The Museum of Technology (MoT) at Middle Georgia State University was honored to exhibit two of its rarest systems—the Archistrat 4s and Archistrat 4b—at Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 12.0 (VCFSE), held in Atlanta, Ga., June 20–22.
The exhibit, titled “The Future That Never Was,” showcased The Panda Project’s Archistrat 4s and 4b systems, displayed side by side in fully restored condition. Attendees experienced live demonstrations of working hardware and an in-depth look at the VSPA modular architecture, demonstrating why these machines were ahead of their time. Faculty, students, and MoT volunteers were on hand to engage visitors in conversations about digital preservation and the history of information technology.
For many attendees, it was their first introduction to the Archistrat name. Though once hailed as the “system of the future” in the mid-1990s—with features in Byte magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Museum of Modern Art, and the 1995 Design Yearbook—the systems remain largely unknown today. This underscores the importance of our mission: to preserve and educate.
VCFSE is one of the premier events in the retro-computing world, drawing collectors, technologists, educators, and enthusiasts from across the country to celebrate the machines and minds that shaped the digital age.
For more information about the Museum of Technology or its unique collection, please contact Tina Ashford at tina.ashford@mga.edu.
