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Items tagged with: retrocomputing

It's world emoji day. Did you know we had emojis in the 1980s and 1990s? We did. They were invented in 1982. In this blog post, we look at how emojis worked without graphics, where we used them before the Internet, and how they proliferated. #retrocomputing dfarq.homeip.net/emoticons-in-…

Emoticons in the 80s and 90s. We had 'em - The Silicon Underground

Before we could insert images in text, we made emoticons in the 80s with a series of ASCII characters. It looked strange but we got by.
Dave Farquhar (The Silicon Underground)
#retrocomputing

Anybody else out there fondly remember Geoworks?

It had a really killer office suite for low-end computers. I did all of my homework assignments in GeoWrite up until high school.

#retrocomputing

The main launcher screen for GeoWorks Ensemble 1.2
#retrocomputing

The NC10 was dead. BIOS beeps, no POST, nothing.
I tried Debian. I tried 7. I gave up.

Then I didn’t.
I stuck the motherboard in the oven.

And somehow, it booted.

What followed was two full days of ISO failures, update errors, driver hell, and one buried ISO that saved everything.

XP is back. On the original hardware.
New post is up:
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/dea…
#DeadOSWalking #windowsxp #retrocomputing

Dead OS Walking: 30 Days on Windows XP in 2025 Day 5: What Happens Now — fireborn

fireborn.mataroa.blog
#retrocomputing #windowsxp #deadoswalking

Day 4 is up. And XP might be dead.
I thought I had the system stable. It booted. It ran. I was ready to start bridging Discord to IRC.
Then it paused. No crash. Just silence.
Then it rebooted.
Then it beeped. Loud. Continuous.
Then five beeps and a pause. Over and over.
That’s not a software failure. That’s a BIOS screaming about hardware.
I tried XP one last time.
It made it to the Windows screen.
Then black.
Then the Samsung logo.
Then Windows.
Then black again.
Looping. No recovery.
I broke the USB rule and booted into Debian. It worked—barely.
Espeakup is stuttering.
The install is dragging itself forward like a dying animal.
This is not normal.
I'm writing this from my Surface Pro while the netbook stumbles through what might be its last job.
If there’s a Day 5, it’ll be a miracle.
If there isn’t... you already know the title.
Read the post:
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/dea…
#WindowsXP #BlindComputing #RetroComputing #OldHardware #DeadOSWalking

Dead OS Walking: 30 Days on Windows XP in 2025 Day 4 – The Challenge Might Be Over — fireborn

fireborn.mataroa.blog
#retrocomputing #windowsxp #blindcomputing #deadoswalking #oldhardware

Day 3 of running Windows XP in 2025 is up.
I opened Enafore to check my Mastodon replies. It worked—for a few seconds. Then the notifications started. And they didn’t stop. Ping. Ping. Ping. I couldn’t reply. I could barely move the cursor. I watched the system buckle in real time.
So I tore XP apart.
I disabled over thirty services, deleted Windows File Protection, nuked the prefetch cache, rewrote shutdown behavior, and killed every background process that wasn’t strictly mine. If it touched the network, tried to log something, or ran without permission, it’s dead.
And you know what? Enafore runs fine now. JAWS doesn’t read new posts live, but I don’t care. I can read. I can reply. XP obeys.
Discord, though? Wouldn’t even load in the browser. Just a blank page. So tomorrow, I’m pulling in what channels I can through IRC. It’s not over.
Read the full post:
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/dea…
#WindowsXP #Retrocomputing #BlindComputing #Accessibility #IRC #Mastodon #DeadOSWalking

Dead OS Walking: 30 Days on Windows XP in 2025 Day 3 – I Don’t Patch. I Burn. — fireborn

fireborn.mataroa.blog
#Accessibility #Mastodon #irc #retrocomputing #windowsxp #blindcomputing #deadoswalking

Day 3 of running Windows XP in 2025 is up.
I opened Enafore to check my Mastodon replies. It worked—for a few seconds. Then the notifications started. And they didn’t stop. Ping. Ping. Ping. I couldn’t reply. I could barely move the cursor. I watched the system buckle in real time.
So I tore XP apart.
I disabled over thirty services, deleted Windows File Protection, nuked the prefetch cache, rewrote shutdown behavior, and killed every background process that wasn’t strictly mine. If it touched the network, tried to log something, or ran without permission, it’s dead.
And you know what? Enafore runs fine now. JAWS doesn’t read new posts live, but I don’t care. I can read. I can reply. XP obeys.
Discord, though? Wouldn’t even load in the browser. Just a blank page. So tomorrow, I’m pulling in what channels I can through IRC. It’s not over.
Read the full post:
fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/dea…
#WindowsXP #Retrocomputing #BlindComputing #Accessibility #IRC #Mastodon #DeadOSWalking

Dead OS Walking: 30 Days on Windows XP in 2025 – — fireborn

fireborn.mataroa.blog
#Accessibility #Mastodon #irc #retrocomputing #windowsxp #blindcomputing #deadoswalking

Long before the internet, some phone networks were hackable by playing a single tone at 2600Hz.

Whistled into a phone, it could grant you unrestricted access. Do you have the vocal chops to be an old-school phone phreak?

I built a web app to test your ability to produce the legendary frequency. You won't get free long distance calls but you will get some honor in the knowledge that you could have been a cool hacker. 😎

I am sad to say that I can only whistle up to 1100Hz... But my wife (a long time woodwind player) is able to consistently get it.

Give it a try: phreak.kmcd.dev/

#phreaking #2600Hz #bluebox #RetroComputing #hacker #infosec #Tech


Phone Phreak Emulator

Test your phreaking skills by hacking this phone line.
phreak.kmcd.dev
#infosec #tech #retrocomputing #hacker #phreaking #2600hz #bluebox

My latest project is code-named "Total Reprint." I ported The Print Shop (1986) to ProDOS and made it hard-drive-installable. Then I made some other improvements, like live previews of third-party graphics and borders. It's bundled with every graphic, border, and font that Broderbund ever released, plus hundreds of other openly licensed graphics that I back-ported from modern artists.

Come to INIT HELLO in July for the product launch. <init-hello.org/>

#AppleII #retrocomputing

Print Shop kaleidoscope screen with "Total Reprint" written in a custom font
The Print Shop title screen

INIT HELLO - Celebrate the Apple II - July 26-27, 2025 in Hunt Valley, MD

A new Apple II conference is coming to the System Source Computer Museum north of Baltimore, Maryland, this July 26–27, 2025.
INIT HELLO
#retrocomputing #AppleII

It's June, so I've got my Javastation off the shelf for the first time in a couple of decades. This is a Javastation Krups, with 100MHz sparc, sold as a diskless workstation. I never realised it had a PPP ROM boot in! Anyway, I should get on and set up networking and a boot server.
(Note: the plastic on the clips on the doors is fragile, 2 just pinged off on me)

#retrocomputing

A screenshot of the 'JavaOS PPP dialer' - it's got a Motif style widgetry, a Sun purpley theme, a Java logo in the corner and some options and progress bar.
The side of a JavaStation Krups, it's shape is ...odd. Quite smooth, ovalish in cross section, on the side is a Java logo, and there's another on the top, It's mostly grey with two wings at the back in Purple and some cooling vents inbetween.
The back of a Sun Javastation Krups with it's doors open, showing the audio jacks, Mini DINs for power, mouse and keyboard, LAN and VGA.
A screenshot, showing a Java logo in the corner, 'JavaStation' in big at the top and an icon that looks like a SIMM, probably indicating ROM boot.
#retrocomputing

💡 Why we need lisp machines

｢ They were programmed in lisp the whole way down and could be run code interpreted for convenience or compiled to microcode for efficiency. You could open up system functions in the editor, modify and compile them while the machine was running. Everything worked in a single address space, programs could talk to each other in ways operating systems of today couldn’t dream of ｣

fultonsramblings.substack.com/…

#unix #lisp #retrocomputing

Why we need lisp machines

A personal mind dump on operating systems
Fulton (Fulton’s ramblings)
#lisp #unix #retrocomputing

If you're interested in #retrocomputing I've been experimenting with running my #RaspberryPi 3 as a console only (terminal) system to do modern work.

Browsing the web is possible with elinks, and I'm exploring different editors than just #vim including #micro which has a modern feel.

I'm able to write with markdown and view high quality PDF output (at the frame buffer) just like I normally would.

#retrocomputing #raspberrypi #vim #micro

I just discovered the amazing Evertop project by @cobble2stone @ericjenott! Evertop is a portable PC that emulates an IBM XT with an 80186 processor and 1MB RAM, running DOS, Minix, and other old 1980s operating systems, including Windows up to version 3.0. Powered by a low-power microcontroller and an e-ink display, it can run for hundreds or even thousands of hours on a single charge, thanks to its built-in solar panel and extreme power-saving measures. It's loaded with built-in peripherals like a keyboard, PS/2 ports, graphics support, audio output, serial ports, USB, Ethernet, WiFi, and LoRA radio. Charging options include a solar panel, DC input, and micro USB. It features a detachable keyboard, optional hibernate, and power shutoff. Storage is via SD card, and it's powered by an Espressif ESP32 microcontroller. Compatibility includes almost all IBM PC/XT compatible DOS software from the 1980s and early 90s. There's also a minimal version, "Evertop Min," which reduces weight and cost by removing some features. I'd love to see a model with a Raspberry Pi Zero for more productivity-focused tasks. Let's see if someone is already working on something similar! #Evertop #RetroComputing #PortablePC #OpenSource #DIY #TechInnovation #Emulation #OffGridComputing #ESP32 #RaspberryPi #Minimalism #Productivity #EInk #solar #solarpanel #Typewriter
The image shows the Evertop, a portable retro PC featuring an E Ink display and hundreds of hours of battery life. It is a small electronic device equipped with a solar panel and a keyboard. The device is predominantly white with a black keyboard. The keyboard has a standard QWERTY layout with black keys and white lettering. Above the keyboard, there is an E Ink display showing a menu with text, and a digital display showing "8888." To the left of the screen, there are several buttons, including a numeric keypad and function keys. The solar panel, which also serves as the back-plate, is positioned above the device and is connected by a cable, suggesting it powers the device. The background is a plain, light-colored surface.
#opensource #diy #retrocomputing #raspberrypi #esp32 #Eink #productivity #emulation #typewriter #solar #minimalism #techinnovation #evertop #portablepc #offgridcomputing #solarpanel

If our softwares were optimized, and if the web wasn't bloated, we could have dirt cheap computers. People already do a lot with RPi Pico.

I think the biggest problem is web. With an RP2040 you can do #gopher, #gemini, #email, #paint and #wordprocessing to say the least. A computer based on this could be very useful for schools. I am being tempted to do a startup or try getting a grant.

#retrocomputing #rpi #rpipico #rp2040 #computer #computing

#gemini #email #gopher #computer #retrocomputing #computing #rpi #paint #wordprocessing #rpipico #rp2040

I added to my reading queue this four-part aricle series on the history of the personal computer "to trace where the personal computer came from and where it went". The title of one of the parts seems intriguing: "Interactive Computing: A Counterculture".

technicshistory.com/a-bicycle-…

#PersonalComputer #retrocomputing


A Bicycle For the Mind

This series consists of the following posts: A Bicycle for the Mind – Prologue A Craving for Calculation Interactive Computing: A Counterculture From ACS to Altair: The Rise of the Hobby Computer…
Creatures of Thought
#retrocomputing #PersonalComputer

Had fun at the Retro Computer Museum today in Leicester UK. Plenty of hands-on retro computers and consoles as well as an arcade area too.

Friendly volunteers who obviously were passionate about the collection and helping out there.

Really worth a visit!

retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/

#retrocomputing #retrogaming #leicester #uk

Photograph of a golden Amiga 500 computer displayed on a white shelf next to a framed certificate. The certificate, issued by Commodore, confirms this unit (serial number 090791) as the one millionth Amiga ever produced. It is signed by David J. Pleasance, Managing Director of Commodore Business Machines (U.K.) Ltd. The Amiga features a special metallic finish, commemorating its milestone production status.
Photograph of a grey Atari Falcon030 computer on display, flanked by an Atari 260ST on the left and an Amstrad CPC model on the right. The Falcon030 features a distinctive diagonal vent design, dark grey function keys (F1–F10), and a full-size keyboard with a numeric keypad. The Atari and Falcon030 logos are visible above the keyboard. The Amstrad machine to the right bears a visible signature, adding a personal collector's touch. All three computers are arranged on a white shelf.
Tatung Einstein computer with built-in monitor displaying the “X BASIC MENU”. A black joystick with red buttons labelled “Super” is connected. A ZX Spectrum is also visible in the background, with cables running to a small screen. The setup is arranged on a wooden desk by a window.
Pokémon-themed Nintendo 64 console featuring a large yellow Pikachu figure with glowing red cheeks. The reset button is integrated into Pikachu's foot, and a raised Poké Ball button is on the left. A translucent cartridge labelled “DO NOT REMOVE CARTRIDGE” is inserted. Four controller ports are connected at the front, and a yellow Pokémon-branded controller is visible to the left. The console rests on a wooden surface.

General Admission

Book your tickets now to come and play on our retro gaming and computing systems, view our rare and unique items, browse our extensive software and publication libraries or simply chat to our passionate and knowledgeable volunteers.
retrocomputermuseum.co.uk
#uk #retrocomputing #retrogaming #leicester

#retrocomputing

#retrocomputing #assembly

In case you missed it, there are Mastodon apps for retro computers from the 1980s & 90s

:apple_old_logo: Apple II
colino.net/wordpress/en/mastod…

:apple_old_logo: Apple Macintosh (pre-OS X)
github.com/smallsco/macstodon

:commodore: Commodore 64
github.com/Havoc6502/MOStodon

:amiga: Commodore Amiga
github.com/BlitterStudio/amido…

:ms_dos: MS-DOS
github.com/SuperIlu/DOStodon

:IBM: MVS
github.com/mainframed/BREXXTOD…

:Palm_OS: Palm OS
github.com/knickish/heffalump

:windows95: Windows 95
github.com/meyskens/mastodon-f…

#Mastodon #RetroComputing


GitHub - BlitterStudio/amidon: A Mastodon client for Amiga computers

A Mastodon client for Amiga computers. Contribute to BlitterStudio/amidon development by creating an account on GitHub.
GitHub
#Mastodon #retrocomputing

For all you retro text to speech nerds out there, here's a recording of Superior Software's "Speech" for the Amstrad CPC computer (1986). This was a small piece of Z80 machine code that played phonemes through the computer's AY-3-8912 sound chip

It sounds pretty harsh, and there are a number of hard clicks in the output I couldn't easily fix.

I've included what I think is the spoken script as alt text

#RetroComputing #TTS #Spech #SuperiorSoftware #AmstradCPC


#retrocomputing #tts #spech #superiorsoftware #amstradcpc

Remember the pretty-looking Windows 3.1 "high resolution" mode possible with Viaduct now? Well, as it turns out, the boot logo is displayed by a different piece of code, so despite the new driver it was still in 640x200, and thus, very ugly. 🤮

This isn't part of the DDK at all, so I had to disassemble the CGA and Hercules editions of the logo display code from Windows 3.1 binaries, then bodge one together, that can display the EGA monochrome logo in 640x400. 🤪 👍

#msdos #retrocomputing #amiga

Windows 3.1 booting in an Amiga Workbench window with the old logo display code. It shows the "before" state of affairs - a not very pleasant looking boot logo in 640x200 monochrome CGA resolution.
Windows 3.1 booting in an Amiga Workbench window with the old logo display code. It shows the "after" state of affairs - a much better looking boot logo in 640x400 monochrome "high" resolution.
#retrocomputing #Amiga #msdos

#retrocomputing #Amiga #blastfromthepast #Commodore #blastfrompast

@troed Writing demos teaches some skills that are hard to acquire otherwise... while also creating some bad habits.

Oh, and I'm writing that literally as I'm starting work on a new ST demo, I just did the first git commit of a trivial program that'll grow into some demo over the next few weeks.

--Djaybee from the MegaBuSTers

#AtariST #DemoScene #RetroComputing

#retrocomputing #atarist #demoscene @Troed Sångberg

#retrocomputing #retrogaming #vintagemac #MacPortable

#retrocomputing

#retrocomputing #vintagemac #VintageApple

#retrocomputing #Windows98 #defrag

Sorting through storage boxes now.
A magneto-optical drive.
230MB and 128MB disks.
#RetroComputing
A magneto-optical drive with a disk in a case and the end of the cable it’s attached to.
The disk inside the casing looks like a small CD.
The steel underside with fan grill, four rubber feet, and a faded paper label.
The rear of the drive showing the power socket, power switch, and connection ports.
#retrocomputing

#retrocomputing

#retrocomputing

The first virtual meeting occurred in…1916?

"The telephone connections involved traversed about 6,500 kilometers (about 4,000 miles) across 20 states, held up by more than 150,000 poles running through 5,000 switches. … more than 5,100 members attended."

They even had break-out sessions and a musical interlude.

spectrum.ieee.org/virtual-meet…

#Retrocomputing #Zoom #IEEE


The First Virtual Meeting Was in 1916

The amazing feat linked up 5,100 engineers from Atlanta to San Francisco
Allison Marsh (IEEE Spectrum)
#retrocomputing #zoom #ieee

🟪🟩 Silicon Graphics - SGI once reigned supreme in the realm of the most powerful graphics workstations and servers.

💸 In the museum, we preserve many of these systems, which when new could cost more than $10,000 and even $100,000, along with some of their high-end monitors and peripherals:

5x Indigo2
2x Iris Indigo
2x Indy
1x Personal Iris
1x Octane2
1x Octane
3x 19" + 1x 17" CRT

#computermuseum #computerhistory #slovenia #ljubljana #sgi #retrocomputing #vintagecomputer #vintagecomputing

SGI workstations
#retrocomputing #vintagecomputer #computerhistory #slovenia #vintagecomputing #computermuseum #ljubljana #sgi

#retrocomputing #livelaughlocaltalk #globaltalk #fieldtalk

#retrocomputing #livelaughlocaltalk #globaltalk

#retrocomputing #livelaughlocaltalk #globaltalk

#retrocomputing #AppleII

I finally got around to implementing the MacPaint file format, so now you can not only convert all your old MacPaint files to PNG, but also the reverse.

If you rescue any old MacPaint files please send them to me for archiving on macpaint.org!

github.com/thejoelpatrol/macpa…

#retrocomputing #vintagemac

#retrocomputing #vintagemac

Name any other 33yr old computer that has a graphical (of sorts) mastodon client that actually works today - Only Amiga makes it possible #retrocomputing - posted with Amidon.
#retrocomputing

#FediTips #retrocomputing #1980s #1990s

A trick question for the #retrocomputing experts here:

What computers backside we are looking at?

It has a 13w3 monitor plug, but also USB, Firewire and SCSI. 🤔

Don't google the sticker, that's cheating.

#retrocomputing

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