Sylphide Operating System

Sylphide OS is a general-purpose operating system designed for microcontroller-based computers that lack memory management units and cannot run full modern OSes like Linux. Developed with a retrocomputing ethos, it provides a home computer–style environment with standard keyboard, mouse, and VGA or HDMI display support, targeting platforms between development boards and single-board computers. Built atop FreeRTOS, Sylphide OS integrates drivers, a graphical interface, and basic programs, currently supporting multiple hardware targets and an emulator, with plans to add storage, networking, and advanced user interface widgets.

https://projects.freehackers.org/sylphide-os/

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Oldest GUI Application That Still Runs on Windows 11

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A 1993 version of FREECELL.EXE, part of Win32s, runs unmodified and fully functional on Windows 11, making it one of the oldest GUI applications still natively supported. Earlier attempts to run pre-1993 Windows NT programs faced compatibility issues due to outdated executable formats and calling conventions, but a 1992 CDPLAYER.EXE from NT 3.1 build 347 can also run with some setup, such as CD-ROM emulation. While true 16-bit Windows applications from the 1980s require emulation tools like otvdm to run on Windows 11, the presence of native support for early 1990s 32-bit apps highlights Windows’ backward compatibility limits and achievements.

https://blog.enlyth.com/posts/oldest-windows-gui-app-win-11/

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MacOS Extensions Pack for the Apple Network Server V1.0

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The article details the author’s work enabling Mac OS to run on the 1996 Apple Network Server (ANS), a Unix-based system originally shipped only with Apple’s Harpoon AIX. By installing preproduction Mac OS ROMs and developing software extensions—including native video and Ethernet drivers and startup fixes—the author overcomes hardware and firmware limitations to support Mac OS 9.1 on the ANS, preserving its original AIX boot capability. The project also explores the ANS’s PCI device architecture and adapts legacy Mac OS driver models, illustrating a significant effort in vintage computing preservation and software adaptation.

https://oldvcr.blogspot.com/2026/10/macos-extensions-pack-for-apple-network.html?m=1

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Tiny Computers Puts Ten Retro Computers on the iPhone Duo

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Tiny Computers is a $3.99 app launching with the iPhone Duo that transforms the foldable device into ten miniature retro computers, including models inspired by the Macintosh, Commodore 64, IBM PC, and Windows XP. Using the Duo’s dual screens in tabletop mode, the upper display runs the vintage computer while the lower functions as a working keyboard, recreating classic features like command lines, games, and paint programs without ads or in-app purchases. The app also offers simulated versions for standard iPhones and iPads, supporting iOS 27 and later.

https://www.ithinkdiff.com/tiny-computers-iphone-duo-app/

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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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