Londonís oldest working business PC to be donated to the Museum of London

The search for Londonís oldest working business computer has ended with the discovery of a 21-year old IBM PC in the Dalston offices of Capital Transport Campaign (CTC).

The search was conducted as part of a competition sponsored by Kinitron Total IT Care, which is providing a prize of a brand-new PC and full support package for 12 months. As a result of winning the competition CTC has agreed to donate the vintage computer to the Museum of London.

ìWe thought it would be interesting to discover how long organisations really kept their PCs working in operation, despite the fact that constant advances in technology mean that PCs are out of date within a few years,î comments Xeno Andriopoulos, managing director of Kinitron Total IT Care. ìThe competition has enabled us to identify the oldest working machine in London and to help the user experience the advantages of 21st century technology. It is great news that the machine will now be preserved for prosperity.î

With most computer equipment having such a short lifespan, this computer is remarkable in that it has been in constant use for 21 years,ì comments Alex Werner, curator, Museum of London. ìIt takes us back to the era of the first PCs and is a worthy item to add to the Museum of London’s collection.

ìThe Museum is planning major new displays about modern London and we are keen to hear from Londoners about their experiences using their first PCs, how they changed the ways they worked or studied, did they excite or terrify users, did people think they were the key to the future or a passing fad.

It is believed that the vintage IBM PC was originally given to CTC by the former GLC, which helped to establish the Campaign in 1983. Cynthia Hay, CTCís coordinator explains, ìWe’ve used the IBM 5160 to maintain databases for our membership and media contacts since the Campaign was established, to campaign for better public transport in London.

ìThis computer was made to last, and it has! I’ve personally used it for the past nine years. There were some difficulties with one database in 1997, which were sorted out by people more expert than me. To be preserved in the Museum of London is a fitting reward for this hard working computer! I’m sure it will fascinate future generations.

Hardware and Software specifications of the IBM XT 5160:

Built in language: Microsoft basic 80

Full stroke keyboard with numeric keypad and function keys, original 83 keys keyboard

CPU: Intel 8088

Speed: 4.77 Mhz

Coprocessor: socket for an 8087 math coprocessor

Ram: 128 k

Rom: 64Kb

Text modes: 84 x 24/40 x 24

Colours - monitor shows lurid green lettering against charcoal grey background

I/O ports: 8 internal slots (five 8 bit ISA), RS232c, Centronics

Twin 5.25 inch full height disk drives

OS: IBM PC DOS version 2.0

10 mb hard disk drive

Power supply: PSU built in


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