Dejan Ristanović passed away in Belgrade on November 10th 2025. Dejan was the founder of Računari u vašoj kući, the magazine that brought us the Galaksija computer. He also founded the Sezam BBS and later the PC Press magazine. His work introduced computers and networks to countless people over the years.

Dejan deeply influenced my life even though I wasn’t aware of that influence until 2020, when I started researching the history of computing in Yugoslavia and discovered his pivotal collaboration with Voja Antonić. The 1984 publication Računari u vašoj kući brought us the Galaksija computer, but it also helped create a whole new public sphere, a nascent community engaged with computers and digital technology.

Dejan was uniquely skillful in understanding both the ins and outs of technology and how to communicate these complex concepts to a general audience. His drive for sharing his own passions with others—initially pocket calculators, then home computers—was crucial for the success of the Računari u vašoj kući project and the Galaksija computer. For tens of thousands of Yugoslavs, reading Računari was their first dive into the world of computers, and thousands of them took the leap by building their own Galaksijas.

After Računari, Dejan continued his work at the intersection of technology, communications, education and media. He was one of the founders of Sezam BBS, one of the earliest bulletin board systems in Yugoslavia. Sezam grew into a large online community, soon reaching tens of thousands of users across Yugoslavia. Focused on conversations and community, it provided a shared communication space at a time when the Yugoslav federation itself was rapidly disintegrating in conflict and war. Sezam was a rare platform for free speech and communications under the 1990s Milošević regime, and in 1995 it evolved into SezamPro, an early independent internet service provider in Serbia. Thousands of messages from the early Sezam BBS can be found in the Sezamove sveske compilation, published in 2011.

In 1995 Dejan co-founded the PC magazine (later PC-Press), where he served as editor until his passing. He published dozens of books about computing and digital technology, and he continued sharing his passions through writing in publications, organizing events, recording podcasts. In later years, Dejan strived to document and share the early history of computing. In 2011 he published an article in the Computer Science and Information Systems journal about the first 50 years of computing in Serbia, followed by another article about programmable calculators in the IEEE Annals of the History of Computing journal. For the 40th anniversary of the Računari project and the Galaksija computer, Dejan Ristanović and Voja Antonić collaborated once again, publishing the 40th anniversary re-issue of the Računari u vašoj kući magazine and releasing the Galaksija 2024, a beautiful redesign of the original Galaksija computer. Last summer, Dejan also published Naših 30 – Tehnologija, ljudi i vizije, a 300 page monograph celebrating the 30 years of PC Press magazine. I especially enjoyed his many videos about stories from his early career, which he published on the PC Press Youtube page.

I am still in shock hearing about Dejan’s passing. I never got to meet Dejan in person, but he was incredibly kind to me, happily answering questions I had about his early work. His lifelong friendship with Voja Antonić was inspirational, and his perseverance in sharing knowledge, ideas and history will stay with us for years to come. But more than anything, Dejan’s biggest legacy will be the communities he helped build throughout his life. I am thankful to have been part of one.

Dejan’s funeral will take place on Wednesday, November 19th at 2pm at the Novo Groblje cemetery in Belgrade.