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+title = "Retro Computing - Vintage Computer Festival Zürich 2023"
+categories = [ "Retro Computing", "Vintage Computer Festival", "VCF" ]
+date = "2023-11-12T17:32:22+02:00"
+thumbnail = "/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-scrib.jpg"
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+
+## Intro
+
+This time the vintage computer festival in Zürich was held in
+the "EWZ Kraftwerk Selnau". This is a former substation in the middle
+of Zurich which is a museum, event hall and coworking area now.
+The enterior is best described as a bunch of ship containers
+aranged in a middle of a factory hall. In the middle there is a bar
+now. There are corners with couches and a big room upstears which
+looks like the former control room (and most likely was one).
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-selnau1.jpg" alt="EWZ substation at Selnau" >}}
+
+As always I'm not listing all exhibitors and exhibited pieces, I'm
+just pointing out new things, which catched my attention this year.
+(the others can be seen on older blog entries of the series).
+
+This year I was not in for challenges, I rather prefer talking to
+people, but everybody can do what he wants.
+
+New this year is a full recording of all the talks, this is nice
+as you don't have to decide whether you are watch the computers
+in the exhibition and have discussions with the exhibitors or whether
+you watch the talks. This also good for the exhibitors themselves who
+would love to attend the talks too.
+
+## Portables
+
+A full room upstears was dedicated to a bunch of portable computers
+from the venerable Osborne OCC-1, Commodore SX-64, Amstrad,
+various PC portables, etc.
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-portables.jpg" alt="Portable computers" >}}
+
+### OLPCs
+
+It's nice to see two OLPC XO-1 next to each other, with the mesh
+wlan in action. My takeaway is that it's not only the pieces of
+hardware you have and want to show, it's also about the story 
+you tell about them and the way you present them - and where.
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-olpcs.jpg" alt="Two 'One Laptop per Child' OLPC XO-1 on a bench" >}}
+
+### IBM PC Convertible (model 5140)
+
+I couldn't resist to play Planet X3 on CGA Composite on a small
+surveilance monitor thingy (sorry, one photo was blurred and the
+other one has now a non-syncing output signal, I promise,
+take my word, it worked just fine in "full" CGA colors).
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-ibm-convertible.jpg" alt="IBM PC Convertible (model 5140) with external monitor" >}}
+
+### Scrib
+
+Thankfully they put a Scribd teletype writer from the Smaky series
+of computers in that room, which you could actually touch without
+white glowes. It was the technological equivalent of a Chinese
+fingertrap to me trying to spin my head around the way you use this
+thing. Unique is the idea to use a mirror on the back to reflect the
+image of the CRT (which is mounted on the back). The image is cristall
+clear compared to other CRT displays of that time.
+
+I managed to print something, but couldn't remember the key combination
+I pressed so I spent far too much time to reproduce printing.
+I managed all kind of "erreurs de casettes" (behind the little
+shiny glas cover on the right the machine can hold two small tapes)
+but sadly not a second print.
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-scrib.jpg" alt="Smaky Scrib" >}}
+
+## BBC Acorn Econet school network
+
+It was real joy to see the UKs pride of computing in a series of Acorn
+machines joined in a Econet network. Of course various Raspberry PIs
+were serving as coprocessor emulators, network files servers, etc.
+
+It was really pleasant to talk to Mark Usher and his plans collecting and
+documenting those machines.
+
+Who has the time should see BCC early education series on computing on TV.
+
+{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-acorns.jpg" alt="Acorns" >}}
+
+## Important Lessons Learned
+
+Fix that darn IMC-2001.. ;-)
+
+## Links
+
+* general links
+  * [Vintage Computer Festival Zurich](https://vintagecomputerfestival.ch): official webpage
+* smaky
+  * [Smaky Scribd](https://www.smaky.ch/chapitre.php?id=lami_6)
+* Acorn, Econet
+  * [Listing of computer models](https://www.retro-kit.co.uk/page.cfm/content/Acorn-Computers-Ltd/index.html)
+  * [Econet manuals](http://www.8bs.com/othrdnld/manuals/econet.shtml)
+* videos
+  * [Youtube video on the IBM PC Convertible (model 5140)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4fH6iPMxGw)
+