Two of the world’s first desktop computers have been discovered during a house clearance. The Q1, which was launched in 1972, changed the way we use computers today.
These two models, which are among only three known surviving examples worldwide, were found hidden under boxes during a house clearance in London by waste firm Just Clear. The staff at Just Clear, who aim to salvage and reuse as many items as possible, didn’t know what they had stumbled upon but decided to set them aside until they could find out more.
I wonder if its new custodians will try to safely get it operational again.
(Would it be better to replace any faulty components and have it actually working, or to keep it as a dead display piece with all internal parts untouched?)
They have two, so they can do both
It depends. Electrolytic caps can leak and cause further damage to the boards, so it would be better to remove those outright, regardless of the plans.
Personally though, there is way greater value in something like this if you can show people how it worked, rather than just how it looked.
That’s my view as well, but I can understand how some people would prefer to keep a rare artifact in its original form.