VCF East 2020 Virtual Only – Oct 10 & 11

VCF East will be a virtual only show for 2020.

The dates for the live show will be October 10 & 11. Time will be from 9AM to 6PM.

We will be streaming to YouTube with the schedule to be released soon.

Exhibitors can submit a 5 to 10 minute video or show their exhibit in-person at InfoAge.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/24CeNpKFDwVmLeMR9

Class Instructors can submit a 30 minute video on their how-to class.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/kFhoGKuPBcSAWRHKA

I know that this will be a great disappointment to many. I had hoped that after 4 months that conditions would have improved to the point that the show could be in-person, but limitations in indoor capacity makes the effort to organize an in-person show prohibitive. We considered the time, effort, money and safety to make an in-person show.

But don’t despair! Our virtual hybrid show will still be a lot of fun!
We can still make the show great despite being a virtual hybrid.

VCF West, K-Fest and HOPE have shown that a fun show can still be created while being virtual.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC ISN’T ALLOWED AT THE SHOW.
Only staff and a handful of exhibitors will be there in-person

I will be sending out more details about our plans as we develop them.

VCF Museum reopening August 1, 2020

The Vintage Computer Federation Museum will reopen starting August 1, 2020 as per InfoAge’s plan to reopen. InfoAge has a plan for everyone wearing masks, providing hand sanitizer, social distancing and controlling the volume of visitors, etc. They are following all the state and local guidelines for safety in regards to Covid-19. If you have any questions, then please let me know.

VCF West wrap-up

THANK YOU to all who attended and supported Vintage Computer Festival West last weekend! It was a huge success. Dozens of amazing exhibits, great lectures, and 18 of the world’s approximately 70 remaining original Apple 1 computers in the building. Special thanks to all of the attendees and exhibitors, plus our awesome loyal supporters: the staff of the Computer History Museum, Hackaday, the Association for Computing Machinery, Commodore’s Bil Herd, Apple’s Dan Kotte, RR Auctions, and Apollo Guidance Computer expert Frank O’Brien. Visit our YouTube channel to watch video of the event.

We’re livestreaming from VCF West

Vintage Computer Festival West (#vcfwest) is underway. In addition to the exhibit hall, there’s a full slate of lectures, panels, and special demonstrations. There’s nothing like being there in person, but this year we are experimenting with our first live stream — please forgive us if the quality isn’t fully professional. Make some popcorn and click over to our YouTube channel to watch all weekend. Enjoy the show!

Vintage Computer Festival West is August 3-4

VCF West is just a few weeks away! You’ll find three dozen incredible hands-on exhibits, a special exhibit with at least 10 original Apple-1 computers, a restored Apollo Guidance Computer, an amazingly detailed technical lecture by legendary Commodore engineer Bil Herd, our huge consignment sale, and much more!!! It’s all happening at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, right in the heart of Silicon Valley — with special thanks to our supporters at Hackaday and the Association for Computing Machinery. Get your tickets online now to save time at the show! Click here for all of the details.

CHM’s Dag Spicer joins VCF board of directors

We’re honored to announce that Dag Spicer is our newest board member! Dag is senior curator at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley.

Dag’s background is in electrical engineering and history. He joined VCF to assist in expanding the grassroots involvement of computer enthusiasts in the story of computing, one in which every person on earth is now a part. Originally from Canada, Dag now lives in Santa Clara, CA. His hobbies include reading, hockey, and Cycladic art.

Click here to see our complete governance page.

VCF West: Call for exhibitors and speakers; online ticketing is open!

Vintage Computer Festival West 2019 is just two months away! The show is August 3-4 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

We are going to have a fabulous show and hope to set a new record for attendance. Buy your tickets online now!

This year we’re having a special gathering of several working Apple 1 computers. Their owners will participate in a panel discussion to tell the stories behind these rare machines. We will also hear from the team who restored an Apollo Guidance Computer, and we’re always happy to welcome Commodore engineer Bil Herd.

Additional speakers and classes are pending but we still have room on the schedule for more of everything. So if you have something to share, please let us know!

If you haven’t signed up for your exhibit yet please do so ASAP. The sooner we get that list together, the sooner we can lay out the hall and get the program started. Click here for the exhibits page.

Comments/questions? Contact erik@vcfed.org.

VCF East wrap-up, win a prize!

Vintage Computer Festival East is in our rearview mirror. It was our biggest east-coast show ever! The highlights were the keynotes by Unix co-inventor Ken Thompson (with Brian Kernighan interviewing him on stage) and Atari hardware engineer Joe Decuir. Watch all of the show videos here.

We’d also like to thank all of the exhibitors, especially those who banded together to make anniversary-edition Unix and Atari exhibits. Additional special thanks to all of the volunteers and speakers, and of course to everyone who attended!

We wouldn’t end this blog post without also thanking our sponsor Hackaday and the Association for Computing Machinery. We also owe gratitude to organizations that simply retweeted us to large audiences, such as the IEEE, Bell Labs, and ArsTechnica.

Upload your show photos here. We’ll see you again next year!

Take our show survey and win VCF swag!