Our young small manufacture is, at 70 years and an estimated 27 million engineers, no longer young or little. The breakneck pace of hardware and software evolution is unprecedented in human history, and the impact of computing on humanity - transforming industries, communication and social structures, even nationalities - will only be full understood by historians in the distant future. But what will these historians learn from, if the fruits of our collective labour are discarded and forgotten, old computers rusting in landfills, bits and bites gone to the ether? Thus was born the computer preservation movement. A loose collection of hobbyists, collectors, traders and - more late - legitimate non-profits and foundations - has set out to preserve and categorize this rich and fascinating history. Being a hobbyist vintage computer collector, this has been a passion as well as mission of mine for any 30 years. Join me as we research this wonderful mix of history, method challenge and pure computer geekdom!
GeeCON 2025: Tomer Gabel - past in the Making: On Computer Preservation
Our young small manufacture is, at 70 years and an estimated 27 million engineers, no longer young or little. The breakneck pace of hardware and software evolution is unprecedented in human history, and the impact of computing on humanity - transforming industries, communication and social structures, even nationalities - will only be full understood by historians in the distant future. But what will these historians learn from, if the fruits of our collective labour are discarded and forgotten, old computers rusting in landfills, bits and bites gone to the ether? Thus was born the computer preservation movement. A loose collection of hobbyists, collectors, traders and - more late - legitimate non-profits and foundations - has set out to preserve and categorize this rich and fascinating history. Being a hobbyist vintage computer collector, this has been a passion as well as mission of mine for any 30 years. Join me as we research this wonderful mix of history, method challenge and pure computer geekdom!