Software engineer Josh Dersch has a deep interest in old computers, spending extensive hours in his garage reviving them. At his Seattle home, he maintains over 200 vintage computers and devices. It’s always been fascinating to me to see the origins of things,
Dersch stated. It’s a fun challenge to debug and repair. You can understand the entire system from top to bottom.
Dersch is a member of a growing group of vintage computer enthusiasts dedicated to preserving machines that played a pivotal role in the digital revolution. While Silicon Valley forges ahead with AI, enthusiasts focus on conserving the Atari, Commodore, and IBM machines that paved the way for modern technology like laptops and smartphones.
Where many see outdated junk, people like Dersch see historical artifacts deserving of respect. They enjoy reliving sounds from their past, such as the beeps and chimes of early computers, and playing classic games like Pong and Space Invaders.
Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, notes the increasing interest in computer history. This organization hosts an annual festival at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Silicon Valley. More than 3,500 attendees joined the recent event in early August, which marked Apple’s 50th anniversary. The program featured a discussion with co-founders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne reflecting on Apple’s early startup days.
Vintage computer festivals have flourished, now spanning cities across North and South America and Europe. The rising interest has increased demand for vintage computers in online marketplaces. Klein notes that iconic computers such as the Apple-1 can command prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Collectors showcase their restored systems, enabling attendees to experience computers from an era before the internet and AI shaped society. Dersch traveled from Seattle to highlight his collection’s pride: the Xerox Alto. Years of restoration have brought it back to working condition. Developed in the 1970s at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, the Alto is esteemed as the grandfather of the modern computer.
The Alto was among the first computers to leverage a mouse and graphical user interface, including windows and icons. This model notably influenced Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in their pioneering products. Dersch’s display included a functional Xerox Alto workstation, complete with a vertical monitor, sizable keyboard, mouse, and large spinning disks, which now store minuscule data volumes.
It’s fun to share what I’ve done with people. It’s fun to share in what other people have done,
Dersch noted. Also, there’s a consignment area where I can buy more junk to take home with me, so that’s always fun.
Erik Klein, once an ardent collector, saw his hobby outgrow his home and impact family life. With up to 150 computer systems stashed in his space, he decided to sell and give away many of his machines. Klein ultimately kept just a few treasured items.
Klein now channels his passion for vintage computers into organizing events like festivals and repair workshops as president of the Vintage Computer Federation. It’s really about evangelizing that history and evangelizing this hobby of maintaining, collecting and enjoying this vintage technology,
Klein explained.
Sellam Ismail, who inaugurated the first festival in 1997 with about 150 hobbyists near San Francisco, is thrilled to witness the community’s development and maturity. He co-founded the federation, overseeing festivals in the US and Canada, and contributed to launching similar events in Argentina, Germany, and Switzerland.
The community grew up. More and more people started getting old computers, started collecting them,
said Ismail, who once maintained a vast warehouse-stored collection. Next year is the 30th anniversary. And I expect this to continue and grow even bigger.
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