Computer Museum

My interest in computers started in 1978, when I was introduced to a Commodore PET at high school. I learned to program in BASIC and then 6502 machine code on a Tangerine Microtan 65, which I persuaded my parents to buy for the following Christmas.

The Microtan kept me amused until 1986, when I bought a Commodore 128. This was a great machine, with 128K of RAM, a 6502-family processor and a Z80. It also had a Commodore 64-compatible mode for the many games available at the time. Sadly, I no longer have it: I sold it to help fund an Atari ST in 1989.

An exciting decade

The 1980s were an exciting time for computers. There were many manufacturers, often bringing out a new machine every year or so. Every machine was different: a problem for software developers, but part of what made the period so interesting. There was enough activity to fill a weekly computer magazine, alongside monthly magazines dedicated to manufacturers such as Sinclair, Commodore and Amstrad, user groups and computer clubs.

The market eventually settled around fewer, more standardised computer families. That made computers easier to use, but the variety of the earlier machines is what makes them so interesting to preserve.

The collection

I started collecting vintage computers around 1992. This museum records the collection as it was documented for the original site, with photographs, brief specifications and personal notes. It is not intended to be a complete record of every computer that was available.

The computer collection, historic links and six reproduced magazine articles have now been reformatted.