Sure! Before we get into the words, though, just picture a scene in a gallery; whispers resound gently over there. Breathe in that lingering scent of antiquity. It’s kind of like a digital time capsule cracked wide open.
A recent exhibition in the Reading Museum pays tribute to Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) more than 60 years after this technology giant opened its first UK home in Reading in 1964. It went on to thrive with over 2,000 engineers before its decline.
For vintage tech lovers like us, it’s more than a walk down memory lane. It’s an immersive story – where you can see for real the dusty, beige relics of he behemoth. Imagine racks of PDP, VAX machines standing tall with a doohickey on them saying I’m Alpha ready in a sassy tone.
The words on the gallery walls tell a story, complete with timelines and poignant quotes as little motion dramas play out on the storytellers in silent screens. While the giant, groan-making machines at The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park have gone to sleep because they are thirsty for power and lonely for connecting cables, word is going around that they will get a revival.
Still, museum history is littered with DECs mistakes, notably in the 1990s that sealed the fate of the Alpha chip and saw the slow death of DEC.
This showcase isn’t just a display of past-glory hardware but a tribute to a meaningful chapter in the narrative of technological evolution. It’s a reminder of Reading’s brush with techno-stardom, a time capsule of electronic birthright captured against a backdrop that now moonlights with giants named Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco.
A nod of gratitude to the UK National Lottery Heritage Fund ensures entry is free, although you might feel a shiver realizing how many of these artifacts were part of your own digital dawn.
Whether you’re a history buff, a wandering soul of tech, or just someone with a heart that beats for the stories of how computers gained their voice, this visit promises to be a journey—to peep, ponder, and perhaps ponder a little more about where we’ve been and where we might just head next in our wired world.
Remember, past whispers can guide future echos in our digital tale. So, if you find yourself nearby, why not let those whispers captivate your senses? 🕰️✨