Musée de l'Informatique, Technology museum in La Défense district, Puteaux, France.
The Musée de l'Informatique was a technology museum with approximately 800 square meters of exhibition space located in the Grande Arche building within La Défense business district. The collection held over 200 objects covering the development of computing technology, from early calculating machines to vintage personal computers spanning several decades.
The museum opened in 2008 as France's first dedicated computing museum, created through the initiative of technology journalist Philippe Nieuwbourg. It closed in 2010 after technical issues with the building's elevator system made operations impossible.
The museum's motto was "Connaître le passé, comprendre le présent, pour imaginer l'avenir". Its permanent display, "le fil du temps", presented about 200 pieces from private collections, including a reconstruction of a 1960s computer room, the Micral (the first microcomputer, invented by a Frenchman) and 1980s video game consoles. Temporary shows covered the history of the Internet and the Macintosh's 25th anniversary in 2009.
The museum occupied the roof of the Grande Arche, reached by the tower's lifts; a lift breakdown in April 2010 led the ministry to close the roof to visitors. The 800 m² display area also opened onto a terrace with a view over La Défense and Paris. The museum has been closed since 24 April 2010.
The collection featured the Osborne 1, a landmark device recognized as the first portable computer ever made. This machine and others in the display illustrated how computing moved from large office equipment to something users could carry with them.
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