Computer History Museum 3773

Quite true. The problem is that public insbreastutions like the Smithsonian are not set up very well to record technology. The SI will direct people to the CHM and the CHM refers to the SI in certain cases. The CHM will also point to other Museums, but the CHM is also very painfully aware that other private museum attempts meet with failure. The real estate becomes too valuable. In just my time with the CHM, we have collected the contents of 3 other former computer collections.

The general public, in general, isn't interested in technology. It's the people who were users, engineers, etc. most interested. They are members, volunteers, contributors, donators, they appreciate the significance. They are you.

The Museum does not exist to help collectors. It is a collector. The CHM employs a number of foreign nationals. The CHM is made aware of the criticisms of an American biased view. And I can butture you that I keep them on track and aware of foreign developments. The CHM can use foreign help and it gets some foreign help. Germany had helped with Zuse with part of a Z3 and a complete Z23. It's a point of pride for the Swiss to make their contributions known (think Logitech mouse and lots more). Japan has contributed a number of supercomputers which were never purchasable by American govt.s or firms: you can see them behind the scenes from the Crays. We have Japanese micros as well. We get other things and offers from Europe, but the budget to transport is limited. It helps when other donate (transport dollars). Others and I collect sample books from Mexico, Spain, France, etc.

Whereas IBM truly is International, a few other companies are less than. Microsoft is. Apple, Adobe, the search engine firms are all aware of international computing if most american academics, and other firms are less than international for various reasons from true xenophobia to just limited resources to handle only US markets.

But the Museum has to set priorities.

We encourage those in other countries to contribute to the CHM especially when their infrastructure does not permit them to save machines. I nearly spent once Christmas in Italy at the end of one vacation considering staying longer to track down an artifact in Italy.

Yep.

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