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Open Letter From Paul G. Allen
It is possible that no other technology on earth has so continually renewed itself as computer technology.
Advances in this field arrive in such swift succession that even the software and hardware of a few seasons
ago are considered obsolete. The decades-old computers and software in this collection, therefore,
are truly worthy of our preservation and study—both for the cutting-edge innovations of their
day as well as for their historical significance...
Living Computer Museum also fulfills my hope that the achievements of early computer engineers aren't lost to time.
I wanted to provide a Web site and repository that recognized the efforts of those creative engineers
who made some of the early breakthroughs in interactive computing that changed the world.
I hope you enjoy learning more about these remarkable machines. I certainly had a ball using them
in their heyday—from the late 1960s to the early 1980s! During that period almost all Microsoft
development was done on these platforms.
Enjoy.
Paul G. Allen
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What Is Living Computer Museum?
The Living Computer Museum, located in Seattle, Washington, is a showcase for a collection of machines, peripherals, software, and documentation, whose primary focus is on interactive timesharing systems.
Although we have many stories associated with the history of our systems, we firmly believe that the best way for people to fully understand computing systems is by experiencing them. Hardware, alone, cannot fully illustrate what it was like to use these machines. Software, information, and human interaction are needed in order to complete the picture.
Our goal is to breathe life back into our machines in order for people from all walks of life to be able to fully experience what it was like to see them, hear them, and interact with them. We attempt to make our systems as accessible as possible by not only allowing people to come and visit them, but by making them available for free use over the Internet. Our goal is not to compete with other museums. We also know that we, alone, cannot cover all aspects of these machines' histories.
More >>
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Job Opening
Technology Manager,
Vintage Computer Systems
This position is a key member of the Technology Management team in defining and implementing Vulcan's strategy, goals and objectives of the vintage computer collection. This role provides strong technical direction, vision and leadership to manage the operations and direction of the museum and the restoration of vintage computer systems.
Apply for Job Opening
Systems Wanted
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.
Please contact Collections if you have such hardware for sale. Duplicates are welcome.
- IBM System/360: Model 30, 40, 50, 65 or 75
- IBM System/370
- IBM 1130 with associated peripherals
- Burroughs 1700 system with associated peripherals
- XDS Sigma 7 or 9 with associated peripherals
- Interdata 7/32 or 8/32 with peripherals
- Imlac PDS-1 programmable display system
- CDC Cyber system with associated peripherals
- Cray-2 system with associated peripherals
- HP 1000, 21xx, 3000 systems with associated peripherals
See complete list >>
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