THE BBC MICRO AND ITS LEGACY
by
Richard Millwood
—
last modified
Tuesday Apr 8, 2008 18:05
25 years after its launch in January 1982 the Computer Conservation Society held a seminar exploring its legacy. This special event brought together many of the people who took part in the original projects.
| What |
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|---|---|
| When |
Thursday Mar 20, 2008 from 13:30 to 17:30 |
| Where | Fellows Library of the Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD |
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- A photograph of the Computer Conservation Society seminar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BBC Micro
The four themes and lead speakers were:
- The
role of the micro within the BBC Computer Literacy Project - the
genesis, scope, and impact of the project, and the role of the Micro
within it.
The lead speaker was John Radcliffe, the Executive Producer for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. His talk included a showing of some BBC programme extracts (by Paul Kriwaczek, who produced “The Computer Programme”), and a brief technical account the BBC Micro (by one of the Acorn team who designed it). - Its legacy for the BBC - Micro applications, telesoftware, Domesday, and further innovations.
The lead speaker was George Auckland, Head of Learning Innovation at the BBC. He talked about the legacy of the system - and the Project - for the BBC. - Its technological legacy - ARM processor applications, the Cambridge phenomenon, computer architecture research.
The lead speaker was Steve Furber, CBE, Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Manchester, and one of the key designers of the BBC Micro. He talked about its technological legacy, the ARM microprocessor, now the world’s dominant architecture for mobile and embedded systems, the ‘Cambridge phenomenon’ – the active cluster of companies and investors and the mobile work-force that together fuel the local high-tech economy, and the legacy for computer architecture research. - Its educational legacy - Computer hardware and software in schools, standards and applications.
The lead speaker is Mike Bostock who was one of the small group of key educational advisers who ran the MEP project in the 1980s, and exercised great influence on the use of the BBC Micro and other systems of the day in schools and colleges. He talked about the educational impact, its ease of use in schools, the take-up of hardware and software, innovation and consolidation, BBC Micros, Macs and PCs, and the continuing influence today of the 1980s generation of teachers.
The talks were followed by a brief discussion, chaired by David Hartley.
There was an exhibition of hardware before the seminar, with items from the Science Museum and The National Museum of Computing.
Of course the BBC reported the event with web pages and video:
Thursday 20th March 2008 - Looking back at a computing icon
Friday 21st March 2008 - 'Beeb' creators reunite at museum
Friday 21st March 2008 - BBC Micro ignites memories of revolution
