No to mention lack of customers. We could probably write killer productivity apps for 8-bit micros, but the market is … a bit challenging.
I’m not sure where the idea of customers comes into the discussion. Maybe I didn’t state the purpose of the blog clearly enough? The blog is not research for (nor a suggestion for) developing new productivity apps for retro computers. At best, it may spark ideas for new computers, as we rediscover forgotten/abandoned evolutionary branches. Personally, the only customers I’m hoping for are readers interested in computing history 
I’m not suggesting using retro systems today for everyday tasks, either. But I actually do use a retro system as my daily driver for a specific productivity task: Medley Interlisp is my daily driver IDE for Lisp software development.
4 posts were merged into an existing topic: Do you use retro software as a daily driver?
Welcome, @andreax79 and @ChristopherDrum, and any other recent joiners who haven’t yet posted here.
Please feel free to create new topics - this goes for everyone, in every topic. If you have a new idea, or a thought which invites discussion, a new topic is the thing. This isn’t IRC!
It’s quite easy to link back and link forward, if need be.
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hello all,
blair vidak from perth, western australia here.
lately i am mad about BASIC, Tiny BASIC, and 70s micro-computers.
i have a big links page here - BLAIR VIDAK | Boorloo, Noongar Boodjah | Socialist ...
pleased to meet you all, you all seem like lovely folks.
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I happened upon this site after searching for Lois Haibt, who was featured in the IBM Slack channel for IBM History. The documentary on the 25th anniversary of FORTRAN is fascinating. I posted a link to it as a reply to the Lois post, so you may have a few IBMers dropping by.
I myself am still working after 50+ years in IT, slinging COBOL for the Medi-Cal account in the Sacramento area.
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I’m Stephen Morgana. I started with computers in high school in 1974. In 1978 I built an S100 Z80 system, some of it as a kit, some of my own design. In 1980 I started a carrier in computing, and retired after 42 years. Now I’m in to retrocomputing, trying to obtain or re-build my past 8 bit computers.
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I’m Paul, first touched a computer in 1982 aged 8, my Uncle’s RIP ZX81 with 16k expansion which he made me do spelling and maths exercises on after my homework.
When he upgraded to a Spectrum however I discovered BASIC.
Fast forward a LOT of years and I am not 20+ years into a career as software engineer. It has literally made me a half a million in salary, just not all at once 
While professional development is great it doesn’t tick all the boxes. So I continue both software development AND electronics and hardware development as hobbies.
Electronics pinicple project. Functioning Z80 computer with nano-OS console.
Next plans. 68000 DIY hardware and DIY Multi-tasking OS.
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Welcome @vidak @paulca @Stephen_Morgana @rossburnett and anyone else recently arrived.
Please feel free to post something about yourself, your history, your current interests in this thread, if you haven’t already, and to start a new thread to expand on any current project or recent adventures you might be on.
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Hello,
New here, just joined New Years Eve. Wow where do I start, I have a lot of projects on my GitHub that I’ve made. Here’s just a few.
Xenix and Vax Clone for the Pico and now Pico2W with Wifi so you can telnet to the Pico
Basic Interpreter called fgbasic which is complete and written in Java and also on my Githib
HTML, SDL2, Java, C++ game development also on my Github
Make a lot of Apps for Linux like my RC_Commander which is a clone of Norton Commander
This is side project stuff as I have a full time job.
Link my github: rcman (RCMAN) · GitHub
Hope to hang out more.
Thanks
Franco
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Hello everyone,
I’ve just joined the forum. I’m interested in vintage PC software and tools.
Looking forward to learning from the community.
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Hi! It’s about time I joined a group that seems tyo like what I like - namely older computers! Unlike those who just buy old ones (I used to have a BIG collection of all sorts) I now mainly build my own using old parts 
My latest effortis using an old Z8001 chip from 1985 - it says on the can :-0 The board works (yay!) and I have a few lines of code I borrowed from another Z8000 program I found on the 'web but I am now actually stuck. A past BIG project was with a 68000 processor, so I felt I’d be trying somethig much the same with the Z8001 but that was not to be. I need an assembler and can’t go any further without one!
Past work as I’ve said includes the 68000 and of course devices like the Z80 - 'cos who wouldn’t.
I’ve had a good look at the type of subject matter that you all seem to talk about here and I reckon this sall sounds like what I like to talk about - when I can find someone to listen …
I also build the odd analogue project but I am not so good with that.
Past computers I’ve owned include older PCs (inc. some older XTs) plus the usual Sinclair ZX81, Spectrum, C64, Vic20 etc. I even had a couple of Apple 2Es! Enough about me I think for the time being. Hopefully I might be able to share some of my past knowledge too.
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Ah, one more retro computing forum. How fun!
This page gives a summary of my projects… although I haven’t updated it recently. Most of my projects are open source and are available on the GitHub.
My interests appear to be:
- Designing and building retro computing projects, e.g., various controllers for ISA / IBM PC/XT/AT, ECB, RCBus, single board computers, like Zeta SBC and MiniMax 8085, etc.
- Designing and building somewhat updated and modified versions of vintage hardware, e.g., Omega Home Computer - an MSX compatible system, or an updated version of a soviet Radio-86RK home computer.
- Sometimes writing software… Mostly low-level system software, like 8088_bios - an IBM PC compatible BIOS, and various utilities, e.g., z80type - Z80 type detection utility.
- Random, not necessarily computer related, electronic projects, such as my ttl-clock project.
- Various not electronics or computer related at all outdoor activities: mountaineering, climbing, hiking, off-roading, or just nice road trips.
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Hi Sergey - welcome! I’ve been a very happy user of your Zeta v2 for years, and I recently upgraded it with a ParPortProp. It’s a lovely design: thank you!
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Hello everyone! I’m Diego Chiacchio. Collector of old computers since 1999, co-founder of Retrocomputacion.com (the largest Spanish-speaking community of microcomputer collectors and users), creator and administrator of the Home Computer community on Facebook, and staff member and collaborator of the Espacio TEC Computer Museum, the most important interactive computer museum in Argentina.
Also I am creator and administrator of the Home Computer website dedicated to home computers and classic video game consoles.
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Hi all
I’ve only recently taken an interest in retro computing, but have been working in systems for a year or two and I enjoy front end dev.
Been reading the Innovators by Walter Isaacson which is a great book on the history of computers. I got a Commodore 64 emulator this weekend and have been playing around with learning Basic, which is fun. Want to get a raspberry pi at some point soon.
If anyone has any Commodore starter project ideas let me know, I want to do a simple text-based game at some point but not right now
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Love architecture from EDVAC to ARM/Neon. Love ASM, C++, C#, VBA. Wrote two timesharing systems for the MIT Weather Radar Research Project, one for a PDP-8/I and one for a TI-980. Was user of the famous PDP-1 at MIT, and ITS in grad school at the AI Lab. Lots of Z80 work for industrial controllers. Cofounder of Cognex, wrote early vision code for PDP-11, then MC68000, then x86/x64 MMX/SSE/AVX, then TI C64 VLIW DSP, then ARM/Neon. Now retired and just fooling around.
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Did you get to keep any interesting architecture?
I’ve got no legacy hardware. I do have a PiDP-8/I replica running OS/8 and a PiDP-10 replica running ITS, and lots of legacy manuals.
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