Luckily, there is already an emulator for the GRiD OS, that GRiD had made themselves, which runs in MS DOS, and which Ian has offered to provide for us (along with an archive of GRiD software). The menu-driven interface represents a unique design, a missing link between command line interfaces and early, iconographic, graphical user interfaces. Additionally, the public cannot be permitted to interact directly with the rare physical components of the GRiD Compass.Īlthough the GRiD’s hardware has significant historical importance, from the standpoint of user interface and interaction, the CCOS is equally demonstrative. This would place undue stress on the electroluminescent display (ELD), which, much like a cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, has a finite lifespan. Going forward: considering questions of authentic experience in an emulation display: Through this study, we have learned that displaying the original GRiD hardware in a running,functional state in a museum setting is simply not viable. But these components will eventually leak corrosive materials, and should be meticulously removed, otherwise they will certainly cause irreversible harm to the object. None of the electrolytic capacitors were removed or replaced during our initial conservation assessment. Rather than desoldering, we simply clipped its leads.Īt that time we were not prepared to perform any desoldering-a major, but safe and likely necessary preventive conservation measure. This battery had not leaked, but since it was only a matter of time, the Cooper Hewitt team decided it was an opportune moment to remove it. The computer contains a small battery, which is wired and soldered directly to the main PCB, near the bubble memory. This does not diminish its status in the collection as an important example of Bill Moggridge’s groundbreaking design work, but it may affect the way we understand its inherent vulnerability as it probably does not contain unique irreplaceable information.īefore reassembling the machine, however, we made one intervention. Regarding our second question, it now seems unclear whether this is indeed a prototype, given its identical configuration to the commercial model. Bubble memory was a fringe technology, and little is known about its long-term durability. What did we learn?: While we were disappointed to find that the bubble memory in the GRiD was inaccessible, it was not a total surprise. During Ian’s visit, we had two fundamental missions: 1) to access and stabilize the contents of Cooper Hewitt’s GRiD Bubble Memory, and 2) to learn why this computer was cataloged as a prototype. Ian joined us in New York, bringing with him a second working GRiD Compass and numerous accessories and peripherals. We turned to Ian Finder, a passionate collector and restorer of vintage computers-particularly GRiD Compass laptops. We needed to devise a strategy for accessing, reading, and stabilizing the bubble memory to understand the inner workings of the GRiD computer. Thus, accessing the bubble memory was a unique challenge of this assessment. Bubble memory not only stored user data, but also the GRiD Compass Computer Operating System (CCOS). disk imaging) are not currently possible for this type of hardware.Ĭondition assessment : The GRiD’s unique internal componentry and data storage technologies include a form of non-volatile memory called magnetic bubble memory (of which it had 340 kb). Unfortunately, forensic techniques commonly used in conservation (i.e. The software represents a significant piece of the history of interface design, but the only evidence remaining is housed on now-obsolete hardware. Through interviews with Bill archived in the Cooper Hewitt collection files, extensive documentation exists about the industrial design aspects of the GRiD, but little, if anything, was documented about its operating system and software. Software, hardware, and industrial design are three integral aspects of any portable computing device. This case study investigates preservation concerns for early portable computers. Not only is the GRiD Compass one of the first laptop computers, with its innovative clamshell case, but it was also designed by Bill Moggridge, an industrial designer who went on to became director of Cooper Hewitt from 2010 until his death in 2012. The GRiD Compass laptop computer prototype is one of the most significant historic computers in Cooper Hewitt’s collection. The two-year project was coordinated by an in-house team of conservators, curators, and registrar, and was conducted by digital conservation specialist Ben Fino-Radin and his team at Small Data Industries. This week’s posts feature case studies from Cooper Hewitt’s Digital Collections Management Project, a conservation survey of born-digital and hybrid objects in the permanent collection.
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