Journal Article

"One of the most remarkable things about computers is that their essential nature transcends technology." Hillis, W. D. (1988) The Pattern on the Stone, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, p viii.
Computers pose a problem for traditional collection based museums in a number of ways, not the least because unlike other artefacts, one of the definitive aspects of a computer is not 'object'. To really understand the computer and to preserve its essence, we need to consider the software, programs and data. But to do so usually implies that machines must restored to working order. The extraordinary rate of development and subsequent obsolescence, instability of some electronic and computer components, and availability of system specific expertise, all contribute a reluctance by museums to take this approach. A partial solution to this problem may come from a non traditional approach that draws on a unique feature of the computer itself.