? I would enjoy having one for the memories.
quietbritishjim 2y ago
It's in the screenshot of the old front page: > We are looking for the following systems and peripherals for the Living Computer Museum in order to restore them and make them available to the public. It's definitely a deception if they were donated having been told that.

sitkack 2y ago

I hope textfiles got all the magazines!

hi-v-rocknroll 2y ago

I'll gladly take all the PC boxed software, floppies, and ISA VLB, AGP, PCI, and PCI-X cards. :o) Central Point Copy II PC Option Board Enhanced and greaseweazle are always ready for action. (I also have 2.88 FDDs and just about every model of TEAC FDD.)

h2odragon 2y ago
You willing to pay the shipping costs?

kristopolous 2y ago

Aren't we rich enough to figure this out? Surely there's enough money in our community to have a museum like this. There's museums for silk, condoms, dog collars, salt, chocolate... We can do this. Come on. Move it to CHM, charge more for the hands-on, run classes, get other foundations involved... Let's not sit this one out.

lotsoweiners 2y ago
Ok…you start.
- kristopolous 2y ago
  I'm not a millionaire. I'd do what I can. But you know, there's people with hundreds of millions reading this. Multiple of them. And the $10 million deficit isn't some requirement for a roomful of old computers. It could be run on Amazon property for instance, probably for 1/20th that. We shouldn't be forced into the stupid solution of liquidating a museum due to a willful failure of intelligence. I thought we were better than that
  - larsbrinkhoff 2y ago
    At least a little something is being done: https://icm.museum/ https://icm.museum/
advisedwang 2y ago
The article says it cost more than ten million dollars a year to run. That's a hard pull for another institution or a new public subscription to cover. It wasn't like those other museums because it did a huge amount of work to be a living computer museum. Getting and keeping ancient systems up is expensive. I think the best thing we could hope for would have been the machines to end up as static, dead exhibits like a conventional museum. Better than nothing but missing the spark that made LCM great. That would also at least have kept the door open to re-starting the effort in the future. It's a shame that Vulcan just auctioned off the assets. Did the really need the cash? It could have been donated to another museum etc.

RockRobotRock 2y ago

reminder the guy who runs this site is interesting and gives good talks

modeless 2y ago

The Living Computer Museum was so great. I don't know where else I could type on an actual teletype machine.

freeqaz 2y ago

Hug of death. Anybody got a mirror?

rrreese 2y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/5672 https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.text...
aleken 2y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/5672 https://web.archive.org/web/20240819080509/http://ascii.text...

hatthew 2y ago

https://archive.is/DeCgc https://archive.is/DeCgc

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

irdc 2y ago

Maybe this is a good place to call attention to the Dutch Home Computer Museum (https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/ https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en/), who did place their collection in a separate foundation.

benoliver999 2y ago

I never really thought about this before, but I guess it's true that if you aren't careful your donation to a museum is really just gifting something to a rich guy.

TrevorFSmith 2y ago

If you're in the Seattle area then the SDF is a gem not controlled by a billionaire.