Subj : Day to day uses for retro computers To : Bob Worm From : Darklord Date : Wed Aug 09 2023 00:49:20 On 06 Aug 23 14:13:12 Bob Worm wrote... BW> Re: Day to day uses for retro computers By: Darklord to Bob Worm BW> on Sat Aug 05 2023 20:00:56 BW> BW> Hi, Darklord! BW> BW> That's one solid use for classic hardware. Sadly I don't really trust BW> leaving the Acorn on 24/7... And when I did accidentally leave it on BW> over a weekend once I came back to find it had frozen. Maybe I'd BW> consider doing it as an occasional thing, but that's not really how BW> BBS works. BW> BW> If I'm honest I probably don't have the creative flair to build BW> something different enough to be worth visiting! BW> BW> I went through a real demos phase in the late 90s / early 2000s. BW> Sadly it was just downloading and watching them rather than attending BW> any of the conventions or coding anything myself. Some of the stuff BW> that is coming out now on C64 is incredible, I can hardly imagine how BW> 10 year old me would have reacted if I'd seen them way back then. BW> BW> I admire your dedication reading entire books on that screen :) BW> BW> I never had an ST - my slightly richer friend had an STFM which I BW> always found interesting, at that point I think I was busy with my BW> Sega Megadrive and probably wishing my dad would get a mouse for his BW> 286 PC. The first computer I ever remember us having was an Atari BW> 800XL - it still makes me very sad that it got thrown away, these BW> days I could probably get it working again :( BW> BW> Thanks! BW> To which Darklord replies... I know it's tough - the thought of leaving these vintage machines on "24/7" just boggles the mind at first. However, in line with that age old argument about whether it will last longer left turned on or off, I am going to have to fall on the side of leaving it on. At least I will because of my experience with my Atari Mega ST4. It's been a real trouper. Built in 1987 and running my BBS 24/7 since the early 1990's, it's been a champion workhorse and then some. Creative flair, hmm. Honestly, that's probably not a phrase anyone would use to describe me. DarkForce! started out as text (ASCII) only. Over time, I learned more and more, adding VT52 and ANSIs screens. I'd have to say I grew into it and have really enjoyed being a SysOp. The point is, a little hard work will go a long ways in this hobby. The things people are doing with the retro computers these days is nothing short of amazing. I agree with you totally, in the 80's or 90's I would have been blown away by the things we are seeing now. The STacy's LCD screen is a native 640x400 and while mono, it's a soft off-blue background that's easy on the eyes. It's not bad for what I use it for. There have been recent developments (have you seen the RGB2HDMI project), which has me planning on turning it into a color screen though. You should acquire another 800XL or ST. They're really fun machines to play with! :) /\ Dark>