ZenHacker
Member
I've been looking for a place like this. I have an infatuation with old computer stuff, including vintage hardware, old software and games, antiquated programming languages, and obsolete networking architectures. I am very interested in the history of computing and the rich folklore of the hacker culture. Recently I have taken more of an interest in this stuff (to the point of obsession) and I decided to try to find an online community dedicated to vintage computing. My interest in retrocomputing, and in computers in general, goes back to my childhood back in the 90s, when my older brother had an Apple ][c computer and I would see him do things on it, and I thought it was just so neat and awesome. I love the way old computers look - the boxy appearance, I love 8-bit graphics, and I love the bipping and beeping sounds that emanate from these old machines.
I have very little experience with retrocomputing. I've played some old MS-DOS games in DOSBox as well as Adventure in a Z-machine emulator, and I've taken the time to learn and use some ancient Unix features - dc, ed, troff, etc. That's about it. I've never touched a working vintage computer. I have an Apple II and two original Mactintosh computers that I got from a free-cycle, but they're all broken, assuming I actually hooked them up properly (I actually plugged one of the Macintoshes into the Apple II thinking it was a monitor; I really need to learn my way around computer connectors better; I also plugged an Apple ][c monitor into the Apple II, so there might have been some compatibility issues between the two). Anyway, my retrocomputing experience is very limited, basically amounting to some emulators and clones of old software, and seemingly broken Apple machines that never even booted properly. I want more than that. I have an insatiable hunger for retrocomputing experiences and will not be satisfied until I'm sitting in front of a CRT screen typing BASIC instructions into a command line on a clicky keyboard.
Recently I finally decided to actually do something about this, and so I went on Ebay and bought what will hopefully be my first vintage computer that actually works - a Commodore 64 that I won the bidding on, along with a Commodore monitor that I just bought outright. I've been doing all the necessary research on the C64, learning about what all the ports are, where everything plugs in, as well as technical aspects like what processor it uses. This is the beginning of something completely new for me, and I have very little knowledge of it. Eventually I'd like to have the knowledge to not only set up, use, and program vintage computers, but also fix broken ones. I don't really know where to learn things like this. So I'm going to hang out here for a while, because I want to be able to talk to others who share my interest in what seems to be a relatively unpopular and obscure hobby, even among technical people. I am dedicated to keeping the rich history of computing alive.
I have very little experience with retrocomputing. I've played some old MS-DOS games in DOSBox as well as Adventure in a Z-machine emulator, and I've taken the time to learn and use some ancient Unix features - dc, ed, troff, etc. That's about it. I've never touched a working vintage computer. I have an Apple II and two original Mactintosh computers that I got from a free-cycle, but they're all broken, assuming I actually hooked them up properly (I actually plugged one of the Macintoshes into the Apple II thinking it was a monitor; I really need to learn my way around computer connectors better; I also plugged an Apple ][c monitor into the Apple II, so there might have been some compatibility issues between the two). Anyway, my retrocomputing experience is very limited, basically amounting to some emulators and clones of old software, and seemingly broken Apple machines that never even booted properly. I want more than that. I have an insatiable hunger for retrocomputing experiences and will not be satisfied until I'm sitting in front of a CRT screen typing BASIC instructions into a command line on a clicky keyboard.
Recently I finally decided to actually do something about this, and so I went on Ebay and bought what will hopefully be my first vintage computer that actually works - a Commodore 64 that I won the bidding on, along with a Commodore monitor that I just bought outright. I've been doing all the necessary research on the C64, learning about what all the ports are, where everything plugs in, as well as technical aspects like what processor it uses. This is the beginning of something completely new for me, and I have very little knowledge of it. Eventually I'd like to have the knowledge to not only set up, use, and program vintage computers, but also fix broken ones. I don't really know where to learn things like this. So I'm going to hang out here for a while, because I want to be able to talk to others who share my interest in what seems to be a relatively unpopular and obscure hobby, even among technical people. I am dedicated to keeping the rich history of computing alive.
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Good luck with the systems! Let us know how things go and perhaps we (i.e someone smarter than myself) can hopefully help you learn how to troubleshoot some of the issues.