Hacker News with Generative AI: Retro Computing

Mac Themes Garden (damien.zone)
I've "launched" the Mac Themes Garden! It is a website showcasing more than 3,000 (and counting) Kaleidoscope from the Classic Mac era, ready to be seen, downloaded and explored! Check it out! Oh, and there also is an RSS feed you can subscribe to see themes as they are added/updated!

Mac OS, Design, Retro Computing, Web Development, RSS

216 points by speckx 2 days ago | 76 comments

Teens maintained a mainframe and it went about as well as you'd imagine (theregister.com)
This week, meet a reader we'll Regomize as "Serge," who, when he was just 16 years old, scored an amazing job: Working the night shift at a mainframe-for-hire company, alongside one of his friends.

Technology, Mainframes, Teenagers, Work, Retro Computing

7 points by Bender 3 days ago | 0 comments

A cycle-accurate IBM PC emulator in your web browser (martypc.net)
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Emulation, Web Development, Retro Computing, Computer History, Software

149 points by GloriousCow 5 days ago | 24 comments

RVPC Adds Basic Interpreter to €1 Open Source RISC-V Computer (linuxgizmos.com)
The RVPC, a fully open source hardware and software retro-style computer project built around the CH32V003 microcontroller, now supports a BASIC interpreter.

RISC-V, Microcontrollers, Retro Computing, Programming Languages

9 points by squarefoot 5 days ago | 1 comments

Old Timey Code and Old Timey Mono Fonts (github.com/dse)

Programming, Fonts, Retro Computing

187 points by dsevil 5 days ago | 33 comments

Programmers Guide to the AMIBIOS (1993) [pdf] (bitsavers.org)

Programming, Software, Retro Computing, History

68 points by 1vuio0pswjnm7 5 days ago | 18 comments

Retro Computing (hansotten.nl)
This page is about my interest in retro 8-bit small computer systems computing and electronics. And the role of Dutch electronic magazines like Elektuur and Radio Bulletin in the eighties of the 20th century. Also the Dutch users club, called KIM Gebruikersclub, which I joined in 1978 and contributed to as member of the board and as chief editor of the magazine issue 11 to 25.

Retro Computing, Electronics, History, Netherlands

30 points by ibobev 5 days ago | 0 comments

Connomore64: Cycle exact emulation of the C64 using parallel microcontrollers (github.com/c1570)
Realtime cycle exact emulation of the Commodore 64 using multiple microcontrollers in parallel.

Emulation, Retro Computing, Hardware, Microcontrollers, Software

201 points by codewiz 6 days ago | 30 comments

Altair at 50: Remembering the first Personal Computer (goto10retro.com)
You might think that Apple, Commodore or perhaps Radio Shack made the first personal computer, but you’d be wrong. Although the Apple I appeared in 1976, and then in 1977 the Apple II, Commodore PET and TRS-80 all appeared, there was one personal computer that preceded them all: The MITS Altair 8800 from 1975, considered the first commercially successful personal computer.

History, Personal Computers, Retro Computing, Technology

111 points by rbanffy 7 days ago | 60 comments

A affordable retrocomputer compatible with the C64 (ycombinator.com)
I'm doing this Commodore-64 Compatible & Gameboy-compatible retro computer for retro gaming that is extremely affordable ($25, 50% off for early customers) <p>You can find details and how to pre order on the website: https://minicomputersoftware.netlify.app/

Retro Computing, Gaming, Hardware, Crowdfunding

9 points by kappetrov 8 days ago | 17 comments

Llama2.c64: a port of llama2.c to the Commodore C64 (github.com/ytmytm)
Llama2.c64 is a port of llama2.c to the Commodore C64 equipped with at least 2MB REU.

Retro Computing, Programming, Computer Science

8 points by adunk 9 days ago | 0 comments

Creating the Commodore 64: The Engineers' Story (ieee.org)
In January 1981, a handful of semiconductor engineers at MOS Technology in West Chester, Pa., a subsidiary of Commodore International Ltd., began designing a graphics chip and a sound chip to sell to whoever wanted to make “the world’s best video game.”

Computer History, Engineering, Hardware, Retro Computing, Video Games

96 points by amichail 9 days ago | 7 comments

Setting up a timekeeping server with a Power Macintosh (whatroute.net)
I have a Power Mac G4 MDD that for the last 5 years has been sitting idle and gathering dust (literally). I have always liked the machine, initially because at the time I acquired it, it would eat the lunch of any comparable machine in its price range and secondly, it is just so well engineered. No screws to open the case, just fold down the door. Disks are mounted in easy to remove carriers, etc etc.

Retro Computing, Apple Hardware, Power Macintosh

7 points by geerlingguy 10 days ago | 0 comments

Restoring a Sinclair C5 (woof.tech)

Retro Computing, Electronics, DIY, Restoration

54 points by sohkamyung 11 days ago | 17 comments

The BeOS file system, an OS geek retrospective (2018) (arstechnica.com)
It's the day after Independence Day in the US, and much of our staff is just returning to their preferred work machines. If this was 1997 instead of 2018, that would mean booting up BeOS for some. The future-of-operating-systems-that-never-was arrived just over 20 years ago, so in light of the holiday, we're resurfacing this geek's guide. The piece originally ran on June 2, 2010; it appears unchanged below.

Operating Systems, History, Nostalgia, Retro Computing

14 points by birdculture 12 days ago | 2 comments

Microsoft Word 5.5 And 6.0 In-depth DOS Review With Pics (2018) (blogspot.com)
A new apple tastes sweet, rots at home (A history)

Microsoft Word, DOS, Software Reviews, History, Retro Computing

31 points by Tomte 12 days ago | 3 comments

Build your own antisocial writing rig with DOS and a $2 USB key (theregister.com)
Sometimes, the size and complexity of modern OSes – even the FOSS ones – is enough to make us miss the days when an entire bootable OS could fit in three files, when configuring a PC for production meant editing two plain-text files, which contained maybe a dozen lines each.

Operating Systems, Retro Computing, Hardware

31 points by rntn 13 days ago | 8 comments

Commodore OS 3.0 Released (commodoreos.net)
It is my pleasure to finally release Commodore OS Vision 3.0, which is a free fan-made Commodore inspired Linux distribution (now based on Debian Bookworm) which serves as the default installation for Commodore branded machines such as the Commodore 64x available from MyRetroComputer.com.

Operating Systems, Linux, Retro Computing, Free Software

30 points by BSDobelix 13 days ago | 1 comments

The VTech Socratic Method (leadedsolder.com)
We’ve had a lot of fun with VTech’s computers in the past on this blog. Usually, they’re relatively spartan computers with limited functionality, but they did make something very interesting in the late 80s. The Socrates is their hybrid video game console/computer design from 1988, and today we’ll start tearing into it.

Retro Computing, Video Games, Computers, Hardware

84 points by zdw 15 days ago | 13 comments

Commodore 64 from Scratch: CPU Design and Build [video] (youtube.com)

Hardware, Retro Computing, DIY, Electronics, Video

10 points by mariuz 16 days ago | 0 comments

Projects for Old OS X (jonathanalland.com)
In the fall of 2019, I came to a decision: it was time to leave modern macOS behind.

Operating Systems, Apple, Retro Computing, Nostalgia

141 points by pierremenard 16 days ago | 34 comments

101 BASIC Computer Games (github.com/maurymarkowitz)
This folder contains the programs found in the March 1975 3rd printing of David Ahl's 101 BASIC Computer Games, published by Digital Equipment Corp. You can download all of the programs in a single archive using the Releases link to the right.

Retro Computing, Programming, Games, History, Software

195 points by sohkamyung 17 days ago | 107 comments

Evertop: E-ink IBM XT clone with 100+ hours of battery life (github.com/ericjenott)
Evertop is a portable PC that emulates an IBM XT with an 80186 processor and 1MB RAM. It can run DOS, Minix, and some other old 1980s operating systems. It also runs Windows up to version 3.0. Because it's based on a powerful yet very low power microcontroller, uses an e-ink display, packs two 10,000mAh batteries, and implements extreme power saving measures, it can run for hundreds or even thousands of hours on a single charge.

Retro Computing, Hardware, E-Ink, Battery Life, Operating Systems

566 points by harryvederci 17 days ago | 194 comments

A Science Project: "Make the 486 Great Again!" - Modern Linux in an ancient PC (2018) (yeokhengmeng.com)
What is the oldest x86 processor that is still supported by a modern Linux kernel in present time?

Operating Systems, Hardware, Retro Computing

13 points by bradac56 18 days ago | 3 comments

Picocalc, a Modern Retro Computer? [video] (youtu.be)

Retro Computing, Computer Hardware, Technology, Video

14 points by indigodaddy 19 days ago | 7 comments

How MOS 6502 Illegal Opcodes Work (2008) (pagetable.com)
The original NMOS version of the MOS 6502, used in computers like the Commodore 64, the Apple II and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), is well-known for its illegal opcodes: Out of 256 possible opcodes, 151 are defined by the architecture, but many of the remaining 105 undefined opcodes do useful things.

Computer Architecture, Retro Computing, Programming

66 points by soegaard 19 days ago | 17 comments

Still browsing like it's 1999: Fresh tools that keep vintage Macs online, alive (theregister.com)
The first Intel-based Mac was 19 years ago, but new versions of apps for both Classic Mac OS and PowerPC Mac OS X still occasionally appear, and we are here for it.

Mac OS, Vintage Computing, Software, Technology, Retro Computing

5 points by pseudolus 21 days ago | 0 comments

The Atari 1200XL fiasco (goto10retro.com)
The Atari 1200XL was the third Atari 8-bit computer. Announced in late 1982 and available in early 1983, it was designed as a replacement for the Atari 800, which was becoming increasingly expensive to produce, and to serve as a better competitor to the upstart Commodore 64.

Retro Computing, Atari, History, Video Games, Consumer Electronics

85 points by rbanffy 22 days ago | 84 comments

Dirty tricks 6502 programmers use (2019) (nurpax.github.io)
This post recaps some of the C64 coding tricks used in my little Commodore 64 coding competition. The competition rules were simple: make a C64 executable (PRG) that draws two lines to form the below image. The objective was to do this in as few bytes as possible.