Towards a Museum of Computing and Digital Society in France
Digital technology has become pervasive in our daily lives. Not a
single area of activity escapes this digital transformation. In France,
it is without doubt one of the areas of science and technology most in
need of recognition.
Furthermore, the heritage of 60 years of evolution in computer science
and informatics, both tangible and intangible, is in danger. In fact,
objects which bear witness to the development and innovation in the
area are often mass-consumption articles, disposable and thus disposed
of! In a culture which emphasises the ephemeral and short-term, the
true value of the intangible heritage is often underestimated, and its
preservation is problematic.
There are already institutions throughout the world dedicated totally
or partially to this field. In France, public and private
collections have taken the initiative of preserving computing history.
Generally, they have conserved the technological and historical
aspects, rarely the scientific or social aspects of digital
technologies.
In this context, is it not the moment to create A Museum of Computing and and Digital Society in France? This idea raises a number of questions and the objective of the conference is to provide answers to these questions.
