University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Retrocomputing as preservation and remix

Takhteyev, Yuri; DuPont, Quinn

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230.pdf

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/38392

Description

Title
Retrocomputing as preservation and remix
Author(s)
  • Takhteyev, Yuri
  • DuPont, Quinn
Issue Date
2013-02
Keyword(s)
  • retrocomputing
  • software preservation
  • remix
  • cultural informatics
  • digital curation and preservation
  • social computing
  • social and community informatics
Date of Ingest
2013-01-30T05:42:48Z
Abstract
This paper looks at the world of retrocomputing, a constellation of largely non-professional practices involving old computing technology. Retrocomputing includes many activities that can be seen as constituting “preservation.” At the same time, it is often transformative, producing assemblages that “remix” fragments from the past with newer elements or joining together historic components that were never combined before. While such “remix” may seem to undermine preservation, it allows for fragments of computing history to be reintegrated into a living, ongoing practice, contributing to preservation in a broader sense. The seemingly unorganized nature of retrocomputing assemblages also provides space for alternative “situated knowledges” and histories of computing, which can sometimes be quite sophisticated. Recognizing such alternative epistemologies paves the way for alternative approaches to preservation.
Publisher
iSchools
Type of Resource
text
Genre of Resource
Conference Paper / Presentation
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/38392
DOI
https://doi.org/10.9776/13230
Copyright and License Information
Copyright © 2013 is held by the authors. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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iConference 2013 papers PRIMARY