Remarkable collection of hardware used in the development of the Community Memory project, the first public computerized bulletin board system. All pieces originate from the collection of personal computer pioneer Lee Felsenstein, an original member of the Homebrew Computer Club who designed multiple important early computers: the Intel 8080-based Sol-20, the first fully assembled microcomputer with a built-in keyboard and television output; and the Osborne 1, the first mass-produced portable computer.
Felsenstein was a founder of Community Memory and made a number of Sol-20 computers available for software development carried out between 1977 and 1986. He also provided space for the software development work in my offices and set up a high-speed parallel data network to interconnect the Sol-20 computers. Deployed into public places, the Community Memory system—a terminal that allowed everyday people to read and post messages, exchange information, and make connections—represented, for many, their first-ever interaction with a computer. It became a transformative, hyper-local communications medium used for art, literature, journalism, commerce, and social chatter—an early social network, serving a proto-Craigslist type of function within the community.
This collection is highlighted by a North Star Floppy Disk system used in Community Memory development, designed and built by Lee Felsenstein. The structure houses two floppy disk drives bought from North Star Computers and is designed to support a video monitor on top of a Sol-20. The device is basically a sandwich of two metal plates with tapped stand-off separators providing vertical support and rigidity. Two single-sided, single-density Shugart SA-300 floppy disk drives mount to the bottom plate and each has the standard North Star power supply and regulator board mounted to its rear.
A paper label on the front of the left-hand drive bears a hand-lettered inventory number issued by the Community Memory Project. The power cord is a two-wire brown 'zip-cord' type with a two-prong AC plug. The pink ribbon cable used to connect the North Star S-100 controller board installed in the Sol-20 with the drive electronics extends from the rear of the device.
The device was used for software development and not in the operation of the Community Memory systems which were opened in 1984 and 1990. It is believed to be operational, though it has not been tested since it was taken out of service. Additional hardware includes a Northstar S-100 disc controller board used to run the drives, complete with Community Memory inventory sticker; and two complete Northstar single drives with original sheet metal housings, a pink ribbon cable for connection to the controller board, and Community Memory inventory stickers. Accompanied by letters of provenance signed by Felsenstein for all included components.
