Vviewpoints
DOI: 10.1145/1629175.1629193
Computer Museum series
Great Computing Museums
of the world, part one
The first of a two-part series highlighting several of the world’s museums
dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and elucidating computing history.
SoMe oF tHe science and technology museums aroundtheworldaredevot- edtosciencediscovery—to teaching their visitors, especially children, about the principles
of science and technology. Other science and technology museums are
more focused on the history and cultural significance of particular scientific discoveries and technological inventions. Some museums include a blend
of the two functions.
PHotoGraPH Courtesy oF tHe CoMPuter HIstory MuseuM
This is the first installment of a
two-part Communications series featuring five of world’s greatest computing
museums. These museums have been
chosen for their contributions to the
history and culture mission, though
most of them have some elements of
the science discovery mission as well.
There are perhaps hundreds of small
and not-so-small museums around the
world either devoted entirely to computing or at least having significant
computing exhibits. The five museums
highlighted in this series have been selected because of the large size of their
exhibits, the importance and quality of
the artifacts shown, and the quality of
their interpretations.
An exhibit is not simply a collection
of artifacts; it includes signage and other accompanying information (films,
lectures, guided tours) that help to
interpret the artifacts and set them in
context. Each of the exhibits described
in this series is the result of years of
human labor in preparation: design-
The computer History museum exhibit “mastering the Game: A History of computer chess.”
ing the exhibit, selecting and securing
exactly the right artifacts, and giving
them the right interpretation. This
work has been carried out by some of
the best historians of science and technology, who work in these museums
collecting artifacts and the associated
information and documentation about
them, answering queries from all kinds
of people about their collections and
about the science and its history, undertaking scholarly research, preparing educational materials, and doing
much more. The exhibits are only one
facet of what these museums do.
The museums featured in this issue
are the Computer History Museum, located in Mountain View, CA, and the
Heinz Nixdorf Forum in Paderborn,
Germany. We hope you enjoy the accounts of these museums and that
these stories will whet your appetite to
explore the museums’ Web sites and to
visit the museums in person.
William Aspray ( bill@ischool.utexas.edu) is bill and
lewis suit Professor of Information technologies at
the university of texas, austin and a Communications
Viewpoints section board member.
The computer History museum
Len Shustek
For most of the 10,000 years of recorded history, there were no computers.
We are privileged to be living through
the brief transitional period: from now
