Vintage Computer

Graphic titled “SNAPSHOT SATURDAY.” Caption text: “The ‘CHAOS’ Team at RCA around the console of a Univac 1108 computer.” Black and white photo of several men gathered around a Univac 1108 console. A chessboard is set up on the desk in front of the console. Small credit text: “chessprogramming.org, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CHAOS_Team_circa_1972.gif” Bottom text: “vintage.computer.”

Snapshot Saturday 📸

The “CHAOS” team (Chess Heuristics And Other Stuff) at RCA gathered around a Univac 1108 console, circa 1972. Early AI research, mainframe power, and machine chess in progress.

#SnapshotSaturday #Univac1108 #EarlyAI #Chess #VintageComputer

Graphic titled “FREE SOFTWARE FRIDAY.” SCUMM VM Author: LUDVIG STRIGEUS, VINCENT HAMM Release Date: OCTOBER 8TH, 2001 Notes: OPEN SOURCE RECREATION OF GAME ENGINES THAT USE THE SCUMM SYSTEM Get it: WWW.SCUMMVM.ORG Bottom text: VINTAGE.COMPUTER.

Free Software Friday: ScummVM (2001)

An open-source reimplementation of the SCUMM game engine, letting classic point-and-click adventures run on modern systems.

Author: Ludvig Strigeus, Vincent Hamm

Get it: www.scummvm.org

#ScummVM #VintageComputer

Graphic titled “Throwback Thursday” with the subtitle “Serial Terminals:” Image of a DEC VT100 terminal with a CRT display and built-in keyboard. Text reads: “The first mainframes and minicomputers, and then home microcomputers, didn’t have built-in graphics and relied on a serial connection to receive commands from the user and display output. Serial terminals like the DEC VT100 became the default for decades.” Includes the text “vintage.computer.”

Throwback Thursday: Serial Terminals

Before built-in graphics, computers relied on terminals like the DEC VT100. One keyboard, one CRT, one serial line to a distant mainframe or minicomputer.

The interface was text but the power was real.

#ThrowbackThursday #VintageComputer

Graphic with green terminal-style text on a black background. Header: “Wow That’s Fascinating” Title: “The Login Prompt That Launched a Thousand Terminals” Body text: “Booting a Unix system used to land you at a simple ‘login:’ prompt. No graphics, no welcome chimes—just you, a keyboard, and the infinite void of the shell.” Bottom text includes: “vintage.computer” with small globe and microchip icons.

Wow That’s Fascinating:

The humble login: prompt. No GUI. No mouse. Just a cursor, a keyboard, and the open frontier of a Unix shell.

From that blinking line, generations of hackers, admins, and developers got to work.

#Unix #Terminal #VintageComputer #CommandLine

Graphic titled “TECH SPEC TUESDAY” featuring “Sun SPARCstation 1.” About this machine: “The very first of Sun Microsystem’s series of workstations built around their proprietary RISC processors was the SPARCstation 1. The SPARC processor ran at 20 MHz at first, and could run SunOS (Solaris), Linux, NetBSD, and OpenBSD. The starting price was $8995 in 1989 for a unit without any hard disk drive (or approximately $23,500.00 today)!” Specs table: CPU: SPARC @ 20 MHz Memory: 8 - 64 MB Storage: SCSI Hard Disk Drive Graphics: 1152 x 900 framebuffer Networking: Ethernet built-in Notes: Classic UNIX workstation Includes an image of a Sun SPARCstation 1 workstation and the text “vintage.computer.”

Tech Spec Tuesday: Sun SPARCstation 1 (1989)
SPARC @ 20 MHz, up to 64 MB RAM, SCSI storage, 1152×900 graphics, built-in Ethernet. A foundational UNIX workstation that helped define the RISC era.
#TechSpecTuesday #SunMicrosystems #SPARC #UNIX #VintageComputer

Graphic titled “Milestone Monday” with the date “February 16th, 1946.” Text reads: “The official dedication ceremony for the ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, was held on this date in 1946. ENIAC was the first electronic, programmable, general-purpose computer.” Includes a photo of the ENIAC installation and the website text “vintage.computer.”

Milestone Monday: February 16, 1946. The ENIAC was officially dedicated on this day. As the first electronic, programmable, general-purpose computer, it marked the beginning of the modern computing era. #MilestoneMonday #ENIAC #VintageComputer

A graphic titled “Maintenance Mode” over a desert landscape background. Centered text reads: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Seneca. The bottom right corner displays “vintage.computer.”

From vacuum tubes to transistors to microprocessors, computing is a story of endings that sparked new eras. #VintageComputer

A graphic titled “Snapshot Saturday” with the subtitle “IBM 608 Calculators, circa 1954.” The central black-and-white photo shows a large room filled with IBM calculator units. Several men in white lab coats operate the machines. A credit line references Norsk Teknisk Museum and Wikimedia Commons. The bottom right reads “vintage.computer.”

Snapshot Saturday: IBM 608 Calculators, circa 1954. Before microchips, rooms like this housed solid-state computing power. The 608 was one of the first all-transistorized commercial calculators, marking a major step beyond vacuum tubes. #VintageComputer

A graphic titled “Free Software Friday” featuring “Tiny Core Linux.” Text reads: “Author: Team Tiny Core. Release Date: January 5th, 2009. Get it: tinycorelinux.net.” It describes Tiny Core Linux as “A modular and minimalist operating system with a minimal Linux kernel.” The bottom right says “vintage.computer.”

Free Software Friday: Tiny Core Linux. First released in 2009, this ultra-minimal distro proves how small a Linux system can be. Modular, lightweight, and perfect for reviving older hardware or building lean systems from scratch. #VintageComputer

A graphic titled “Throwback Thursday – Math Co-Processors:” with a desert-toned background. Centered is a photo of a Cyrix FasMath chip labeled “Cyrix FasMath CX 83S87-33-JP.” Text explains that early home computer CPUs lacked built-in floating point hardware, and users could install a math co-processor in a dedicated motherboard slot to accelerate floating point calculations. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Throwback Thursday: Before built-in FPUs, serious number crunching meant adding a math co-processor like the Cyrix FasMath 83S87. Plug it into the socket and unlock hardware floating-point performance for CAD, science, and spreadsheets. #VintageComputer

A black poster with orange text reading “Wow That’s Fascinating” and “Wozniak Loved the 6502 Chip.” Below, smaller text explains that Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I and II around the MOS 6502, describing it as cheap, powerful, and elegant, and noting it powered many 8-bit classics. The bottom includes a decorative line and the text “vintage.computer.”

Wow, that’s fascinating: Steve Wozniak built the Apple I and II around the MOS 6502. Cheap, powerful, and elegantly simple, the 6502 went on to power dozens of iconic 8-bit computers. #VintageComputer

A graphic titled “Tech Spec Tuesday” featuring the IBM PC/AT 5170. It shows a photo of the computer with monitor, keyboard, and system unit. Text explains it was released in 1984, used the Intel 80286 CPU, and helped define modern PCs. A table lists specs: Intel 80286 at 6–8 MHz, 256 KB to 16 MB RAM, 20 MB hard drive, 1.2 MB floppy, EGA/VGA graphics support, ISA network cards, and a note stating it introduced the AT standard. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Tech Spec Tuesday: IBM PC/AT 5170. Released in 1984, this machine introduced the AT standard and the Intel 80286, shaping the future of IBM-compatible PCs. Faster, expandable, and hugely influential in PC history. #VintageComputer

To all my subscribers: I apologize for the previous missing week of posts.

They are available on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vintagecomputerchannel

Thanks for your patience and your support! More and new types of content coming soon!

Vintage.Computer

A graphic titled “Milestone Monday – February 9th, 1927” on a starry background. At left is a black-and-white photo of David Wheeler seated with members of the EDSAC team. At right, text notes that David John Wheeler was born February 9, 1927, in Birmingham, England, and contributed to computer science, including inventing the subroutine. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Milestone Monday: February 9, 1927. On this day, David John Wheeler was born. A pioneer of early programming, he helped formalize the subroutine, a concept that still underpins modern software.

A graphic titled “Milestone Monday – February 2nd, 1952.” It shows a portrait photo of Ralph C. Merkle on the left. Text on the right reads: “Ralph C. Merkle was born on February 2nd, 1952. He has a PhD from Stanford and is a renowned cryptographer, invented cryptographic hashing and contributed to the invention of public-key cryptography.” The background is a starry space scene, with “vintage.computer” at the bottom above a stylized sunrise.

Milestone Monday: February 2, 1952 🎉 On this day, Ralph C. Merkle was born. A pioneer of modern cryptography, his work on cryptographic hashing and public-key cryptography laid foundations for secure computing as we know it today. #MilestoneMonday #VintageComputer

Maintenance Mode ‘The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.’ Sydney Harris vintage.computer

Maintenance Mode 🛠️ Even machines need downtime. The time to relax is often when you think you can’t afford it. Step back, recharge, and keep the system running smoothly. #MaintenanceMode #VintageComputer

SNAPSHOT SATURDAY The TV Typewriter, an early video terminal for your home TV [Photograph of a wooden-cased TV Typewriter device with a small keyboard of blue and red buttons and labeled switches on the top panel. The front label reads ‘tv typewriter.’] Swtpc6800 en:User:Swtpc6800 Michael Holley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TV_Typewriter_CHM.jpg vintage.computer

Snapshot Saturday 📺⌨️ Before monitors were common, devices like the TV Typewriter let hobbyists turn a home television into a text display. A key stepping stone between mainframes and personal computers: simple, ingenious, and foundational. #VintageComputer

FREE SOFTWARE FRIDAY O A.D. Author: Wildfire Games Release Date: April 1, 2010 Get it: https://play0ad.com About: Free, open-source real time strategy game set between 500 and 1 BC that focuses on war and economy management. VINTAGE.COMPUTER

Free Software Friday 💿 0 .A.D. is a free, open-source real-time strategy game set in the ancient world. Build economies, command armies, and rewrite history, no purchase required. A modern classic of open gaming. #VintageComputer

Throwback Thursday The First Smartphone: Simon Personal Communicator, IBM/Bell South, US, 1993 The unsuccessful Simon was the first smartphone, combining mobile phone, personal organizer, fax, and pager. It pioneered using a touchscreen instead of buttons for dialing and typing. Brick-like in both weight and appearance, its talk time was less than 30 minutes, and it cost $899. Gift of Len Shustek and Donna Dubinsky, 10271/1516 The IBM Simon, first available for sale in 1994, was the first smartphone. It had an x86-compatible processor, a PCMCIA slot, an MS-DOS compatible operating system, and even a modem for built-in faxing and email. The high cost and terrible battery life contributed to low sales, and it was discontinued in 1995. vintage.computer

Throwback Thursday 📱 Before apps and app stores, there was IBM Simon. Touchscreen, fax, email, and organizer, but way back in the early ’90s. Expensive, bulky, and short-lived, but it defined what a smartphone could be. #VintageComputer

A black, terminal-style graphic with green monospaced text. Large heading reads: “Wow That’s Fascinating”. Below it: “When Hackers Were Just People Who Fixed Things”. Body text says: “Before it became a media scare word, ‘hacker’ referred to curious programmers who loved solving problems and building clever solutions. It was about exploration—not exploitation.” At the bottom left is the text “vintage.computer” with a globe icon, and a small microchip icon appears at the bottom right.

Before headlines turned it into a scare word, a hacker was just someone curious: fixing things, exploring systems, and building clever solutions. It was about understanding how computers worked. 💾🖥️#VintageComputer #ComputerHistory

A blue and white “Tech Spec Tuesday” graphic over a background of electronic schematics. Large heading reads “TECH SPEC TUESDAY.” Title text reads “DEC VT100 (Terminal).” On the left is a photo of a DEC VT100 terminal with a CRT display and keyboard. Small caption under the photo reads: “Jason Scott, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ , via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DEC_VT100_terminal.jpg” . On the right, a section labeled “About this machine:” followed by text: “Introduced in 1978, the DEC VT100 wasn’t a computer, but it became one of the most iconic video terminals ever made. It supported ANSI escape codes and was widely used with minicomputers and early UNIX systems.” Below the photo is a specifications table with rows labeled: “CPU — Intel 8088 @ 2 MHz” “Memory — 2 KB RAM” “Storage — None” “Graphics — 80 x 24 text, ANSI escape support” “Networking — RS-232 serial interface” “Notes — Standard setting video terminal” In the bottom right corner is a rounded label reading “vintage.computer”.

Tech Spec Tuesday 📟 Introduced in 1978, the DEC VT100 wasn’t a computer, but it shaped computing history. ANSI escape codes, RS-232 serial, and widespread UNIX use made this terminal an icon of the minicomputer era. #VintageComputer #TechSpecTuesday

“Milestone Monday January 26th, 1926 On this day in 1926, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave what is considered to be the first public demonstration of television to 40 distinguished scientists at the Royal Institution in the UK. The scientists saw different faces reproduced via 30 scan lines at approx. 12.5 frames per second. Black-and-white historical photograph showing John Logie Baird operating early television equipment with a mannequin head used for testing. Credit: Orrin Dunlap, Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons vintage.computer”

Milestone Monday 📺 On January 26, 1926, John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television. Using just 30 scan lines at ~12.5 fps, moving human faces were transmitted: an extraordinary beginning for electronic media. #VintageComputer

A green, translucent overlay on a forest background with sunlight filtering through trees. The header reads “Maintenance Mode.” Centered quote text says: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” The attribution below reads “Anne Lamott.” The bottom right displays “vintage.computer.”

Maintenance Mode. Even vintage wisdom agrees: sometimes the best fix is a power cycle. Step away, unplug for a few minutes, and come back refreshed, humans included. #VintageComputer

A “Snapshot Saturday” graphic showing the inside of a cassette tape data drive with its case open. Gears, belts, wiring, and the tape mechanism are visible. Text at the top reads “Snapshot Saturday,” and smaller text says, “Before CDs, programs could be saved on tape cassettes.” The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Snapshot Saturday: Before CDs and floppies were common, home computers saved programs to cassette tapes. Slow, noisy, but surprisingly reliable, this is how countless games and BASIC programs were loaded, one squeal at a time. #VintageComputer

A stylized floppy disk graphic labeled “Free Software Friday.” The text reads: “VICE: Versatile Commodore Emulator.” Below it lists: Author: VICE Team. Release Date: 1993. Notes: A free and cross-platform emulator for Commodore’s 8-bit machines. Get it: vice-emu.sourceforge.io. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Free Software Friday: VICE, the Versatile Commodore Emulator. Since 1993, this free, cross-platform project has kept Commodore’s 8-bit machines alive on modern systems. Fire up a C64, VIC-20, or PET today. #VintageComputer

A “Throwback Thursday” graphic titled “USB Flash Drive MP3 Players” on a warm, sand-colored background. The image shows two Creative MuVo USB MP3 players, one blue with a cap removed and one white labeled “MuVo 64MB.” Text explains that before smartphones, some MP3 players were essentially flash drives with a screen and headphone port. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Throwback Thursday: USB flash drive MP3 players. Before smartphones, your music library could fit in your pocket, and plug straight into a PC. Tiny screens, clicky buttons, and just enough storage for your favorite tracks. #VintageComputer

A black, terminal-style graphic with orange text. The headline reads “Wow That’s Fascinating.” Below it, underlined text says “ASCII Art GUIs Were a Thing.” Body text reads: “Before GUIs, clever programmers used characters like |, +, and - to draw windows and menus. It was like Minecraft for terminals.” The bottom right reads “vintage.computer.”

Wow, that’s fascinating: ASCII art GUIs were a real thing. Long before graphical desktops, programmers built windows and menus from plain text characters, turning terminals into interactive interfaces. Pure ingenuity. #VintageComputer

A blue “Tech Spec Tuesday” graphic featuring the IBM System/360 Model 30. At left is a photo of the mainframe with tape drives and control panels. At right, text explains the system launched in 1964 and introduced binary compatibility across IBM models. A spec table lists CPU, memory, storage, graphics, networking, and notes. The bottom reads “vintage.computer.”

Tech Spec Tuesday: IBM System/360 Model 30. Introduced in 1964, this mainframe helped define a compatible computer family. Binary compatibility across models reshaped enterprise and government computing for decades. #VintageComputer

A dark, starry background graphic titled “Milestone Monday” with the date “January 19th, 1983.” At left is a photo of an Apple Lisa computer on a desk with its monitor and keyboard. At right, text explains that Apple released the Lisa, a desktop computer with a revolutionary graphical user interface that influenced later Macintosh computers and PCs. The bottom of the image displays “vintage.computer.”

Milestone Monday: Jan 19, 1983. Apple released the Lisa, bringing a graphical user interface to the desktop. Costly at launch, but its ideas shaped the Macintosh, and modern PCs, for decades. #AppleLisa #VintageComputer

A warm desert-dune background with layered blue panels. The top panel reads “Maintenance Mode.” The center displays the quote: “Good design is long lasting.” Below the quote is the attribution “Dieter Rams.” A small label at the bottom right reads “vintage.computer.”

“Good design is long lasting.” Rams' quote is a reminder that the best systems endure because they’re clear, purposeful, and built to be maintained. Timeless principles matter as much in computing as in industrial design. #VintageComputer