A Unique Holiday

Happy Day of the Programmer! This holiday comes around on the 256th day of every year (since a byte can have 256 possible values). This year, that's September 13th. To celebrate, we’re sharing some of our favorite collections of computing and software materials; whether you’re a tech guru or a complete noob, there’s sure to be something you'll find interesting!

The Emulation Station
The Internet Archive Software Collection is the largest vintage and historical software library in the world, with over 790,000 titles! Not only is this a valuable resource for those who study the history of computing, but it’s also full of thousands of fun and interesting games and toys. Many of these programs can be emulated right in the web browser, allowing you to see exactly how the original software worked. Take a spin on some of the world’s earliest gaming consoles, or get a new high score on a retro arcade title!

https://archive.org/details/software

Printing the Digital
As computers started to transition out of labs and offices into ordinary people’s homes, a new genre of publication arose–the computer magazine. New technology made new consumers, and new consumers wanted to know more about their new purchases, setting the stage for the home computer revolution. Whether they were intended as marketing tools from major brands, shopper’s guides for everyday consumers, or resources for new users, these magazines are a fascinating peek into the early days of personal computing.

https://archive.org/details/computermagazines

Tech TV
Our huge video archive contains a variety of materials related to computers and technology–training films, conference talks, event recordings, and even a few broadcast TV shows. Among these is Computer Chronicles, which was on air from 1983 to 2022, and was for a while the world's most popular television program on personal technology. Exploring cutting-edge technologies from online shopping to artificial intelligence, this collection of episodes serves as an excellent introduction to the computers of yesterday.

https://archive.org/details/computerchronicles