Computer History: The PC Museum Open House Event

Computer History: The Personal Computer Museum


What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a museum? Exhibits with interactive displays mixed with a touch of history and educational value.

The open house of the Personal Computer Museum located in Brantford, Ontario, was just that. On Saturday Nov. 14, it had been opened to the public. It was a room full of computer monitors and keyboards ranging from the early 1970's to the early 2000's. The building itself had to be rewired in order for the computers to operate as they would have when they were first manufactured. Most of the computers were functional, allowing visitors to see how they would have been used. Popular games at the time—Atari games, in particular—used entire computer systems to operate. On display were also keyboards—most today apparently have more keys and weigh less.

The museum was started by Syd Bolton in September 2005, who dreamed of having a museum to showcase the advancements of computer technology. Privately-owned, the museum also has two other places that house over 300 other monitors—what they couldn't fit in the room. The museum also has a program in place used to recycle old monitors and systems to redistribute them into the community them to needy families and organizations.

It was odd seeing all those large, bulky systems and somewhat familiar Atari games. The keyboards were certainly larger and stranger—with multiple functions for each key—and the operating systems stored in much bigger system unit.

The history of the computer has certainly come a long way since then. From the IMSAI 8080 in 1976 to the current computers we have today, the computer has been through many stages, created by the three computer giants of the corporate world—Apple, Mac, and Microsoft. Perhaps the most advancement we've had is both in size and storage capability of the PC. Computer graphics for computer systems and for games have certainly lost that grainy feel to them that appeared in Atari's Mrs. Pac Man and various other games.

In the words of curator, Syd Bolton: “I feel it's important for the next generation to see where we began with computers...Computers have come a long way in three decades. There is no other field that has advanced this far—this fast.”