6 Mar
2001
6 Mar
'01
2:51 p.m.
One thing that should be remembered is that a great
many
museums are run by fairly small staffs, often volenteers who may not
even be all that familiar with the operation/repair of the exhibits.
Couple this with the beating any hands-on machine would receive over
time and it should be easy to see just how difficult it may be to
keep even the most common machine functional and available for
hands-on time.
You're right. In most museums, a hands-on display is a recipe for disaster. A
better model for hands-on in my opinion would be something akin to a scientific
laboratory: only those of demonstratably sufficient merit are allowed touch
access to the machines. This would be more a thing to be implemented by
enthusiasts' clubs, but it would provide an opportunity for learning to those
who wish it, even as the years pass and working machines become even more rare.
A better idea might be to have the historical machine
on display and a kiosk next to it running more modern hardware with
an emulator of that machine on display.
Neat idea.
--
Jeffrey S. Sharp
jss(a)ou.edu
"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft advertisement
"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" - Adolf Hitler