In a world where millions of people carry a ’90s supercomputer in their pocketsIt’s fun to revisit technology from a time when a 1 megahertz machine on a desktop was a huge leap forward. Recently, a collector named Brian Green Show off his old computer collection on Twitter, and we thought it would be fun to ask him why and how to set up his home computer lab.
By day, Green works as a Senior Systems Engineer based in Arkansas. But in his spare hours, the “Ice Breaker” (as he’s often known online) focuses his passion on a vintage computer stack he’s been building for decades—and a bulletin board system (BBS) is called “Particles” and he’s been running it since 1992.
Green’s interest in computers dates back to 1980, when he first used a Apple II+ in elementary school. “My older sister brought home a hard copy of a basic program she was working on, and I was impressed that she could tell a computer what to do using something like English,” Green recalled. “Once I realized you could code games, I was hooked.”
A wide shot of the room reveals a setup that includes several workstations where Brian Green or his visitors can use his classic machines.
Adorning the wall is a collection of vintage 4×3 dimensional machines, with extensive representations of machines from Atari, Tandy, and Commodore. In between, Green has decorated the wall with illustrations relating to old computers and video game consoles.
Rarely can you see the Commodore CD32 and CDTV together in the same place, much less on top of each other as in the lower right corner of this image.
Close-up of the shelves and artwork adorning the wall. The rare Commodore B128 sits on the bottom shelf towards the middle of the picture.
Here we see Green’s beloved Apple III, which he’s been looking up the most of all his devices. Also, Mac SE and Apple IIgs.
These curtains tie the room together. One couldn’t help but wonder what ancient treasures lurked inside the treasury.
From this angle we see the Commodore CBM 8032, Commodore 16, and an excerpt from the IBM PCjr on the left. Check out this old red phone with an 80’s flair.
Here’s a closer look at the Apple IIc Plus, a rare version of the Apple IIc that took 3.5-inch tablets.
Next to vintage 1980s window treatments, Green has set up a shelf with an Amiga 500, Amiga 3000, and what appear to be two Amiga 600 computers.
Despite his early encounters with the Apple II, 1982 Dean 64 Really won his heart. As the first computer with a disk drive, it came at a steep price for a kid, so he spent the entire summer saving money from his paper way to buy one. “Most of my friends had one at the time,” he says.
Today, Green’s line of vintage computers spans a wide variety of machines, even the rarest of them Commodore B128-80 from 1982. As part of the failed Commodore B series of computers, the model barely made it out the door before pulling the plug, according to Green. “Of the B-Series, this is the most common, with about 10,000 manufactured,” says Green. “Whereas other supermodels only had a few hundred.”
We asked him about the computer, which was difficult to track down, and he pointed to the ill-fated Apple IIIwhich Apple launched in 1980 as a business-capable follow-up to its more famous predecessor: “I might have been looking for the taller Apple III. Most computers can be had if you’re willing to spend the money on eBay, but it’s not as fun as picking something up in Show or flea market The Apple III has finally found a worker Midwest Vintage Computer Festival Well priced and proudly displayed.
Create his own computer lab
Brian Green enjoys amateur radio (KF5MDY) as much as BBSing and old computers, so it’s a prominent spot in his computer lab — right next to the Apple III.
A ham radio setup next to a modern computer, a Ferrari F40 poster, and a tractor-powered printer banner round out the “man cave” quality of a computer lab.
Brian Green’s bookshelf is stocked with numerous issues of Retro Gamer magazine, old computer magazines, packaged software, and more. Can you spot the OS/2 version?
A stack of Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo DS consoles sits atop a bookshelf filled with classic PC hardware.
From these photos, it becomes clear that Green’s home computer lab is an exercise in technological nostalgia on a weapons level. His goal is to recreate the computing experience of the 1980s, when he grew up reading magazines like Family Computing.
“Every month, there was a new computer announced or reviewed,” he says. “I was a kid at the time and couldn’t afford any of those computers, but I’ve always been fascinated by all the different machines. I wanted to try them all! I try to use as much ‘slot correct’ hardware as possible, though there are a few The latest in these devices too.”
