retrocomputing
retrocomputing: /ret'-roh-k*m-pyoo'ting/ n. Refers to
emulations of way-behind-the-state-of-the-art hardware or software,
or implementations of never-was-state-of-the-art; esp. if such
implementations are elaborate practical jokes and/or parodies,
written mostly for hack value, of more `serious' designs. Perhaps
the most widely distributed retrocomputing utility was the `pnch(6)'
or `bcd(6)' program on V7 and other early Unix versions, which would
accept up to 80 characters of text argument and display the
corresponding pattern in punched card code. Other well-known
retrocomputing hacks have included the programming language
INTERCAL, a JCL-emulating shell for Unix, the
card-punch-emulating editor named 029, and various elaborate PDP-11
hardware emulators and RT-11 OS emulators written just to keep an
old, sourceless Zork binary running.
A tasty selection of retrocomputing programs are made available at
the Retrocomputing Museum, `http://www.ccil.org/retro'.
![[prev]](../gif/left.gif){kind=small}
![[up]](../gif/up.gif){kind=small}
![[next]](../gif/right.gif){kind=small}