retrocomputing


retrocomputing

/ret'-roh-k*m-pyoo'ting/ Refers to emulations ofway-behind-the-state-of-the-art hardware or software, orimplementations of never-was-state-of-the-art; especially ifsuch implementations are elaborate practical jokes and/orparodies, written mostly for hack value, of more "serious"designs. Perhaps the most widely distributed retrocomputingutility was the "pnch(6)" or "bcd(6)" program on V7 and otherearly Unix versions, which would accept up to 80 characters oftext argument and display the corresponding pattern inpunched card code. Other well-known retrocomputing hackshave included the programming language INTERCAL, aJCL-emulating shell for Unix, the card-punch-emulatingeditor named 029, and various elaborate PDP-11 hardwareemulators and RT-11 OS emulators written just to keep an old,sourceless Zork binary running.

retrocomputing

Refers to using vintage hardware and software either as a hobby or because the products still solve a problem and there is no need to upgrade. See steampunk.