First Machines
An interactive companion to the Computer History Museum that lets anyone operate iconic 1960s computers via in-browser emulator, with curator narration and lesson plans for educators
Computing history enthusiasts and CS students who can't travel to the Mountain View museum
- In-browser emulators for PDP-1, IBM 1401, Altair 8800, and Apple I
- Curated 5-minute 'boot tours' showing how each machine started and what it ran first
- Lesson-plan packs aligned to intro CS history curricula
- Side-by-side comparison view of how user interaction evolved across decades
HN's viral interest in the museum PDF shows demand for hands-on access; many enthusiasts and students can't visit in person
HN source PDF got only 32 points / 3 comments — modest, non-viral signal; CHM's collections page confirms digital catalog but no public telemetry on emulator/remote-access interest.Collections - Computer History Museum ↗
Browser emulators for 1960s machines exist (SIMH-based, MAME ports) but CHM itself only offers on-site demos via its Computer Restorations project — a curated, narrated, educator-ready layer is genuinely underbuilt.Collections - Computer History Museum ↗
CHM runs on donations/memberships as a 501(c)3; the enthusiast slice is small and price-sensitive, while CS departments rarely pay for history add-ons beyond a textbook — likely Patreon + educator licensing, not a strong SaaS.Collections - Computer History Museum ↗
Historical content doesn't decay and ties to enduring CS curricula (architecture, early programming), but the addressable audience is a fixed niche with limited growth.
Core emulation (SIMH/Emscripten) is well-trodden, but legitimacy hinges on a CHM partnership for curator narration, machine images, and lesson-plan review — a real dependency, not a solo build.