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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"
+++
## 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 watching the computers
in the exhibition and having discussions with the exhibitors or whether
you are watching the talks. This also good for the exhibitors themselves who
would love to be able to attend to 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 was a Scrib 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 of using a mirror on the back to reflect the
image of the CRT (which is mounted on the back). The image is cristal
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" >}}
## Other nice projects
Especially nice was the Fusix on a Dragon32 (something I can also imagine
to try on my IMC-2001) and the fully restaurated Sol-20 with wooden borders.
{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2023-others.jpg" alt="Dragon 32 and Sol-20" >}}
## 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)
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