retro-computing

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Linux Now Runs on the Atari Jaguar, a 1993 Console with Just 2 MB of RAM
12 days ago
- Linux kernel 7.2.0-rc1 has been booted on the 1993 Atari Jaguar game console by developer Joel Bueno.
- The Jaguar uses a Motorola 68000 CPU with no MMU, 2 MB of RAM, and custom chips Tom and Jerry.
- Key challenges included the lack of virtual memory support, solved using the uClinux/NOMMU option and a flat memory model.
- To fit the kernel in 2 MB RAM, execute-in-place (XIP) was used, keeping read-only parts on cartridge ROM.
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Rendering Real-Time 3D Before GPUs
15 days ago
- Real-time 3D rendering on a 486 using VGA Mode 13h with 256 colors.
- Implemented software double buffering and dirty-rectangle copying to avoid flicker.
- Used fixed-point arithmetic for performance, with different fractional bit scales per subsystem.
- Applied per-pixel Phong lighting via a precomputed light map, similar to MatCap techniques.
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A Trip to 90s Kansai: Exploring the XD FirstClass Network BBS
19 days ago
- Exploration of XD FirstClass Network BBS through a 1994 promotional CD, offering an offline archive with original Mac client software.
- Highlight of the BBS's community, focused on music, especially techno, with active posters like Sunao Inami and Yasushi Hashizume sharing posts and files.
- Description of BBS technology as pre-internet, regionally-focused via direct modem dial-up, and use of FirstClass software with desktop metaphor and conferences.
- Discovery of PASSTHRU folder connecting to other Kansai BBSs like SimNaniwa and Virtual Nipponbashi, featuring pixel art maps and hyperlocal content.
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Stacks: Run classic HyperCard stacks on modern macOS without emulation
23 days ago
- Run HyperCard stacks directly on modern macOS without an emulator
- Browse and run stacks from the Internet Archive's collection with one-click
- Includes sound, instruments, period-accurate typography, MacinTalk speech synthesis, and cross-stack navigation
- Universal binary requiring macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
The Atari Jaguar Runs Linux
24 days ago
- Atari Jaguar was Atari Corporation's final console, failing to compete in the early '90s market.
- Linux has been ported to the Jaguar using its 68000 processor with a -nommu kernel and custom hackery.
- The port includes a BusyBox userspace and a graphics driver, allowing an on-screen console.
- This follows a trend of Linux ports to '90s consoles like the Sega MegaDrive and Nintendo 64.
Copy That Floppy – Cambridge guide for preserving data from fragile floppy disks
25 days ago
- This guide is for practitioners aiming to preserve floppy disks by creating disk images, focusing on 8-inch, 5.25-inch, 3.5-inch, and 3-inch disks.
- It assumes basic knowledge of digital preservation, familiarity with tools like write blockers, and comfort with configuring software and using command lines.
- Key steps include identifying the floppy disk type, acquiring compatible hardware (drives and controllers), cleaning and maintaining disks and drives, imaging via flux stream capture, and further analysis.
- Identification involves examining disk labels, holes, notches, and regional variations to determine density, sides, and format for appropriate hardware selection.
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retro-computing

Linux Now Runs on the Atari Jaguar, a 1993 Console with Just 2 MB of RAM

Rendering Real-Time 3D Before GPUs

A Trip to 90s Kansai: Exploring the XD FirstClass Network BBS

Stacks: Run classic HyperCard stacks on modern macOS without emulation

The Atari Jaguar Runs Linux

Copy That Floppy – Cambridge guide for preserving data from fragile floppy disks