Blog
The Tom Conrad Collection
Tom Conrad, an employee of IBM for over 30 years had been collecting computers with the intention of creating his own museum. Now well retired, he decided to look for a new home for his treasured collection and contacted us to see if we were interested. A friend of the Computer Museum, Steve Garan, offered to drive the collection to Waterloo. On January 20, 2026 it arrived in Waterloo. Now begins the process of documenting this incredible collection!
Don’t Copy That Floppy: King’s Quest and the Fight Against Piracy
This blog is about King’s Quest IV on an Atari 1040ST and how the game used manual-based quizzes as an early form of anti-piracy. It explores how, in the 1980s, developers relied on player trust, as game copying was very common. The post also discusses how piracy today plays a role in preserving older games, since most classic titles are no longer legally available.
Our New Branding
The reasoning, thought process and design concepts behind our new branding
Events
Computer Museum Open House - March 24 & 28
On Tuesday, March 24th and Saturday, March 28th, we will be holding our Computer Museum Open House. The event will run from 10:00am to 4:00pm in DC 1316. Come for prizes and games, and to explore the Computer Museum’s collection of artifacts and try out some vintage systems!
News
Fall 2025 Open House
We are having our termly Open House on October 25, 11am-4pm at the Davis Centre “Fishbowl” (DC 1301). Come join us in celebrating the history of APL!
Computer Museum Logo Survey
Help us decide on a new logo!
2024 Annual Report
The 2024 Annual Report for the University of Waterloo Computer Museum is now available.