A growing community is bringing vintage computers back to life
AgenciesSoftware engineer Josh Dersch loves old computers. He spends countless hours tinkering in his garage, trying to coax decades-old machines back to life. He estimates he owns...
A burgeoning community of vintage computer enthusiasts is reviving the past by restoring decades-old machines in their homes and gathering at annual festivals. Software engineer Josh Dersch, a proud collector with over 200 vintage computers in his Seattle home, finds joy in debugging and repairing these relics of computer history. He views these artifacts as valuable pieces of early digital technology, bridging the gap between the old and new generations of computers.
Dersch is part of a rapidly expanding community of vintage computer collectors who organize events to celebrate and preserve these machines. Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, noted a growing enthusiasm for vintage computers, evident in the increasing demand for these artifacts in online marketplaces. Iconic models like the Apple-1, Apple's first product, can now fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions.
At a recent festival, attendees had the chance to interact with restored vintage computers, including the Xerox Alto, hailed as "the grandfather of the modern computer." Dersch proudly displayed his fully functional Alto, a 1970s machine developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, which introduced concepts such as the mouse and graphical user interface that are now standard in modern computing.
The restored Alto showcased the significant innovations that paved the way for today's laptops, wearable devices, and smartphones.
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