David’s choice of charity to benefit from the auction of one of the first 12 pre-production Model A Raspberry Pis (and some other goodies besides) is one that we’re all very pleased to see picked out: it’s the Centre for Computing History. Established to create a permanent public exhibition that tells the story of the Information Age, the Centre’s museum preserves and presents a collection of important computers and related artifacts. It spotlights the people behind the inventions and records the information necessary to inspire and enthuse future generations.

David and an exhibit. (One of the first Model Bs off the production line was donated to the Centre for Computing History by an anonymous well-wisher.)

At the moment the Centre for Computing History is trying to find a way to move from its current, very small premises in Suffolk (which are too tiny to support a proper display or to be permanently open, most of the available space being used to store exhibits) to a new, larger site in Cambridge. We wish them all the best in the endeavour, and I really hope that the sale of this Pi is successful in raising some more money for some of the hardest-working people I have met since I’ve been working on Raspberry Pi. Whenever I see Jason or any of the other guys from the Centre for Computing history, they’re busy with school visits or exhibitions, loaning out hardware, rescuing software from ancient storage mediums, or refurbishing devices that have been neglected for decades (I have learnt a lot about the behaviour of capacitors from the 1980s from them); they’re a really great, dedicated bunch, and work to preserve important data and artifacts for all of us. Please get bidding!