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  From: Alan Kennington <akenning@dog.topology.org>
  To  : Richard Russell <richardrussell@mail.com>
  Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 15:46:57 +1030

Re: Computer Museum

On Fri, Dec 29, 2000 at 02:51:08PM +1030, Richard Russell wrote:
> 
> IMHO, this is being approached from the wrong end... the quantity of gear in
> Adelaide is nt really relevant. What is relevant is what sort of a museum
> (and what size of a museum) would be interesting and worthwhile to create.
> Just because someone has an old Apple ][ that they like but have no use for,
> doens't mean that it needs to go into a museum. If a museum were to be
> created (and I am still unconvinced of the need for one), it would have to
> have only signifigant models in there... No point in showing the evolution
> of the Sun range... In reality, it would only need to have 20 or so
> computers in it. If it got to 50, it would be too big. Also, I think that to
> make it worthwhile (ceertainly, to get any money from the government), one
> would have to focus on signifigant events, people and computers in Adelaide.

Richard,

You're missing a couple of things here possibly.
First, museums collect things not necessarily because they're
fascinating _now_. They collect sometimes for people of the future,
or even for yourself when you're in your dotage.

And as someone else mentioned, kids today don't necessarily have
fresh memories of early SUNs or Vaxes or commodore pets.

On the subject of significant events etc. in Adelaide, you've got to
be joking. Even the locals would be bored silly by the most significant
computers in Adelaide's history.
People really wnat to know about the _world's_ computer history.
Adelaide is not a computer manufacturing industry centre.
All computers in Adelaide are imported, as far as I know.
(Apart from eng students' projects maybe.)

> My suggestion for someone who may want to do this: find out about the
> history of computing in Adelaide, and dig up the relelvant old people and
> computers, and see what you find. Don't bother with a random Sun 3, unless
> it's "just like the one that so and so used to do blah in 1973" or
> something. It would have to be focussed around interesting events in the
> development of the CS and EE departments of Unis and TAFEs (and schools), as
> well as the development of industry...

There you have a splendid idea for a somniferous experience.
I reckon if you don't tie the museum in with the real history of computing
(which did not happen in Adelaide), then nobody will be able to stay awake.

What would be great would be a succession of displays leading from
deep in the past to the present time.
I.e. a simple chronological line from the past to the present.

> This could, in fact, make a good research project for someone -- perhaps
> honours...

It would be a good high school project too.
I bet it's been done on a small scale somewhere too - in a high school
somewhere.

Cheerio,
Alan Kennington.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
    name: Dr. Alan Kennington
  e-mail: akenning@dog.topology.org
 website: http://topology.org/
    city: Adelaide, South Australia
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