Computer Conservation Society#Overview

{{Infobox organization

| name = Computer Conservation Society

| logo = Computer Conservation Society Logo.png

| logo_size = 300px

| type = Professional Organisation

| founded_date = 1989

| founder =

| location =

| origins = The British Computer Society, Science Museum, MOSI

| area_served = UK and worldwide

| focus = History of Computing in the UK

| method = Research, Education, Restorations and Reconstructions

| revenue =

| endowment =

| num_volunteers =

| num_employees =

| num_members = 1,000+

| owner =

| homepage = [http://www.computerconservationsociety.org/ www.computerconservationsociety.org]

| tax_exempt =

| dissolved =

| footnotes =

}}

The Computer Conservation Society (CCS) is a British organisation, founded in 1989. It is under the joint umbrella of the British Computer Society (BCS),{{cite web| url=http://www.bcs.org/category/13184 | title=Computer Conservation Society | publisher=British Computer Society | access-date=8 January 2018 }} the London Science Museum and the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.{{cite web| url=http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/digital60/www.digital60.org/about/computerconservation/index.html | title=Computer Conservation Society: Aims and Objectives of the Society | work=Digital 60 | publisher=University of Manchester | location=UK | access-date=8 January 2018 }}{{cite web| url=http://foldoc.org/Computer%20Conservation%20Society | title=Computer Conservation Society | work=FOLDOC | access-date=8 January 2018 }}

Overview

The CCS is interested in the history of computing in general and the conservation and preservation of early British historical computers in particular.{{cite book| first=Roger | last=Johnson | chapter=Computer Conservation Society (CCS) – itItstory and Experience | series=IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology book series (IFIPAICT) | volume=416 | title=Making the History of Computing Relevant | date=2013 | pages=249–257 | doi=10.1007/978-3-642-41650-7_22 | publisher=Springer | isbn=978-3-642-41649-1 }}

The society runs a series of monthly public lectures between September and May each year in both London and Manchester. The events are detailed on the society's website.{{cite web| url=http://www.computerconservationsociety.org/lectures/current/lecture.htm | title=Events | publisher=Computer Conservation Society | access-date=8 January 2018 }}

The CCS publishes a quarterly journal, Resurrection.{{citation | url=http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/35062 | title=The CCS Journal – Resurrection | publisher=British Computer Society | access-date=8 January 2018 }}{{citation | url=http://www.computerconservationsociety.org/resurrection.htm | title=Resurrection – The CCS Journal | publisher=Computer Conservation Society | access-date=8 January 2018 }}

The society celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2014.{{cite web| url=https://www.bit-tech.net/news/ccs-turns-25/1/ | title=Computer Conservation Society turns 25 | first=Gareth | last=Halfacree | website=www.bit-tech.net | publisher=bit-tech | date=15 October 2014 | access-date=8 January 2018 }}{{cite web| url=http://ajovomultja.hu/news/british-computer-conservation-society-25-years-old?language=en | title=The British Computer Conservation Society is 25 years old | website=ajovomultja.hu | date=27 October 2014 | access-date=8 January 2018 }}

Dr Doron Swade,{{cite web| url=http://blog.plan28.org/2017/01/winter-2016-report-to-computer.html | title=Winter 2016 report to the Computer Conservation Society | website=blog.plan28.org | publisher=Plan 28 Blog | first=Doron | last=Swade | author-link=Doron Swade | date=20 January 2017 | access-date=8 January 2018 }} formerly the curator of the computing collection at the London Science Museum, was a founding committee member and {{as of|2021}} is the current chair of the society. David Morriss, Rachel Burnett, and Roger Johnson are previous chairs, also all previous presidents of the BCS.

Projects

The society organises a number of projects to reconstruct and maintain early computers and to conserve early software. For example:

;Restorations

;Reconstructions

Colossus Rebuild
Manchester Baby
Bombe Rebuild
EDSAC Replica Project{{cite web| url=http://www.computerhistory.org/events/video/37/ | title=The EDSAC Replica Project – Computer Conservation in the UK | publisher=Computer History Museum | access-date=8 January 2018 }}{{cite web| url=http://chiphack.org/talks/edsac-replica.pdf | title=Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer EDSAC Replica Project | website=chiphack.org | access-date=8 January 2018 }}
Babbage's Analytical Engine

;Other projects

Software preservation
"Our Computer Heritage" website{{cite web| url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ | title=Our Computer Heritage | publisher=Computer Conservation Society }}
Tony Sale Award for computer conservation and restoration{{cite web | url=http://www.tnmoc.org/news/news-releases/ccs-launches-tony-sale-award | title=CCS launches the Tony Sale Award | publisher=The National Museum of Computing | date=8 May 2012 | access-date=8 January 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064128/http://www.tnmoc.org/news/news-releases/ccs-launches-tony-sale-award | archive-date=9 January 2018 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web| url=http://www.sale-award.org/ | title=Tony Sale Award | publisher=Computer Conservation Society }}