I visited the Computer History Museum again. My first visit was in 2015, but I lost the pictures from that day and only had about one hour inside. This time I stayed for more than two hours, so I could enjoy the museum much more.

The best part was seeing the physical side of computing history. As a software engineer, many things I use every day can feel abstract, but in the museum I could see the machines, terminals, manuals, switches, and panels behind that history.

Some exhibits showed IBM business machines, punched cards, scales, and time recording machines. It was interesting to see business computing before screens, laptops, and cloud services.

I also liked the bigger systems. One exhibit showed the AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, part of the SAGE air defense system. It reminded me that networking and real-time systems were important many years before the modern internet.

There were also small details that I enjoyed. One photo shows the UNIX Programmer’s Manual from 1971, by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs. UNIX is important for software engineers, so seeing that manual was special.

Another photo shows the Honeywell Kitchen Computer. It was a 1969 Neiman-Marcus idea based on the Honeywell 316 minicomputer. It was made for cooking and recipes, but it used binary switches and did not sell. That detail made me smile.

The logic gates exhibit was simple, but I liked it because it connects with computer science basics: NOT, OR, AND, and memory with flip-flops.

I enjoyed the visit because it connected my work with the real history behind the tools we use. The pictures tell most of the story, but being there in person made the history feel much closer.