The Computer Hall of Fame was begun in the late 1980s in San Diego, Calif., by Jim & Marie Petroff, founders of the Computer Museum of America (later the San Diego Computer Museum). The original Hall was exhibited in the concourse of Coleman College in La Mesa for many years before moving to downtown San Diego with the Computer Museum in the late 1990s.
Under the auspices of the Computer Museum of America, the Computer Hall of Fame opened up nominations to Museum members and the general public. New classes were inaugurated in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004, with celebratory dinners honoring the inductees either at the Museum or San Diego’s Convention Center.
When the Computer Museum was shuttered in 2006, the Computer Hall of Fame became an online entity.