#retrotech crew

[commodorez]

How did you get into vintage computing as a hobby?

I've told my perspective before on how this became my hobby of choice, but I want to hear from YOU. What lead you to vintage computing?

#retrotech crew

[retrotech]

DEC VT-320, with lovely amber glow.

found somewhere on reddit.

#DEC #VT-320 #retrotech #retrotech crew #retro #technology #computers #computing #nostalgia #tech #computer #mainframe #machine #terminal

[puppydogging]

anyone here have a mastodon? I don’t really plan on abandoning my tumblr unless this website literally becomes a ghost town (it’s threatened to so many times over the years and hasn’t), but idk I like a lot of the blogs that I follow and am mutuals with on here and would be sad for them to go away.

This has really been the only social media I’ve really used for almost a decade, ever since the message boards I used to post on dried up. I like all of the memes and retrotech on here, but it’s hard to get into twitter or discord or anything that doesn’t facilitate conversations that don’t effectively “disappear” after a few hours like real blogging does.

anyway let me know, I just made an account on the mastodon.social server but I might make another one on a more specific server if that’s actually worth doing.

#retrotech crew

[tumblokami]

The Compy Mark IV: CyberMax. This is my new desktop system! It’s similar specs-wise to the machine I built on commission for @fini-mun, so it has:

CPU: Intel Core i7-7740X Quad-Core 4.3 GHz

RAM: 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 2666 (motherboard and CPU combo can go to 64GB)

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 SSC GAMING ACX 3.0, 2GB GDDR5 VRAM

480GB SSD, 1TB + 3TB HDDs, DVD-RW drive (all taken from the Mark III)

And yes, it’s all in an old 90s computer case. I wanted that ＡＥＳＴＨＥＴＩＣ in my build! It looks a bit bent on the left side, that’s due to frustration of getting the cover off early on in the project... that’s what happens when you reshape sheet metal with your bare hands. But the system is well-cooled, it’s all air cooled with a fan in the front panel, a blower fan in an expansion slot, and a radiator-style CPU heatsink with a pusher and puller fan. As a result, this thing can take DOOM (2016) at the highest settings, and get fullscreen 1080p visuals at a rock-solid 60FPS without breaking a sweat.

Special thanks to @aperture-in-the-multiverse of the RetroTech Crew for selling me the case, and helping me engineer the cooling setup!

My next computer build project is to take the rest of the Mark III and rebuild my father’s PC with it. The Mark III is still a very solid, usable machine. But dad has an aging Core i5 system that groans when trying to do things like edit photos or boot up. This is actually the main reason I built the Mark IV; I wanted to upgrade his machine. But I wanted an upgrade, too.

#Techo's Computers #computer build #RetroTech Crew #Mark IV #CyberMax

[officialcaltext]

Does anyone from the retrotech crew still follow me?

I have a new (old) computer that I am keen to share.

#retrotech #retrotech crew

[wizard-of-yiff-n-stuff]

retrotech crew, put the ascii version of yourself

this is me: (∩ ͡⎚ᨎ ͡⎚)⊃━☆ﾟ.*

#retrotech-crew

[terrierbyteit]

Evening folks Today was day with family then a change to the events as caught the new Marvel movie Avengers End Game with edd down in Weymouth So It's Trivia Time Here D.Y.K What Happened on the 25th April?. . April 25, 1961 Noyce Awarded Patent for "Integrated Circuit", The US Patent Office issues Robert Noyce a patent for the integrated circuit, starting a long battle with Jack Kilby over who had rights to the patent. Kilby had invented a germanium version of the circuits, while Noyce developed the silicon integrated circuit -- the one that grew to be more accepted. Integrated circuits replace transistors in computers, allowing the machines to be significantly smaller. . 1990 Hubble Deployed, The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery deploys the US$2.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope. There will be initial difficulties caused by a flaw in the design of the telescopes mirror. Image correction software will keep the telescope useful until corrective optics are installed on December 25, 1993. . 1996 Do You Yahoo?, Yahoo! begins advertising its web-based search service on national television, featuring the tag line “Do You Yahoo?”. The ads first air during Late Night with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and Star Trek. This was a very early example of the Internet entering into the mainstream. . Don't forget pop along to wifeidge.uk an stock up on those beauty & skincare products. Tell Wifeidge I sent yah 😉👍. . Thats All For Today Thanks for reading. . TerrierByteIT, Keeping You Connected!!. . ☎️ telephone:️ 07759 552599 . 📧 e-mail: [email protected] . 🕸️ web:️ www.terrierbyteit.uk . 🌝📚 www.facebook.com/TerrierByteIT . . . . #TerrierByteIT #Wifeidge #wifeidge.uk #Younique #computerhistory #computer #technology #history #computerscience #tech #computerhistorymuseum #computers #retro #vintage #retrotech #trivia #oldtechnology #techhistory #technologyhistory #computinghistory #oldcomputer #oldschool #informationtechnology #thisdayinhistory #internethistory #historyoftechnology #retrocomputer #oldtech #museum #vintagecomputer https://www.instagram.com/p/BwsaW_1nrzo/?igshid=2jyyi0bzlmi

#terrierbyteit #wifeidge #younique #computerhistory #computer #technology #history #computerscience #tech #computerhistorymuseum #computers #retro #vintage #retrotech #trivia #oldtechnology #techhistory #technologyhistory #computinghistory #oldcomputer #oldschool #informationtechnology #thisdayinhistory #internethistory #historyoftechnology #retrocomputer #oldtech #museum #vintagecomputer

[68kmentat]

This is a really cool book that I found out about recently, I preordered a copy and hopefully some of you folks in the retrotech crew might want to help fund it as well!

Here’s the project page

#retrotech #vaporwave #shareware #y2k

[floppy-diskette]

htmlbyjoe:

Why haven't you opened a museum yet????

Sorry to disappoint, but I do not actually own most the things I post here (unless they are tagged mine!)

My collection is humble compared to others of the retrotech crew

#htmlbyjoe #I would have to steal that PBX switch from the museum I was in :') #asks #replies

[commodorez]

What is the appeal of vintage computers to you? Is it the vintage video games or is it the programs? If so, what kind of programs do you like to run on them?

Fair warning, we're talking about a subject I've been passionate about for most of my life, so this will take a minute. The answer ties into how I discovered the hobby, so we'll start with a few highlights:

I played old video games starting when I was 9 or 10.

I became fascinated with older icons buried within Windows.

Tried to play my first video game (War Eagles) again at age 11, learned about the hardware and software requirements being way different than anything I had available (a Pentium III-era Celeron running Windows ME)

I was given a Commodore 1541 by a family friend at age ~12.

Watched a documentary about the history of computers that filled in the gaps between vague mentions of ENIAC and punch cards, and DOS/Windows machines (age 13).

Read through OLD-COMPUTERS.COM for the entire summer immediately after that.

Got my first Commodore 64 at age 14.

I mostly fell into the hobby because I wanted to play old video games, but ended up not finding a ton of stuff that I really wanted to play. Instead, the process of using the machines, trying the operating system, appreciating the aesthetic, the functional design choices of the user experience became the greater experience. Oh, and fixing them.

Then I started installing operating systems on some DOS machines, or playing with odd peripherals, and customizing hardware to my needs. Oh, and programming! Mostly in BASIC on 8-bit hardware, but tinkering with what each computer could do is just so fascinating to me. I'm in control, and there isn't much of anything between what I write and the hardware carrying it out (especially on pre-Windows machines)! No obfuscation layers, run-times, .dlls, etc. Regardless of the system, BASIC is always a first choice for me. Nova, Ohio Scientific, Commodore, etc. I usually try to see what I can do with the available BASIC dialect and hardware. I also tend to find a game or two to try, especially modern homebrew Commodore games because that community is always creating something new. PC stuff I focus more on pre-made software of the era.

Just to name a few examples from a variety of systems: Tetris, terminal emulators, Command & Conquer titles, screen savers, War Eagles, Continuum, video capture software, Atomic Bomberman, demos, LEGO Island, Bejeweled clones, Commander Keen 1-3, lunar lander, Galaxian, sinewave displays, 2048, Pacman, mandelbrot sets, war dialers, paint -- I could keep going.

Changing gears, I find it funny how often elders outside of the vintage computing community would talk about the era I'm interested in (60s-early 90s). [spoken with Mr. Regular's old man voice]: "Well, computers used to be big as a room! And we used punch cards, and COBOL!" I didn't know what any of that meant, and when pressed for technical detail they couldn't tell you anything substantial. Nobody conveyed any specifics beyond "that's what we used!"

I noticed that gaps remained in how that history was presented to me, even when university-level computer science and history professors were engaged on the subject. I had to go find it on my own. History is written by the victors, yeah? When was the last time a mainstream documentary or period piece focused on someone other than an Apple or Microsoft employee? Well, in this case, you can sidestep all that and see it for yourself if you know where to look.

Experiencing the history first hand to really convey how computers got from point A to B all the way down to Z is enlightening. What's cool is that unlike so many other fields of history, it's near enough in time that we can engage with people who were there, or better yet, made it happen! Why do you think I like going to vintage computer festivals?

We can see the missteps, the dead-ends, the clunkiness, the forgotten gems and lost paradigms, hopefully with context of why it happened. For the things we can't find more information on, when or documentation and perspectives are limited, sometimes we have to resort to digital archeology, and reverse engineering practices to save data, fix machines, and learn how they work. The greater arc of computer history fascinates me, and I intend to learn about it by fixing and using the computers that exemplify it best, and sharing that passion with others who might enjoy it.

#commodorez #retrotech crew #computer history

[officialcaltext]

i dont even know if any of the retrotech crew still follow me but im feeling the bug again.... should i import another zx spectrum clone from the former soviet bloc....?

[pizzaproblems1]

Thank you so much for 1,000 followers! Yeah!!

#old computer #retrocomputing #computer #desktop #retrotech crew

[terrierbyteit]

Hiya folks, been a busy few days took some time out as needed to recharge. Okay you join ne in great time on this Halloween evening its Trivia Time So D.Y.K what happened on 31st October?. . October 31st 1892: Happy Anniversary Sherlock Holmes, Happy Halloween! 1892 – Arthur Conan Doyle publishes the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. After Doyle attended medical school, he moved to London, where he practiced medicine and wrote the first Sherlock Holmes story, “A Study in Scarlet”. . 1945 The First Conference on Digital Computer Technique Was Held at MIT, The conference was sponsored by the National Research Council, Subcommittee Z on Calculating Machines and Computation. Attended by the Whirlwind team, it influenced the direction of this computer. . 2000 First Crew to International Space Station Russia launches Soyuz TM-31, carrying the first crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been continuously manned since this first mission. . That's all for now, catch up with you tomorrow folks. . . . #TerrierByteIT #Wifeidge #computerhistory #computer #technology #history #computerscience #tech #computerhistorymuseum #computers #retro #vintage #retrotech #trivia #oldtechnology #techhistory #technologyhistory #computinghistory #oldcomputer #oldschool #informationtechnology #thisdayinhistory #internethistory #historyoftechnology #retrocomputer #oldtech #museum #vintagecomputer https://www.instagram.com/p/BpnattFFar1/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cfz8fa55ha5u

#terrierbyteit #wifeidge #computerhistory #computer #technology #history #computerscience #tech #computerhistorymuseum #computers #retro #vintage #retrotech #trivia #oldtechnology #techhistory #technologyhistory #computinghistory #oldcomputer #oldschool #informationtechnology #thisdayinhistory #internethistory #historyoftechnology #retrocomputer #oldtech #museum #vintagecomputer

[68kmentat]

That’s gonna conclude my posting for now,

I have 2,873 reblogs in my drafts, my intention used to be “tag things, then go through and post batches of things that share a tag” but as school got harder I found less time for the retrotech crew on here.

I’m finally getting the free time and space to get back into this hobby, and I'm going to send my computers to get recapped after my birthday next week. I hope I can connect with the tumblr scene again!

#personal