Living Computers: Museum + Labs

Living Computers: Museum + Labs
	Exterior of the Museum
Established	25 October 2012
Location	2245 1st Ave S; Seattle, Washington
Coordinates	47.582487°N 122.334708°W
Type	Computer museum
Key holdings	PDP-10, IBM Mainframes, Apple 1, PLATO
Founder	Paul Allen
Curator	Aaron Alcorn
Public transit access	King County Metro, Link light rail
Nearest car park	Onsite and Street Parking
Website	www.livingcomputers.org

Living Computers: Museum + Labs (LCM+L) is a computer and technology museum located in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. LCM+L showcases vintage computers which provide interactive sessions, either through time-sharing operating systems or single-user interfaces. This gives users a chance to actually use the computers online or in-person in the museum. An expansion adds direct touch experiences with contemporary technologies such as self-driving cars, the internet of things, big data, and robotics. This puts today's computer technology in the context of how it is being used to tackle real-world issues. LCM+L also hosts a wide range of educational programs and events in their state-of-the art classroom and lab spaces.

According to an archived version of LCM's website, their goal is "to breathe life back into our machines so the public can experience what it was like to see them, hear them, and interact with them. We make our systems accessible by allowing people to come and interact with them, and by making them available over the Internet."[1]

The current site similarly shares that "Living Computers: Museum + Labs provides a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience with computer technology from the 1960s to the present. LCM+L honors the history of computing with the world’s largest collection of fully restored—and usable—supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers and microcomputers."[2]

As of October 2023, the museum is closed. The museum closed on May 27, 2020, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

History

Harry Garland and Paul Allen at an event honoring computer pioneers at the museum in April 2013

LCM+L (originally known as Living Computer Museum, and before that, PDPplanet.com) was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, on January 9, 2006. Through PDPplanet, users were able to telnet into vintage devices and experience timesharing computing on equipment from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and XKL.[4]

Users around the world can request a login through the LCM+L website and telnet into systems from XKL, DEC, IBM, Xerox Sigma, AT&T, and CDC.[5]

Living Computer Museum opened to the public on October 25, 2012, and guests can now visit in person to interact with the collection of mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers and peripherals the museum has on display.[6] Various and changing exhibits in the museum show how much computers and technology have changed over the last 50 years and are changing still.[7]

In 2013, Seattle Weekly voted the museum the "Best Geeky Museum" because it highlights "an essential part of Seattle binary history- the founding of Microsoft and its role in establishing Seattle as a tech-driven industry".[8]

On November 18, 2016, the institution changed its name to Living Computers: Museum + Labs to reflect its enlarged goals of igniting curiosity through direct touch experiences with contemporary technologies as well as vintage computers.[9]

Since the museum's 2020 closure, there have been no updates provided on its status or future.[10]

Collections and exhibits

The collection consists of publicly donated items and Paul Allen's personal collection. The working computers on display include one supercomputer, seven mainframes, 10 minicomputers, and over three dozen microcomputers.[6]

Various artifacts from the museum have been borrowed and featured in TV shows such as Mad Men[11] and Halt and Catch Fire.[12]

A roughly 180° panorama of the "conditioned" room at the Living Computer Museum containing mainframes and large minicomputers.

Computers

Manufacturer	Model	Type	Year Introduced	Available for public use	Telnet access[13]
Amazon	Kindle 1	hand-held	2007	Yes	No
Amiga	500	microcomputer	1987	Yes	No
Apple	Apple 1	microcomputer	1976	Yes	No
Apple	II[14]	microcomputer	1977	Yes	No
Apple	IIe[14]	microcomputer	1983	Yes	No
Apple	III	microcomputer	1980	Yes	No
Apple	Lisa 2[14]	microcomputer	1984	Yes	No
Apple	iMac G3	microcomputer	1998	Yes	No
Apple	Macintosh SE[14]	microcomputer	1987	Yes	No
Apple	Power Mac G4	microcomputer	1999	Yes	No
AT&T	DMD 5620 / 3B2	minicomputer	1983	Yes	Yes
Atari	2600	video game console	1977	Yes	No
Atari	400[14]	microcomputer	1979	Yes	No
Atari	1040 ST[14]	microcomputer	1985	Yes	No
Columbia Data Products	MPC 1600	microcomputer	1982	Yes	No
Commodore	PET[14]	microcomputer	1977	Yes	No
Commodore	64[14]	microcomputer	1982	Yes	No
Compaq	DeskPro 386S[14]	microcomputer	1989	Yes	No
Compaq	Portable[14]	microcomputer	1983	Yes	No
Control Data	CDC 6500[14]	supercomputer	1967	No	Yes
Control Data	DD60 monitor	operator console	1964	No	No
Control Data	405 card reader	peripheral	1964	No	No
Control Data	CDC 679-6 magnetic tape transport	peripheral	1964	No	No
Cray	Cray-1[15]	mainframe	1975	No	No
Cromemco	Z-2D[14]	microcomputer	1978	Yes	No
Data General	Nova[14]	minicomputer	1969	Yes	No
DEC	PDP-7[14]	minicomputer	1964	No	No
DEC	PDP-8/E[14]	minicomputer	1970	Yes	No
DEC	PDP-10 KA10 (DECsystem-10)[14]	mainframe	1968[16]	No	No
DEC	PDP-10 KI10 (DECsystem-10)[14]	mainframe	1971	No	No
DEC	PDP-10 KL10 (DECSYSTEM-2065)[14]	mainframe	1974	Yes	Yes
DEC	PDP-10 KL10 (DECSYSTEM-1095)[14]	mainframe	1974	Yes	Yes
DEC	PDP-10 KS10 (DECSYSTEM-2020)[14]	minicomputer	1979	Yes	Yes
DEC	PDP-11/70[14]	minicomputer	1975	Yes	Yes
DEC	PDP-12[14]	minicomputer	1969	No	No
DEC	VAX-11/780-5[14]	minicomputer	1982	Yes	Yes
DEC	VT131	terminal	1981	Yes	No
Dell	Dimension XPS B733[14]	microcomputer	1999	Yes	No
E.S.R.	Digi-Comp II reproduction	toy computer	1965 (original patent); 2012 (reproduction)	Yes	No
Honeywell	6180 DPS-8/M maintenance panel and Multics emulator[14]	peripheral; emulation of mainframe	1973 (mainframe)	No	No
IBM	System/360 Model 30 mainframe	mainframe	1964	No	No
IBM	System/360 Model 91 front panel	peripheral	1966	No	No
IBM	029 card punch	peripheral	1964	Yes	No
IBM	4361[14]	mainframe	1983	Yes	Yes
IBM	Personal Computer 5150[14]	microcomputer	1981	Yes	No
IBM	PCjr[14]	microcomputer	1984	Yes	No
IBM	PC/AT[14]	microcomputer	1984	Yes	No
IMLAC Corporation	PDS-1 "sImlac" emulator[14]	emulation of minicomputer	1970s (minicomputer); 2017 (emulator)	Yes	No
IMSAI	8080[14]	microcomputer	1975	Yes	No
Interdata	7/32[14]	minicomputer	1974	Yes	Yes
MITS	Altair 8800[14]	microcomputer	1975	Yes	No
Microsoft	PixelSense[14]	microcomputer	2007	Yes	No
NeXT	NeXTcube	microcomputer	1990	Yes	No
Nintendo	NES-101	video game console	1993	Yes	No
Osborne	Executive[14]	microcomputer	1982	Yes	No
PLATO	Terminal V	microcomputer	1976	Yes	No
Processor Technology	Sol-20[14]	microcomputer	1976	Yes	No
Radio Shack	TRS-80 Model 4[14]	microcomputer	1983	Yes	No
Sun Microsystems	3/160[14]	microcomputer	1986	Yes	No
Tandy	1000[14]	microcomputer	1984	Yes	No
Tandy	Color Computer 3	microcomputer	1986	Yes	No
Teletype	Model 33	terminal	1963	No	No
Teletype	Model 35	terminal	1963	No	No
Teletype	Model 37	terminal	1968	No	No
Texas Instruments	Speak & Spell Compact	hand-held	1982	Yes	No
Texas Instruments	TI-99/4A	microcomputer	1981	Yes	No
Xerox	Sigma 9[14]	mainframe	1971	Yes	Yes
Xerox	Alto[14]	minicomputer	1973	Yes	No
Xerox	Alto "ContrAlto" simulator[14]	emulation of minicomputer	1973 (minicomputer); 2016 (emulator)	Yes	No
XKL	TOAD-1[14]	mainframe	1995	Yes	No
XKL	TOAD-2[14]	mainframe	2005	Yes	Yes

References

"What is Living Computer Museum?". Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
"About Living Computers: Museum + Labs". Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
"LIVING COMPUTERS: MUSEUM + LABS IS CLOSING FOR NOW". Retrieved 10 July 2022.
"Paul G. Allen Launches Web Site Dedicated to Early Computers; PDPplanet.com Site Celebrates Historic Mainframes and Minicomputers | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
"Application for a Guest Account on the Living Computers: Museum + Labs". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
"Home - Living Computer Museum". Retrieved 4 July 2018.
"Seattle's Living Computer Museum tempts tech tourists". USA Today. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
"Best Geeky Museum: Living Computer Museum". Retrieved 17 August 2016.
Schlosser, Kurt (25 October 2016). "Paul Allen's Living Computers: Museum + Labs rebranded and expanded to better 'ignite curiosity'". GeekWire.
Bumpus, Kayvon (25 September 2022). "Paul Allen's Living Computers Museum remains closed after years, despite lifted COVID restrictions".
"Fashion and Style: Episode 704: Mad Men: The Monolith". AMC.
"Welcome To 1986: Inside "Halt And Catch Fire's" High-Tech Time Machine". 27 August 2016.
"Request a login". Retrieved October 31, 2017.
"Vintage Computers". Retrieved December 26, 2019.
Miller, Michael J. (August 17, 2017), "Visiting the Living Computers Museum", PC Magazine
"PDP10 manual" (PDF). Dec 1968.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "What is Living Computer Museum?". Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved October 24, 2016.

[2] "About Living Computers: Museum + Labs". Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.

[3] "LIVING COMPUTERS: MUSEUM + LABS IS CLOSING FOR NOW". Retrieved 10 July 2022.

[4] "Paul G. Allen Launches Web Site Dedicated to Early Computers; PDPplanet.com Site Celebrates Historic Mainframes and Minicomputers | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 4 July 2018.

[5] "Application for a Guest Account on the Living Computers: Museum + Labs". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.

[lcm-6] "Home - Living Computer Museum". Retrieved 4 July 2018.

[7] "Seattle's Living Computer Museum tempts tech tourists". USA Today. Retrieved 17 August 2016.

[8] "Best Geeky Museum: Living Computer Museum". Retrieved 17 August 2016.

[9] Schlosser, Kurt (25 October 2016). "Paul Allen's Living Computers: Museum + Labs rebranded and expanded to better 'ignite curiosity'". GeekWire.

[10] Bumpus, Kayvon (25 September 2022). "Paul Allen's Living Computers Museum remains closed after years, despite lifted COVID restrictions".

[11] "Fashion and Style: Episode 704: Mad Men: The Monolith". AMC.

[12] "Welcome To 1986: Inside "Halt And Catch Fire's" High-Tech Time Machine". 27 August 2016.

[telnet-13] "Request a login". Retrieved October 31, 2017.

[complist-14] "Vintage Computers". Retrieved December 26, 2019.

[15] Miller, Michael J. (August 17, 2017), "Visiting the Living Computers Museum", PC Magazine

[16] "PDP10 manual" (PDF). Dec 1968.

SoDo, Seattle
Buildings	Starbucks Center
Culture	Blazing Bagels The Comeback Seattle Living Computers: Museum + Labs Macrina Bakery Made in USA The Mitt Paseo Supernova
Infrastructure	SODO Busway SODO station Stadium station
Sports	Lumen Field Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame Sonics Arena T-Mobile Park
Category

Museums in the Puget Sound region
Art	911 Media Arts Center Bellevue Arts Museum Cascadia Art Museum Frye Art Museum Henry Art Gallery Monarch Contemporary Art Center and Sculpture Park Museum of Glass Museum of Northwest Art Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle Art Museum Seattle Asian Art Museum Tacoma Art Museum Whatcom Museum of History and Art
Aviation	Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour Heritage Flight Museum McChord Air Museum Museum of Flight Olympic Flight Museum Port Townsend Aero Museum
Children's	Children's Museum of Tacoma Hands On Children's Museum Imagine Children's Museum KidsQuest Children's Museum Seattle Children's Museum
Culture	Museum of Pop Culture Nordic Museum Northwest African American Museum Suquamish Museum Quinault Museum Wing Luke Museum
History	DuPont Museum Eastside Heritage Center Edmonds Historical Museum Harbor History Museum History House of Greater Seattle Issaquah Historical Museums Karshner Museum Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Mukilteo Light Museum of History and Industry Renton History Museum Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum Seattle Underground Washington State History Museum
Maritime	Browns Point Light Center for Wooden Boats Coast Guard Museum Northwest Mukilteo Light Northwest Seaport Snagboat Heritage Center Working Waterfront Maritime Museum
Military	Coast Guard Museum Northwest Lewis Army Museum McChord Air Museum Naval Undersea Museum Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum Puget Sound Navy Museum Washington National Guard Museum
Natural sciences	Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Museum and Arts Center, Sequim, Washington
Science and technology	America's Car Museum Bellingham Railway Museum Georgetown Steam Plant Living Computers: Museum + Labs Museum of Communications Pacific Science Center SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention Vintage Motorcycle Museum
See also: List of museums in Washington (state) and Museums and galleries of Seattle