Exploring the National Museum of Computing - Sunny & Emily

 

       

    When a visitor first steps foot into the museum, they would no doubt be attracted to the display wall of dekatron computer chips that immediately draws their attention into this wonderful world of historical computers. Throughout the museum, there are circles with information about certain objects and how they were used. For example, "The Elliot 903" is a machine that was used by a volunteer for their exams and is now used to print ASCII names. Along with this, they include a description of the largest computer in the museum, the ICL 2966, which was the most ambitious government-industry computer product. Here, visitors can see everything from the Colossus in the 1940s to the desktop revolution. It is the perfect place for those with a passion for computers and technology to browse the museum and see the progress that humanities have made in the technology world. 

    

    But for those who are simply here for a good museum viewing experience, they are out of luck. Although the items on display in this museum are full of history and educational, the lackluster presentation of these items takes away all the magic of these computer items on display. The stained floors, tables carelessly pushed together, and the dated equipment present an inefficient environment to display the series of EDSAC, HEC, and Dekatron computer parts. The overall environment simulates an office, and perhaps that is on purpose to better show these computers, but the office enjoinment with the rugged floors, fluorescent light, and the rows of desks only bores the visitor. Despite these faults, though, the museum does a fantastic job of displaying valuable pieces of technology, and it is definitely recommended to any computer lover.