Hacker News with Generative AI: Retro Computing

Can you complete the Oregon Trail if you wait at a river for 14272 years? (moral.net.au)
If you're into retro computing, you probably know about Oregon Trail; a simulation of the hardships faced by a group of colonists in 1848 as they travel by covered wagon from Independence Missouri to the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Retro Computing, Video Games, History
232 points by donohoe 5 days ago | 116 comments
Snake Game in 56 Bytes (github.com/donno2048)
This is an x86 snake game made for DOS, but there is also a version that requires no BIOS, bootloader or OS.
Programming, DOS, Game Development, Retro Computing, Code Golf
138 points by birdculture 5 days ago | 12 comments
Lego Retro Radio #10334 – play your own music using a Raspberry Pi (sean.co.uk)
Discover how to play your own music on the Lego Retro Radio (10334) set by putting a Raspberry Pi computer inside. My project description includes Python code you can use to play your own music.
Lego, Raspberry Pi, Retro Computing, DIY Projects, Music
7 points by akirk 8 days ago | 0 comments
Atari ST 40th Anniversary (goto10retro.com)
The Atari ST was announced at the 1985 Winter Consumer Electronics show in the first week of January, making this month the 40th anniversary of its introduction to the world.
Anniversaries, Retro Computing, Atari, Gaming History
31 points by rbanffy 9 days ago | 14 comments
“PET-Globe” Demo (masswerk.at)
An avidly spinning globe for the Commodore PET — and some bit-vectors.
Retro Computing, Commodore PET, Hardware, Programming, DIY
32 points by masswerk 9 days ago | 11 comments
Word Processors on the Commodore VIC-20 (2021) (techtinkering.com)
Word processing is possible on the VIC-20 and can be surprisingly comfortable despite the small screen text area.
Retro Computing, Word Processing, Commodore, VIC-20
24 points by mu0n 11 days ago | 15 comments
Dtack Grounded archive (1981-1985) (easy68k.com)
Retro Computing, History, Programming, Archives
40 points by basementcat 11 days ago | 20 comments
Full-HD HDMI for the Commodore 64 [video] (youtube.com)
Retro Computing, Hardware, Video, Commodore 64
3 points by sandebert 11 days ago | 0 comments
Computer Cousins: The Atari ST and DOS PCs (goto10retro.com)
In 1984 when the Atari ST hardware was being finalized, there was a need to get an operating system on it.
Retro Computing, Atari ST, DOS, Operating Systems, History
28 points by rbanffy 12 days ago | 8 comments
Instant Graphics and Sound (breakintochat.com)
"My God, what a fantastic program you’ve written! It’s astounding! I’m very, VERY impressed! This will change BBSing in the Atari world forever.” These words, written in February 1990, kicked off a gushing fan letter — the kind of feedback every hobbyist software developer dreams of…
Software, Retro Computing, Atari
17 points by f1shy 12 days ago | 1 comments
ELKS: Linux for 16-bit Intel Processors (github.com/ghaerr)
ELKS is a project providing a Linux-like OS for systems based on the Intel IA16 architecture (16-bit processors: 8086, 8088, 80188, 80186, 80286, NEC V20, V30 and compatibles). Such systems are ancient computers (IBM-PC XT / AT and clones) as well as more recent SBCs, SoCs, and FPGAs. ELKS supports networking and installation to HDD using both MINIX and FAT file systems.
Operating Systems, Linux, Retro Computing, Embedded Systems
213 points by emersonrsantos 13 days ago | 114 comments
Modern Generic SVGA driver for Windows 3.1 (github.com/PluMGMK)
This is a rewrite of the Windows 3.1 SVGA driver, designed to support ALL available 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit graphic modes on any system providing the VESA BIOS Extensions (hence the VBE in the name). It is based on the Video 7 SVGA driver included in the Win16 Driver Development Kit, with most of the hardware-specific code gutted out, and with support added for multi-byte pixels.
Windows 3.1, Operating Systems, Drivers, Graphics, Retro Computing
14 points by mysterydip 14 days ago | 0 comments
One Dog vs. the Windows 3.1 Graphics Stack (wuffs.org)
Wherein I learn too much about VGA hardware and generate some really cool glitch art while I try to fix somebody else's fix for a video driver that's older than I am.
Operating Systems, Retro Computing, Graphics, Art
234 points by todsacerdoti 14 days ago | 92 comments
VoxelSpace: Terrain rendering algorithm in less than 20 lines of code (2020) (github.com/s-macke)
Let us go back to the year 1992. The CPUs were 1000 times slower than today and the acceleration via a GPU was unknown or unaffordable. 3D games were calculated exclusively on the CPU and the rendering engine rendered filled polygons with a single color.
Terrain Rendering, Algorithm, Computer Graphics, Programming, Retro Computing
339 points by lnyan 14 days ago | 87 comments
Amiga Research Operating System (AROS): Summary of 2024 (arosnews.github.io)
The end of the year is a time for reflection and recapitulation. After years of less activity, we can safely say that this year has brought us many positive developments. From month to month we recorded significant progress, which you had the opportunity to follow on our blog. AROS has moved forward with momentum and does not intend to slow down!
Operating Systems, Retro Computing, Amiga
77 points by doener 16 days ago | 4 comments
Performance (On an HP48GX Graphing Calculator) (blogspot.com)
I'm trying to code a simple action game for a calculator. Since the calculator is horribly slow in doing anything, I have to optimize everything. I will describe summaries of my thoughts, attempts and observations in this blog. Comments and criticism are welcome.
Programming, Optimization, Retro Computing
36 points by leansensei 18 days ago | 18 comments
Emulating 6502 (zserge.com)
Emulation, Programming, Retro Computing
10 points by surprisetalk 18 days ago | 1 comments
86Box: Emulator of x86-Based Machines (github.com/86Box)
86Box is a low level x86 emulator that runs older operating systems and software designed for IBM PC systems and compatibles from 1981 through fairly recent system designs based on the PCI bus.
Emulation, Software, Retro Computing, Operating Systems, Hardware
97 points by tosh 19 days ago | 38 comments
The Cody Computer (codycomputer.org)
The Cody Computer is an 8-bit home computer intended to be built as a DIY project.
DIY Projects, Hardware, Retro Computing
235 points by classichasclass 19 days ago | 41 comments
Christmas 1984: The last hurrah for 8-bit home computers (theregister.com)
Christmas 1984 marked the last hurrah for the home computer market as it once was.
History, Technology, Retro Computing, Christmas, Consumer Electronics
5 points by timthorn 21 days ago | 0 comments
Berkeley Mono V2 Released (usgraphics.com)
Berkeley Mono™ is a love letter to the golden era of computing. The era that gave rise to a generation of people who celebrated automation and reveled in the joy of computing, when transistors replaced cogs, and machine-readable typefaces were developed, for when humans and machines truly interfaced on an unprecedented scale.
Software, Retro Computing, Design
10 points by sedatk 21 days ago | 0 comments
Running NetBSD 10.1 on a 1998 Toshiba laptop (idatum.net)
Here are my notes on running NetBSD 10.1 on my first personal laptop that I still keep, a 1998 i586 Toshiba Satellite Pro with 81Mb of RAM and a 1Gb IBM 2.5" IDE HD. In summary, the latest NetBSD runs well on this old hardware using an IDE to CF adapter and several changes to the i386 GENERIC kernel.
Operating Systems, Retro Computing, Hardware, Kernel Development
20 points by idatum 22 days ago | 1 comments
Berkeley Mono V2 Released by the U.S. Graphics Company (usgraphics.com)
Berkeley Mono™ is a love letter to the golden era of computing.
Software, Retro Computing, Design
18 points by uu_titan 22 days ago | 3 comments
Melbourne Train Control System is running on a hardware emulated PDP11 (mastodon.sdf.org)
Technology, Computer Science, Operating Systems, Retro Computing
129 points by SerCe 23 days ago | 40 comments
Manx – a catalog of manuals for old computers (manx-docs.org)
Manx is a catalog of manuals for old computers.
Computer Manuals, Retro Computing, Technology, History
98 points by Lammy 25 days ago | 16 comments
Building a replacement 386/486 CMOS battery (rubenerd.com)
Motherboards made from the late-1990s to today generally have a CR2032 cell to maintain the system realtime clock and CMOS settings when the machine isn’t operating.
Hardware, DIY, Retro Computing
62 points by Brajeshwar 26 days ago | 35 comments
A bakery still using Commodore 64s originally released in 1982 as cash registers (tomshardware.com)
Retro Computing, Hardware, Business, History
6 points by lr0 28 days ago | 5 comments
DOS APPEND (os2museum.com)
For a long time, I couldn’t quite grasp what the DOS APPEND command could possibly be good for. Until I came across a situation which APPEND was made for.
DOS, Operating Systems, Command Line, Retro Computing, Software
119 points by SeenNotHeard 28 days ago | 56 comments
A $0.03 RISC-V microcontroller brings an Acer N30 PDA back to life (liliputing.com)
The Acer N30 is a PDA released in 2004 that shipped with a 240 x 320 pixel resistive touchscreen display, a 266 MHz Samsung S3C2410 processor, and Windows Mobile 2003 software.
Hardware, Retro Computing, Microcontrollers
7 points by nfriedly 28 days ago | 2 comments
Indiana bakery still using Commodore 64s released in 1982 as cash registers (tomshardware.com)
Technology, Retro Computing, Business, Indiana
6 points by bauta-steen 29 days ago | 1 comments