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The 2015 Vintage Computer Festival East is April 17-19 (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the they-don't-make-them-like-they-used-to dept.

The Vintage Computer Festival East is where you go to see working computers from the forties through the eighties. It's held at the Information Age Learning Center (InfoAge) in Wall, New Jersey, a site that is full of electronics history on its own. In addition to displays (including a number of items for sale), there are sessions on topics ranging from "Keyboard Restoration" to "Fixing what's hopelessly broken." Event volunteer Evan Koblentz, today's interviewee, says that most of the several hundred people the event draws every year come from the United States, but there are always at least a few international visitors. And if New Jersey isn't your thing, there are other Vintage Computer Festivals you might want to attend. To get current news about these events, you might want to sign up for the VCF email list.

23 comments

  1. and Southeast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.vintage.org/2015/so...

    SouthEast is May 2 and 3 in Roswell, Georgia, just up Georgia 400 from Atlanta.

  2. Not in Silicon Valley by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not going.

  3. Do they have a lawn? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To get off of, of course.

  4. If New Jersey isn't your thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Then you can give back A/C electricity, the light bulb, UNIX, etc... We will gladly take it back, including trans-atlantic communications. We will take it all back. Thank you very much.

    1. Re:If New Jersey isn't your thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't forget the Victrola.

  5. The one thing I admired about the C64 by GoodNewsJimDotCom · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The thing the C64 has on todays machines is: No matter what software you ran in it, you could boot it up again cleanly. Maybe they should work on getting back that positive trait on modern computers. Even you have to separate the boot hard disk from what can be read/written to, it would be so worth it. Virus fears are the reason I hesitate to browse boldly, or to download and run any .exe.

    --
    God spoke to me
    1. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by Eunuchswear · · Score: 1

      So use a live cd.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    2. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So use a live cd.

      You're on the list.

    3. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by rrohbeck · · Score: 1

      You can do that with any computer unless you assume BIOS or hard disk fuckery.

      It's called an install disk. Separate the storage media for your data and your OS and you can reinstall your OS (or restore from a backup) when needed.

      --
      thegodmovie.com - watch it
    4. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So use a live cd.

      You know what boots faster than a live CD? A C-64, an Apple II, a TRS-80, ...

      Windows, OS X and Linux may be a lot prettier and far more powerful than yesteryear's computers and operating systems, but I had a heck of a lot more fun learning on those than I do using today's computers.

    5. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      unless you assume BIOS or hard disk fuckery.

      Which can't be excluded, so no, you can't do that with any computer. On the C64, the most likely place for a program to survive a reset was the floppy drive, which had its own CPU and memory, and few people powercycled it with each reset of the C64. But you could if you wanted to, and then there was no firmware in flash memory where something could hide. A powercycled C64 and floppy drive are a clean system, no matter what software you ran before. The same is impossible to say for any system with firmware in flash memory.

    6. Re:The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are ways to break out of virtual machines. The latest threat of that kind is Rowhammer. Try to keep up.

    7. Re: The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Learning" is a subversive activity, citizen. We're watching you.

    8. Re: The one thing I admired about the C64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The notorious child kidnapper and pedophile Wolfgang Priklopil used a C64 for those very reason, citizen. Why are you suggesting using a setup such as one used by a notorious child kidnapper and pedophile, hmmm? Perhaps the Authorities might want a word with you, citizen.

  6. Save yourself some money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For only $5 I'll walk you through my basement and show you my old computers.

    1. Re:Save yourself some money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      For only $5 I'll walk you through my basement and show you my old computers.

      it's a trap.

    2. Re:Save yourself some money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Silence of the RAMs.

    3. Re:Save yourself some money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Silence of the static RAMs
      FTFY

      (Posted from my Atari 800)

    4. Re:Save yourself some money by CronoCloud · · Score: 1

      It puts the 5 1/4" floppy in and hears the drive head hammer again.

  7. Wish I was nearer to this by griffo · · Score: 1

    Having owned a Telletype ASR33 in high school and a plethora of hardware, I wish i could attend!

  8. Sometimes You Don't Look Back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used to be interested in old hardware like this .. until I lost my Morrow Decision 1 (S100 buss, 5MG hard drive, dual 1.2MB DSDD 8" floppies), my CompuPro S100 multiuser system (just like Jerry Pournelle's that's in the Smithsonian) with MP/M, my Commodore 64 .. all up in the attic, all lost in a housefire, alas. Along with all the old 8" and 5.25" floppies: games, archives, source code, the lot.

    Well, I'm done with all that, but I'd have wished a better end to those great old systems. Although I'd rather have all my fingers broken than have to work with CP/M, the Commodore OS, etc. You all will never believe how wonderful PC-DOS and MS-DOS was compared to the earlier OS's .. and then Windows! Yep, sometimes you just don't need to look back. And especially you don't want to remember how much those bloody things COST! Godz, the cost!

  9. My first pocket calculator by amplesand · · Score: 1

    When I was a twelve (or so) I was given my first pocket calculator, the entry level Citizen 800D (version 1 or 2).

    http://ernst.mulder.com/calcul...

    It is at my parents home and my father still uses it for everyday calculations, as I've upgraded many time since then. :)

    I'm not sure exactly which version it is, version 1 or 2. They used different processors for each version.

    version 1 http://mycalcdb.free.fr/main.p... unlisted processor
    version 2 http://mycalcdb.free.fr/main.p... NEC uPD940C (1975)

    A friend later had the model 801D which had memory buttons. Awe.

    Didn't touch a computer until four years later.

    Memories :)