They Don’t Make ’em Like That Any More: Borland Turbo Pascal 7

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Borland Turbo Pascal 7, also known as Turbo Pascal for Windows 1.5, was a groundbreaking development tool that introduced integrated source-level debugging and an object-oriented programming model tailored to Windows, making Windows programming more accessible in the early 1990s. Its efficient, memory-conscious compiler heritage from CP/M allowed fast compilation on limited hardware, and its seamless graphical IDE simplified Windows application development compared to the more cumbersome C tools of the time. Turbo Pascal’s influence waned due to rising competition from C, Microsoft’s growing dominance with its own development tools, and the popularity of Visual BASIC, but it remains a significant piece of computing history for early Windows software development.

https://kevinboone.me/tpwin.html

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How I Talk to Kiro Via Dumb Terminal

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The author demonstrates how to interact with the AI assistant Kiro using an actual teletype, a mechanical dumb terminal device connected via a serial interface through a WiModem232 modem emulator that supports Hayes commands over telnet. By building a minimalist Rust client implementing the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), the author translates Kiro’s JSON-RPC output into simple ASCII suitable for the low-speed teletype, enabling practical communication with modern AI through vintage hardware. The project highlights the enduring relevance of old terminal protocols and provides a Docker-based setup to replicate the experience on various retro systems like IBM PC, Commodore 64, and TRS-80.

https://rup12.net/posts/how-i-talk-to-kiro-via-dumb-terminal/

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10 Games From 1989 That ’80s Kids Still Love

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The year 1989 produced several enduring video games that remain beloved by ’80s kids, including groundbreaking titles like Super Mario Land, which showcased the Game Boy’s portable platforming capabilities, and Mega Man 2, noted for its memorable levels and challenging bosses. Other classics from that year such as Prince of Persia, Final Fight, and SimCity helped define genres with fluid gameplay, rich storytelling, and innovative mechanics, while games like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure offered faithful adaptations of popular media through point-and-click adventures.

https://www.cbr.com/best-video-games-1989/

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The Commodore 64 Is Back, and You Can Buy One Right Now

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The Commodore 64C Ultimate, a modern recreation of the iconic 1986 slimline Commodore 64C, is now available for purchase, featuring FPGA-based hardware for near-perfect compatibility with original software and peripherals. This updated version includes HDMI and USB support, a USB mouse, full GEOS software suite, and ships with a USB Cassette containing over 100 games and demos, blending vintage computing authenticity with contemporary convenience. Available in three editions, the release celebrates the Commodore 64’s 40th anniversary and aims to engage both nostalgic fans and new users interested in classic computing and programming.

https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2026/10/27/the-commodore-64-is-back-and-you-can-buy-one-right-now/

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16colo.rs – ANSI/ASCII Archive

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Sixteen Colors is an online archive dedicated to preserving ANSI and ASCII artpacks, a digital art form that flourished in the early 1990s with dial-up Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). It collects and showcases monthly artpack releases from various artist groups, maintaining the legacy of this textmode console art despite the decline of BBS usage after the rise of the Internet. The site also offers community features like forums, chat, and collaborative drawing servers to support ongoing creation and appreciation of ANSI/ASCII art.

https://16colo.rs/

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Infinite Mac: BeOS

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The Infinite Mac project now enables users to run multiple PowerPC versions of BeOS directly in the browser, allowing instant boot, use of pre-installed software, access to Internet Archive CD-ROMs, and saving work on virtual drives. Achieving this involved enhancing the DingusPPC emulator to fix various hardware emulation bugs exposed by BeOS’s differing implementation from classic Mac OS, making it likely the only emulator capable of running PowerPC BeOS versions. This addition enriches the Infinite Mac museum by presenting an influential alternative OS from the 1990s Macintosh ecosystem and complements ongoing efforts to preserve the history and software of classic Mac platforms.

https://blog.persistent.info/2026/10/infinite-mac-beos.html

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EMACS Turns 50

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EMACS, the influential text editor developed at MIT’s AI Lab in 1976, revolutionized programming by allowing full-screen editing and extensive customization through macros, greatly improving usability over earlier line editors. Originating from the TECO editor and evolving through collaborative efforts at MIT, EMACS played a key role in fostering the software-sharing community that led to the free software movement and projects like GNU Emacs, which became integral to Unix, Linux, and early Mac OS X systems. Over its 50-year history, EMACS has remained a cornerstone of programming culture and software development despite changes in operating system support.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/20/1145399/emacs-turns-50/

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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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