31 May
2001
31 May
'01
5:04 a.m.
Perhaps these so-called "museums" need to visit SF's Exploratorium? There,
everything is meant to be "hands-on". This doesn't mean that things
don't
break from time to time, but the percentage of operational exhibits there
is greater than any other public museum I've seen.
Mind you, I'm not saying people should put an Eniac cabinet out where
people can slobber over it, but I think it would be cool to be able to
remote-control these older machines (I dunno, like a 360/50 or something)
via modern interfaces - safely away from the original equipment, but
yet behind glass - so you can see the original machine running.
So yeah, Chuck, I agree!
-Mike
On Thu, 31 May 2001, Chuck McManis wrote:
Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 09:04:39 -0700
From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis(a)mcmanis.com>
Reply-To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Museum Computers (was Re: Washington D.C. Trip
The problem with working machines with millions of
people tocuhing them over
the years
is that the machines tend to break. Even the modern display terminals
used for
presentation are
in constant need of repair due to fingers smashing and otherwise folks that
don't respect the equipment out of common courtesy. Computers don't hold up
well to abuse. Its a shame but the way that it is.
Eric
This is one of the problems I think would be fun to attack if I had a
suitable patron. Building I/O devices that could stand up to the kind of
abuse that museums get.