The Computer Conservation Society --------------------------------- The Society was formed in 1989 as an initiative between the British Computer Society and the Science Museum of London. It was a time when the computer industry had existed for about half a century, and when many people had spent a professional lifetime in the industry. The industry had matured, but was still poised for ever greater technological and social changes as it had been from its beginnings in the 1940s. It was time to take stock and reflect on the extraordinary developments to date, and in particular, to be concerned that many of the pioneering people and hardware and software were fast disappearing. At the same time, many computer professionals were finding themselves retired or otherwise at the end of direct involvement in the industry, yet with energy to spare and interest in their earlier systems. Some had approached the Science Museum, for example, asking whether their abilities and interests could be harnessed to helping to preserve old systems. This coincided with a perception by the Museum that it had artefacts, but limited expertise to do other than prevent deterioration - in particular it was not able to present their technological and historical significance. Thus the Society came into existence as a way of structuring and channelling these complementary interests. As a Specialist Group of the British Computer Society, it benefits from the infrastructure services available in the BCS, as well as from the status accorded by the Royal Charter. The association with the Science Museum provides access to the Museum's inventoried artefacts, as well as the generous provision of facilities for meetings, lectures and seminars. Membership of the CCS is open to anyone who is interested in the history of computing, whether or not they are a member of BCS. There is no qualification required other than an expression of that interest! Furthermore, currently there is no membership fee. As mentioned, the Society benefits from facilities provided by the umbrella organisations, and in addition, certain funds are made available by a grant from the BCS and by subscriptions paid by a number of Corporate Members who are part of the computer industry. From the beginning, the Society was fortunate in attracting a number of pioneers of the industry, many of whom have served as officers or committee members. The total membership is presently about five hundred, distributed all over the UK and the world, and of this number about 15% are active and attend meetings etc. In 1993, in recognition of the important early work done in the Manchester and north west Midlands area, the North West Group of the CCS was created, based in Manchester, and with a strong connection with the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. This group has its own officers and committee and runs a thriving local series of meetings and other work. The CCS has strong links with Bletchley Park, and the efforts by the Bletchley Park Trust to establish a "museums campus" on the site. Many people are now aware that Bletchley Park was the place where top-secret code-breaking work took place during World War Two, and to where many of the origins of electronic digital computers can be traced. Some of the original buildings where all this happened still exist, and the plan is to found a national Computer Museum there. There would be adequate space to set up a major facility for display and for restoration work. Meanwhile, the CCS has contributed an interim Computer Exhibition. What do we do? -------------- The aims and objectives of the CCS are on a later page. In practical terms, there is a lot of activity, as summarised in the following paragraphs. All the work is done on a voluntary basis - there are no employees of the CCS. Many people have full-time jobs so are only available when their work allows; others are retired but may not live near to the activities. In some cases the CCS will pay out-of- pocket expenses where a member is working on some relevant project. LECTURE AND SEMINAR PROGRAMME About four lectures plus one all-day seminar are planned during the year, avoiding summer time. Lectures are typically presented by pioneers or other senior figures from the computer industry or its users. A recent seminar was on the subject of LEO computers, with half a dozen of the original LEO team giving presentations. These events normally take place in the Science Museum lecture theatre, though other venues are occasionally used. There is a separate programme of lectures in the North West Group. A recent lecture recounted experiences of a maintenance engineer on the very first Ferranti Mk I computer. ARCHIVE The Society has a large and growing archive of important early technical documents related to the computer industry. Most of this has been catalogued and is housed in the Science Museum Documentation Centre. A secondary archive is being established at Bletchley Park. As well as early documents, the archive contains video and audio material derived from interviews with pioneering people and records of many of the lectures and seminars. "COMPUTER RESURRECTION" This is the title of the Society's quarterly bulletin sent to all members. It contains CCS news, articles, transcripts of lectures and other material in a 32-page A5 format. WORKING PARTIES A number of Working Parties have been formed to do work on specific projects. Each team is typically four to twelve strong, with an appointed chairman, and meets occasionally to regularly. Where work is on museum artefacts, there are strict working rules to do with curatorial responsibilities for national historic objects. The current Working Parties are: Elliott 803 - work on the systems at the Science Museum and Bletchley Park. Elliott 401 - restoring the Science Museum machine. S100 bus - maintaining collections at the Science Museum and Bletchley Park. Pegasus - maintaining the Science Museum system. Manchester Pegasus - conserving the system at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. DEC - temporarily suspended, but concerned with systems at the Science Museum and at Bletchley Park. Software and Simulation - suspended, but has done important work on simulating historic systems. Aims and Objectives ------------------- The Computer Conservation Society (CCS) is a co-operative venture between the British Computer Society and the Science Museum of London. The CCS was constituted in September 1989 as a Specialist Group of the British Computer Society (BCS). It is thus covered by the Royal Charter and charitable status of the BCS. The aims of the CCS are to promote the conservation of historic computers, to develop awareness of the importance of historic computers, and to encourage research on historic computers. The CCS is funded and supported by a grant from the BCS, fees from corporate membership, donations, and by the free use of Science Museum facilities. Membership is free but some charges may be made for publications and attendance at seminars and conferences. Membership is open to anyone interested in computer conservation and the history of computing. There are several active Working Parties on specific computer restorations and early computer technologies and software. Younger people are especially encouraged to take part in order to achieve skills transfer. The corporate members who are supporting the Society are Bull HN Information Systems, Digital Equipment, ICL, Unisys and Vaughan Systems. ----------------------------------------------- If you would like to join the CCS, contact the Secretary: Tony Sale FBCS, 15 Northampton Road, Bromham, Bedfordshire, MK43 8QB. Telephone 01234 822788. Email tsale@qufaro.demon.co.uk or else: The British Computer Society, 1 Sanford St, Swindon SN1 1HJ. Telephone 01793 417417 8/95