My photos of a visit to the incredible Ctrl+Alt Museum retrocomputing museum in Pavia, Italy. Mind blowing.
This looks cool, but I was surprised there was no signage anywhere.
I really like the Living Computer Museum in Seattle, but it looks like they closed during Covid and haven’t yet reopened…
There are plates with labels and information but they’re small, easy to miss, and not for all items. But the venue is still relatively young and more work is underway.
In then photos several of the computers do have explanatory labels on them, but it looks like they could do with more.
What a fantastic collection. Everytime I thought of a computer they needed to add, it showed up in a later photo.
Is there any explanation for why there are racing cars in there? Is it just one wealthy collector behind all this? Some of it felt like it grew out of someone’s private collection.
What’s even more remarkable is 95% of the items on display still work. And they have lots more in storage.
They are car enthusiasts too, so that’s why there are some such vehicles. The bulk of the material comes from the personal collection of one of the founders of the group.
Thanks for taking all these photos. It’s a good substitute for those of us too far away to visit.
You’re welcome, enjoy.
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That windows 10 desktop looks so out of place, couldn’t they use a win98 computer for that? Or any Linux de with a Redmond skin. Icewm for example
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Not a single sign stating what’s that and the age is so weird in a museum
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The museum is nothing short of amazing for those of us who are fond of vintage computing, but the foundation in charge leaves a lot to be desired. It is run by a close-knit bunch of people who have known each other for a long time. If you apply for a paid membership as I did, you may feel like a number - it’s you and they. Not that they are openly hostile - quite the contrary, but from day one I felt a subtle sensation that I was unable to blend in. To address some of the observations posted here, the Windows 10 desktop looking out of place is there because they don’t give a damn about ethical considerations in computing. They will happily use whatever shiny new non-free stuff they come across regardless of license and privacy considerations. If it’s a new fad and it costs a lot of money, they throw money at it. The more money they spend, the better. About the cars, they are not only car enthusiasts. They are enthusiast about everything and I mean everything. As a foundation, they don’t seem to have a clear vision of what they are pursuing and this is the biggest downside. It’s a foundation about… stuff. As a member, most of the activities are not about vintage computing and some of them are not about computers at all. Some time ago they set up a paid training course of emotional intelligence in the premises of the museum and it was led by one of their members, some sort of holistic guru that pretends to improve people’s approach to life for fifty euros per lesson. A shady individual, in my opinion. Is the museum worth a visit? Absolutely, but steer away from paid membership unless you are absolutely sure that it is what you are looking for - or you don’t mind wasting one hundred euros in case you will not like it. Just my two cents. Your mileage may vary.
