The Quake Fan Who Built the Map Editor Everybody Uses

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Kristian Duske, a Mac user and Quake fan, created the TrenchBroom map editor in 2010 because existing editors did not suit his workflow. Over 15 years, TrenchBroom has become a widely used, open-source tool favored by Quake mappers and indie developers for its 3D-centric workflow and support for large maps, despite Duske never making a map himself. The editor’s evolution included a rewrite in C++, a move from wxWidgets to Qt, and ongoing improvements supported by AI-assisted development.

https://funcarena.com/articles/the-quake-fan-who-built-the-map-editor-everybody-uses

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Breaking the Console: a Brief History of Video Game Security

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Video game console security evolved from no protection on early cartridge systems like the Atari 2600, through hardware lockout chips such as Nintendo’s 10NES, to optical disc authentication and modchips on systems like the PlayStation. The introduction of cryptographic code signing on consoles like the original Xbox and the use of secure boot chains improved defenses but remained vulnerable to exploits like save file buffer overflows and fault injection attacks; modern consoles incorporate layered protections and update mechanisms, yet hacking persists due to implementation flaws and complex attack surfaces, highlighting that lasting security relies on defense in depth and security by design rather than single features.

https://sergioprado.blog/breaking-the-console-a-brief-history-of-video-game-security/

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How to Install an App on Your Commodore 64

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In 1986, installing a program on a Commodore 64 involved physically going to a bookstore to purchase magazines like COMPUTE!’s Gazette or RUN, which published program listings that users had to manually type in using BASIC and machine language code. For example, to run the game “Survivor,” one would first type in auxiliary utilities such as MLX for entering machine language and an Automatic Proofreader, then painstakingly input hundreds of lines of code with perfect accuracy before saving the program to floppy disk or tape. This process, requiring hours of dedicated effort and careful error checking, contrasts sharply with modern app installations and highlights the hands-on nature of retro computing culture.

https://www.anildash.com/2026/10/08/install-an-app-commodore-64/

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GitHub – Antirez/c64-Hw-Simulator: Commodore 64 Hardware Simulator

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The c64-hw-simulator is a detailed pin-level hardware simulator of the Commodore 64 motherboard (ASSY 250407), allowing users to manipulate individual chip pins, pull chips from sockets, or open circuit elements to observe the resulting effects on the system’s behavior, including video output and signals. It models the board’s netlist and chip pin behaviors, integrating cycle-accurate cores for key chips and simulating electrical phenomena like drive strengths, floating nets with drift and noise, and power faults, enabling fault analysis and learning without risking real hardware damage. While comprehensive, the simulator runs slower than real time and does not simulate internal chip faults or analog components like the video output and power supply.

https://github.com/antirez/c64-hw-simulator

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Lotus Improv on the NeXT

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Lotus Improv, a pioneering spreadsheet application exclusive to the NeXT platform, introduced innovative concepts like multi-dimensional data modeling and English-like formulas that presaged modern pivot tables. Developed during NeXT’s struggle to find market traction, Improv redefined spreadsheet design by emphasizing named categories over traditional row-column references, enabling more intuitive and flexible data views. Despite its failure to gain widespread adoption, its legacy endures in contemporary spreadsheet tools and in NeXTSTEP’s influence on modern operating systems like macOS.

https://stonetools.ghost.io/lotusimprov-next/

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The Holy Quinity of UNIX Workstations

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The article explores the author’s pursuit of collecting the final five commercial UNIX workstations produced by major vendors: the HP c8000 (PA-RISC/HP-UX), Sun Ultra 45 (SPARC/Solaris), SGI Tezro (MIPS/IRIX), IBM IntelliStation POWER 285 (POWER/AIX), and HP AlphaStation ES47 (Alpha/Tru64). These machines, released in the early 2000s, represent the last generation designed amid the decline of dedicated UNIX workstations, each embodying a unique approach in hardware and software development, but are rare, expensive, and challenging to obtain—highlighting a niche yet passionate aspect of retrocomputing preservation.

https://www.osnews.com/story/146092/the-holy-quinity-of-unix-workstations/

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Atari Collection & Benelux Online Archive

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Atarimuseum.nl is a comprehensive online archive and private collection dedicated to Atari hardware, software, and related materials, with a focus on the Atari Benelux region. The site features thousands of commercial and public domain Atari software releases, a wide range of Atari computers, consoles, peripherals, and extensive documentation including manuals, magazines, advertisements, and videos. It serves as a valuable resource for enthusiasts and historians interested in preserving and exploring Atari’s legacy in the Benelux and beyond.

https://atarimuseum.nl/

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Demoscene-Recomp

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Demoscene-recomp recreates classic PC demoscene productions from the early 1990s by recompiling their original DOS code to WebAssembly, enabling them to run in modern browsers with accurate hardware emulation. The project records executed CPU instructions of demos like Future Crew’s Unreal and Second Reality, Triton’s Crystal Dream II, and NoooN’s Stars: Wonders of the World, then recompiles them with precise timing and hardware models, preserving the original experience. Visitors can experience these historically significant demos smoothly, as they originally ran on VGA at 70 Hz, without any tracking or modification to the original release files.

https://treylorswift.github.io/demoscene-recomp/web/

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A Cray-1 Supercomputer Replica From 30 “Obsolete” Mac Minis

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Spain’s Museo de Historia de la Computación has created a full-scale visual replica of the 1976 Cray-1 supercomputer powered by a cluster of 30 Mac Minis from 2012, achieving over 1.3 teraflops through coordinated multi-core processing. The replica demonstrates the evolution from the Cray-1’s vector processing to modern parallel computing, using macOS Mojave with MPI for node communication, and employs a passive cooling design to maintain quiet operation. The museum plans to expand the cluster with newer Mac Minis to aim for inclusion on the TOP500 supercomputer list and offers the exhibit as a hands-on educational experience.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/10/a-cray-1-supercomputer-replica-from-30-obsolete-mac-minis/

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Non Vibe-Coded Retro Decompilations

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A list compiled by WumpaGem on Backloggd catalogs numerous retro game decompilations not created using AI-assisted “Vibe-Coded” methods, showcasing projects at various stages from planning to playable states. Notably, decompilations of Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask are playable, while Ocarina of Time remains planned, partly due to the recent Ship of Harkinian AI-coded recompilation; Mario 64 has five separate recompilation projects underway. This resource highlights the ongoing community efforts to reverse-engineer classic games through traditional reverse-engineering techniques rather than AI-generated code.

https://setsideb.com/non-vibe-coded-retro-decompilations/

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