I'd like to speak to the Bellcore ManaGeR
10 hours ago
- #vintage computing
- #window systems
- #software archaeology
- Nina Kalinina explores Bellcore MGR, an obscure early windowing system from 1984.
- MGR was distributed via Usenet and ported to various Unix-like systems but is now largely forgotten.
- The post details installing MGR on Debian 0.93 with Linux 0.99 kernel.
- Features a demo of '$HOME MOVIE', a video editor based on MGR, showcasing Unix-style video creation.
- Technical challenges include decoding a unique video format without keyframes and retiming for accurate playback.
- MGR's interface is terminal-based, with each new window acting as a terminal, and includes graphical applications like image viewers and games.
- The system supports vector and raster graphics, mouse events, and rudimentary menus.
- Includes a maze game and a Boulder Dash clone among its entertainment options.
- SVGA mode is available but slow, with most applications supporting only monochrome.
- The post concludes with resources for further reading and acknowledgments to contributors and supporters.