Esocop and AStISI

Two associations, many stories to tell.

AStISI, the Associazione per la Storia dell'Informatica nella Svizzera Italiana, is the association for the history of information technology in Italian-speaking Switzerland. It collects, studies and exhibits computers, peripherals, software and documents that tell how computing arrived in the region and changed the way people work and live, and it runs the Atelier di storia delle tecnologie informatiche, a permanent exhibition open to schools, students and the public.

Esocop and AStISI share members, machines and the same idea of preservation: a computer is worth keeping only if it can still be switched on, explained and understood. Since 2024 the two associations work together on exhibitions, public talks and on the documentation of the machines they preserve.

What we do together

• Exhibitions and talks. Joint events in Ticino, such as Quando i computer divennero POP in Lugano (March 2024), where the machines of both associations were shown working, with talks on the history behind them.
• The model sheets on this site. For the models that both associations preserve, the information and photographs of the sheets in our Preserved models section were prepared with the curators of the Atelier, who documented each object with its technical data and manuals.
• Documentation. Manuals and technical documents collected by the Atelier are shared through our Documentation archive, free for everyone who keeps an old computer running.
• Restoration. We exchange spare parts, tools and know-how to bring machines back to working order, and we help each other when a rare piece needs repair.

Visit and get in touch

Everything about AStISI, its activities and the Atelier is on www.astisi.ch. To propose a joint activity, a loan or a donation, contact us.