The HomeComputerMuseum is an interactive
computer museum
A computer museum is devoted to the study of historic computer hardware and software, where a "museum" is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, com ...
specialized in the history of the
home computer. The museum is located in the city of
Helmond
Helmond (; called ''Héllemond'' in the local dialect) is a city and municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant in the Southern Netherlands.
Helmond is home to several textile and metal companies. The Vlisco fa ...
in the
Netherlands
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Description
The museum was opened on March 17, 2018, at Kluisstraat 3–5. Due to a lack of space and an expiring rental contract, it was soon necessary to look for another space. On February 2, 2020, the museum moved to its current location on de Noord Koninginnewal 28 in Helmond.
The HomeComputerMuseum presents a chronological representation of the computer as it can be used at home. It is fully interactive where all computers may be used by visitors. The official mission is: Preserve and share the history of the home computer for and with current and future generations.
The original collection is owned by Bart van den Akker, the founder of the museum. Over the years, other (computer) collectors have also exhibited (parts of) their collection at the museum, creating a complete story of the history of the home computer.
Collection
The museum has a clear focus on the history of the
home computer. There are hardly any large company computers to be found and the collection starts in the mid-1970s with, among other things, the Altair 8800.
Chronologically, all large and small computer brands pass by and the collection of most brands is complete until 2006. For example, nearly the entire history of
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore, a ...
(including all
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
s),
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
,
Sinclair
Sinclair may refer to:
Places
* Lake Sinclair, near Milledgeville, Georgia
* Sinclair, Iowa
* Sinclair, West Virginia
* Sinclair, Wyoming
* Sinclair Mills, British Columbia
* Sinclair Township, Minnesota
* Sinclair, Manitoba
People
* ...
,
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
(including the complete
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
series and the first
Apple Lisa
Lisa is a desktop computer developed by Apple, released on January 19, 1983. It is one of the first personal computers to present a graphical user interface (GUI) in a machine aimed at individual business users. Its development began in 1978. ...
in the Netherlands),
MSX,
Kaypro
Kaypro Corporation was an American home and personal computer manufacturer based out of San Diego in the 1980s. The company was founded by Non-Linear Systems (NLS) to compete with the popular Osborne 1 portable microcomputer. Kaypro produced a ...
,
Tandy,
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
and
Tulip
Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...
working present. Many smaller brands
personal computer
A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...
s are also present.
Some unique items in the museum:
* The Commodore
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
4000 used for the movie
Titanic (1997)
''Titanic'' is a 1997 American epic film, epic romance film, romance and disaster film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. Incorporating both historical and fictionalized aspects, it is based on accounts of the Sinking ...
.
* A Commodore Amiga 2500UX from the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
.
* The world's largest collection of boxed PC games.
* the world's largest collection
CD-i
The Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-I, later CD-i) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage device, data storage format that was mostly developed and marketed by Dutch company Philips. It was created as an extension of Compact Disc Di ...
.
* Largest collection of
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
computers.
* Largest collection
Tulip Computers
Tulip Computers NV was a Dutch computer manufacturer that manufactured PC clones.
History
It was founded in 1979 as ''Compudata'', as an importer of American microcomputers. Compudata was the distributor for Europe for the Exidy Sorcerer, a ...
.
* Working
Aesthedes
The Aesthedes was a computer graphics or computer-aided design (CAD) system designed and developed in the 1970s and 1980s by Claessens Product Consultants (now Cartils) in Hilversum, Netherlands.
The Aesthedes was introduced to the market in 1 ...
.
*
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
from
Jeroen Tel
Jeroen Godfried Tel (born 19 May 1972), also known as WAVE, is a Dutch composer. He is best known for numerous computer game tunes he wrote in the 1980s and early 1990s for the Commodore 64. His most popular compositions appear in the following ...
.
*Amiga 1200 from
Psygnosis
Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hether ...
*Oldest
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a team ...
in the Netherlands.
The museum pays special attention to the (lost) Dutch computer brands such as Tulip, Philips,
Holborn
Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London.
The area has its roots ...
, Genisys/G2, Laser Computers and others.
Awards and Social functions
The museum is committed to people with a distance to the labor market, in particular people with an
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
spectrum disorder. Within the museum, these are guided to a permanent job where people will also remain employed for a long time. In addition to museum tasks, some commercial tasks are also performed, such as a repair service, digital heritage and appraisals. This makes the non-profit company operating independently and independent of subsidies or sponsors.
This mix of culture (heritage), social and commercial serves as an example for many museums and government bodies, including Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...
. The museum has received several awards for its social commitment:
* Heritage Prize 2019 of
Heritage Brabant.
* Carat Cultuurprijs 2020 from the Carat Foundation, Helmond
Computermuseum wins Carat Cultuurprijs
Eindhovens Dagblad, 24 January 2021
See also
* National Videogame Museum National Videogame Museum may refer to:
* National Videogame Museum (United States)
The National Videogame Museum is a video game museum about the history of video games and the video game industry, located in Frisco, Texas. Opened in 2016, ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://www.homecomputermuseum.nl/en HomeComputerMuseum
2018 establishments in the Netherlands
Computer museums
Helmond
Museums in North Brabant
21st-century architecture in the Netherlands