Now on view
Permanent gallery
2026 /
About
ABWhat this is
A museum for the stylus era.
Pen-Based Computing History Museum is an independent online archive devoted to the people, products, printed matter, and ephemera of pen-based computing — the brief but fertile period that created the direct precursors to today's smartphones and touch tablets.
Why
it matters.
The premise
Capture the era while the people who lived it are still answering email.
Pen-based computing peaked in the early 1990s. Most of the founders, engineers, designers, and journalists are still reachable — and most of the original hardware still exists in basements and garages. The window for a first-hand archive is open, but not forever.
The method
Primary sources, plainly presented.
Every artifact is photographed, every press release is reproduced in full, every timeline entry cites its source. No ads, no analytics, and no walled garden. This is a public record of one of the most existing times in computing history.
What
we cover.
HW
Hardware
GO's slates, GRiD, Newton, Momenta, EO, Zaurus, Windows for Pen Computing tablets, and the experimental machines that never shipped.
SW
Software
PenPoint, Newton OS, Pen for Windows, third-party apps, and the recognition engines (CalliGrapher, Longhand, InkWriter) that made any of it possible.
PP
Print & press
Trade magazines, conference programs, datasheets, marketing collateral, and every press release we could find — scanned and digitized in full.
PE
People
Founders, engineers, product managers, designers, and the journalists who covered them. Profiles link out to companies, products, and timeline events.
Get
involved.
Donate to the collection
Hardware, software, magazines, photos, oral histories — see the donate page for what fits and how to ship.
Send a correction
Wrong date, misattributed product, missing person? Email the page URL and the correction via the contact page.
Just talk to us
Researchers, podcasters, writers, and the simply curious are welcome. Email john@jerney.com.