Retro Computing

Reverend Conehead

Reverend Conehead

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I'm an ultra nerd. I have an old netbook that originally came with Windows 7 Starter. I've turned it into a machine way more retro than that. Here it is running some old DOS programs: WordStar, Norton Change Directory, and ProFinder. ProFinder came with WordStar as a file manager. File names back then were limited to 8 digits, plus an optional 3-digit extension. As a result you were really limited in naming files with good descriptions. Therefore, ProFinder would list the files with an area beside it to describe what it was. I would also like to set up computer as an old-style Macintosh with maybe System 7, 8, or OS 9 and ClarisWorks, but that will have to wait until another day. In the meantime, here are some screenshots of my netbook turned into a retro MS DOS machine.

retro01.jpg
retro02.jpg
retro03.jpg
 
Reverend Conehead said:
I'm an ultra nerd. I have an old netbook that originally came with Windows 7 Starter. I've turned it into a machine way more retro than that. Here it is running some old DOS programs: WordStar, Norton Change Directory, and ProFinder. ProFinder came with WordStar as a file manager. File names back then were limited to 8 digits, plus an optional 3-digit extension. As a result you were really limited in naming files with good descriptions. Therefore, ProFinder would list the files with an area beside it to describe what it was. I would also like to set up computer as an old-style Macintosh with maybe System 7, 8, or OS 9 and ClarisWorks, but that will have to wait until another day. In the meantime, here are some screenshots of my netbook turned into a retro MS DOS machine.

retro01.jpg
retro02.jpg
retro03.jpg
Click to expand...
I still have a copies of DOS 6.0, Windows 98, and Windows XP on disks. There are some obvious limitations running on more modern hardware though.
 
For years I collected computers I owned or worked on when I was growing up (there were a lot) but ultimately found they did little more than take up space in my garage.

I have a lot of fond memories from my younger days of the wonder and excitement every new type of computer brought, but like most things in our lives, I realized it's just not possible (at least for me) to recapture the true feelings and experiences from back then.

As amazing at technology is now, I sometimes miss those days as well as many others from back then.
 
Reality said:
For years I collected computers I owned or worked on when I was growing up (there were a lot) but ultimately found they did little more than take up space in my garage.

I have a lot of fond memories from my younger days of the wonder and excitement every new type of computer brought, but like most things in our lives, I realized it's just not possible (at least for me) to recapture the true feelings and experiences from back then.

As amazing at technology is now, I sometimes miss those days as well as many others from back then.
Click to expand...
Yes, I don't think younger generations know the excitement we had of new computer technology. I remember how much work it was to write something via a typewriter. You would usually write it out by hand and then type it. If you made a mistake, you had to use stuff like corrector fluid. When I got WordStar on a Kaypro 2, things became way, way easier. Today, I still program WordStar's cursor diamond commands into LibreOffice Writer.
 
having to edit your config.sys to toggle on himem.sys
to get programs with a larger memory requirement to run...

good times...

and writing cool autoexec.bat files to convert command line program starts
to touch and go...

living the dream...
 
Reverend Conehead said:
Yes, I don't think younger generations know the excitement we had of new computer technology. I remember how much work it was to write something via a typewriter. You would usually write it out by hand and then type it. If you made a mistake, you had to use stuff like corrector fluid. When I got WordStar on a Kaypro 2, things became way, way easier. Today, I still program WordStar's cursor diamond commands into LibreOffice Writer.
Click to expand...
Idk if I consider myself “young”, im 33. But I spend too much of my free time watching videos on retro computing. I kinda understand the excitement you people had, having new technology is always exciting.
 
cald0d30s0 said:
Idk if I consider myself “young”, im 33. But I spend too much of my free time watching videos on retro computing. I kinda understand the excitement you people had, having new technology is always exciting.
Click to expand...
If you can get your hands on a typewriter, I recommend trying to write something on it. You'll be like, "How the bleep did people stand to do it this way?"
 
Just to be able to use a mouse, run CAD which required extended memory, and use a CD-ROM drive...

That's just one part of it...


config.jpg
 
jsb357 said:
Just to be able to use a mouse, run CAD which required extended memory, and use a CD-ROM drive...

That's just one part of it...


config.jpg
Click to expand...
Let's see ...
  • High memory support driver
  • REM'ed (ignored) fixed extended memory manager (4MB)
  • Extended memory manager with disabled expanded (I think) memory
  • Built-in DOS upper memory management (added in MS-DOS 5.0 I believe)
  • REM'ed (ignored) ram drive (closest thing we had to SSD performance back then)
  • REM'ed (ignored) mouse driver
  • Driver loaded into high memory area (above 640k) .. I forget what IFSHLP was at the moment (file system related?)
  • Smart Drive loader with double buffering enabled to add drive caching (was a game changer as it really helped boost drive performance)
  • ANSI driver loaded for extended screen support for ANSI graphics
  • I'm guessing the SBIDE.SYS driver is a cd-rom driver?
  • Shell command line processor that handles any command line commands you enter
  • Max files open at one time set to 50
  • Drive buffers though I don't remember specifically what 20,0 would do beyond add/increase them
  • Stacks .. I think this was to prevent stack overflows which were common back then by allocating memory
  • The lastdrive setting was to allow access to drive letters up through Z: in this case.
That was from memory .. I miss those days.

My dad used to laugh and preempt me when he would call me for Windows tech support by saying, "Okay, I'm at the command prompt" because he knew that was the first thing I was going to tell him to do back then even though it was Windows.
 
I would like to offer 1 million dollars to someone who can write an easy-to-use program to run old CD games...like Cyberia and Helicops.

Okay fine...make it 10 million! :cool:
 
SteveTheCowboy said:
I would like to offer 1 million dollars to someone who can write an easy-to-use program to run old CD games...like Cyberia and Helicops.

Okay fine...make it 10 million! :cool:
Click to expand...
I owned Cyberia as well :D

I used to try getting several old games to work under Windows many years ago but even in those rare instances where you could get them to run, they usually crashed constantly.

The ones you could get past the loading screen seemed to always ran so far you could hardly control anything outside of point-and-click games.
 
Reality said:
I owned Cyberia as well :D

I used to try getting several old games to work under Windows many years ago but even in those rare instances where you could get them to run, they usually crashed constantly.

The ones you could get past the loading screen seemed to always ran so far you could hardly control anything outside of point-and-click games.
Click to expand...
Do you remember SubSpace? One of my 1st online multiplayer games. Stayed up too late a LOT of nights on that one! When you're 30 you can do that. :)

Man you guys are really taking me back!
 
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