Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Collecting old computers – an obsession or a necessity?
Professor Jim Austin, Computer Science Department, University of York

Prof. Austin holds the Chair of neural computing at the University of York. One of his passions is collecting large old computers. He will present a talk about his collection of over 500 computers amassed over the last 25 years and stored in pig sheds in the Wolds, the largest of which is over 5 meters long and weighs many tons. The talk will show how machines have developed though different technologies to the current supercomputers. He will also discuss his plans for a ‘technology centre’ based around the collection and bring a few items from the collection.

Report
by Ken Hutson
On a wintry evening we heard about one man’s life-long obsession with acquiring old computers resulting in a collection of over 450 housed in his farm outbuildings in the East Riding. Jim has a wide range of machines including some rare examples of iconic mainframes, and super computers defined as the fastest of their particular time. His ambition is to have a working example of a computer from each ‘generation’ – mechanical, valve, transistor, integrated circuit and micro processor. Jim’s dream is for the establishment of a Think Centre aimed at inspiring people to understand, develop and exploit new intelligent technology. The Centre would be themed on the past, present and future. Not just a museum, it would undertake some research in collaboration with universities and companies, and include a business section. Jim is actively considering this concept with various bodies in York and nationally. After the talk, the audience was able to enjoy exhibits from the collection, brought through the snow for the occasion.