The Vintage Computer Festival (VCF) is an international event celebrating the history of computing. It is held annually in various locations around the United States and various countries internationally. It was founded by Sellam Ismail in 1997.
The Vintage Computer Festival promotes the preservation of "obsolete" computers by offering the public a chance to experience the technologies, people and stories that embody the remarkable tale of the computer revolution. It is consequently one of the premiere physical markets for antique computer hardware.
Besides the main event, last held in 2007 in Silicon Valley, California, other VCF events include: Vintage Computer Festival East (organized by the Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists), Vintage Computer Festival Midwest (organized by Jason Timmons of Chicago Classic Computing), Vintage Computer Festival South (organized by Gil Carrick of the Museum of Information Technology at Arlington), Vintage Computer Festival Europa (organized by Hans Franke in Munich, Germany), and Vintage Computer Festival GB (organized by Simon Hewitt - the first event hosted by the National Museum of Computing). The British event has the addition of electronic music talks and concerts.
Famous quotes containing the words computer and/or festival:
“What, then, is the basic difference between todays computer and an intelligent being? It is that the computer can be made to see but not to perceive. What matters here is not that the computer is without consciousness but that thus far it is incapable of the spontaneous grasp of patterna capacity essential to perception and intelligence.”
—Rudolf Arnheim (b. 1904)
“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the festival of unleavened bread, at the festival of weeks, and at the festival of booths. They shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed; all shall give as they are able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 16:16,17.