Stephen Jones, Interim Computer Museum

Stephen Jones, caretaker of the Interim Computer Museum in Tuckwillow, Washington, shares insights into the evolution of computer museums and online communities during an interview at the Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest. With a background as Senior Engineering Manager at the now-closed Living Computer Museum, Jones discusses the transition from that institution to the Interim Computer Museum, which aims to preserve and showcase vintage computing artifacts.

Jones details the history of SDF.org, a public access Unix system founded in 1987, which has fostered a vibrant online community. He explains how SDF.org adapted to the changing tech landscape, transitioning from a bulletin board system to a nonprofit that supports a diverse range of Unix-based projects. The museum's collection includes rare computing devices and software preservation tools, reflecting a commitment to maintaining historical data on obsolete formats.

The conversation also touches on the impact of Paul Allen's death on the Living Computer Museum and the subsequent liquidation of its assets. Jones clarifies that while Allen's philanthropic intentions were genuine, the operational costs of maintaining such a museum were unsustainable. The Interim Computer Museum now focuses on community engagement and educational workshops, with plans to expand its public offerings and enhance its collection through software recovery projects.

Stephen Jones, Interim Computer Museum

Stephen Jones describes himself as the "caretaker" of Interim Computer Museum, a computer museum in Tukwila, Washington, a few miles south of Seattle. Stephen has decades of involvement with sdf.org, the public-access UNIX system that's been around since 1987; he was senior engineering manager at the Living Computer Museum, Paul Allen's Seattle computer museum that shuttered in 2020.

In this interview, Stephen provides a brief history of SDF.org, the rise and fall of the Living Computer Museum, and the birth of the Interim Computer Museum. He explains what happened to the holdings of Living Computer Museum, and some of the interesting items at Interim Computer Museum.

This interview took place on May 3, 2026 at Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest in Washington State. SDF.org Interim Computer Museum Allen Family Philanthropies Mimms Museum of Technology and Art Living Computer Museums + Labs site (archived) Christie's sale of the The Paul G. Allen Collection 2018 Interview - Cynde Moya, Collections Manager at Living Computers: Museum + Labs Idea Man by Paul Allen Source Code by Bill Gates