Using an emulator on modern hardware can be a lot of fun. But the actual experience of using old machines involves much more than the software and its output. It is also the ambience and the environment that informs the experience.
A computer seems to always somehow fit into my best memories. But only on the periphery. Always there but always secondary to the people and the experiences. Computers are the ever-present MacGuffins of my life.
Discovering SerenityOS was the best kind of nostalgia: something that makes you appreciate experiences of the past while connecting you with something new and exciting in the present.
History has so much to teach us regardless of discipline. When it comes to computing, understanding the relatively simple computers of the past and how they overcame technical hurdles helps us understand and frame the challenges we face today.
My interest in computing and technology goes back a long way and I was so excited to finally be able to visit the Computer History Museum.