Growing Interest in Vintage Computers

Software engineer Josh Dersch has a passion for old computers. In his Seattle home, he dedicates many hours to restoring more than 200 vintage computers and devices. He finds it fascinating to explore their origins and enjoys the challenge of debugging and repairing these old machines.

Dersch is part of a community focused on preserving classic machines from the digital revolution’s early days. While Silicon Valley focuses on artificial intelligence, enthusiasts like Dersch aim to save Atari, Commodore, and IBM machines, the predecessors of modern laptops, smartphones, and wearable devices. They see these items as significant artifacts of computer history.

Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, highlights the growing enthusiasm for computer history. The federation organizes an annual event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, drawing thousands. This year’s Vintage Computer Festival celebrated Apple’s 50th anniversary and featured co-founders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne reminiscing about the company’s startup days. The interest in vintage computers is also evident in online marketplaces, with iconic models like the Apple-1 fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Dersch showcased his restored Xerox Alto at the festival, a project he spent years on. The Xerox Alto, developed in the 1970s at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, was one of the first to use a graphical user interface with windows, icons, and cursors. This technology inspired innovations by Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Erik Klein, once a passionate collector, found his collection overwhelming his home. He reduced his collection and now channels his interest into organizing events for fellow enthusiasts. The Vintage Computer Federation hosts various festivals, workshops, and swap meets, promoting the history and hobby of vintage technology.

Sellam Ismail, who launched the first vintage computer festival in 1997, expresses excitement at how the community has matured. He co-founded the Vintage Computer Federation, supporting festivals across the US, Canada, Argentina, Germany, and Switzerland. Ismail notes the community’s growth and anticipates continuous expansion in coming years.