9th Vintage Computing Festival Berlin (VCFB) – Call for participation
7th to 9th October 2022, Pergamon-Palais, Berlin, Germany
Exhibitions, presentations and workshops
We are looking for people who would like to contribute exhibitions, presentations or workshops about the following topics:
- Historical computers: minicomputers, microcomputers, workstations, vacuum tube computers, … everything that is both interesting and older than 10 years
- Special Exhibition "Computers and Music": Computers have never been silent. From the first clacking relay computers to early tube computers with drum memory and punch card readers to the systems cooled by fans and armed with teletypes of the mainframe and minicomputer eras, computer rooms and data centres have been filled with noises. Acoustic output interfaces were added to these as early as the 1950s to intentionally output sounds. But both the ancillary noises and the sound outputs were used from the beginning by creative users to produce music. From the microcomputer age, when square waves of any frequency could be generated and sounds synthesised in a variety of ways by sound processors and cards, the production of computer music has dramatically improved in quality and quantity. In our special exhibition, we want to present and exhibit as many computers for, and methods of, sound production as possible: From the minicomputer that emits sonorous noise via a radio to the floppy disk drive whose motor can be used as a rhythm instrument; from the home computer that is used as a synthesiser to the video game that is controlled via drums.
- Historical software: operating systems, programming environments, games, demos, CAD software, …
- Historical computation equipment: calculating machines, slide rules, disk calculators, pocket calculators, …
- Repairs of historical computers or the like: common defects, advice for repairs, understanding measurement results, test tools, …
- Benchmarks of exhibits: We'd like to host a Benchmarking Competition like at the VCFe.
- Would you like to do an exhibition/presentation/workshop about something that doesn't quite fit these categories? Shoot us an email to info@vcfb.de and we'll talk about it.
The registration will close on September 18th, 2022.
Organisational information
- The exhibition area is at ground level, cars can be parked in front of the venue for loading and unloading only. Exhibition tables are 70cm*70cm in size, at least 250 of these will be available. If you need a special power connection, please tell us beforehand.
- Buildup will start on Thursday. Tables, chairs and power need to be set up before buildup of exhibitions can begin. If you'd like to help with buildup, please send a mail to info@vcfb.de.
- Slots for presentations are 45, 60 or 90 minutes long. Presentations will be recorded and streamed live on platforms like media.ccc.de, YouTube, Twitch etc. The recordings will be published under a Creative Commons license on the internet.
- If you'd like to contribute an exhibition/presentation/workshop, but can't cover your travel expenses, please contact us at info@vcfb.de and we'll look for a solution.
- For insurance reasons we will sign a contract with all exhibitors. The contract is available in German only, feel free to contact us if you have any questions. When registering an exhibition please include your postal address so that we can preprint the contracts. Please also have a look at the privacy policy for participants (German).
Page last modified on 2022-10-06
Deutsch