Subj : Re: Pixel x86 retro PCs
To   : Nightfox
From : tenser
Date : Wed Jan 08 2025 02:14:28

On 06 Jan 2025 at 05:24p, Nightfox pondered and said...
 
 Ni> Today I heard about these Pixel x86 retro PCs that are for sale - They
 Ni> use a modern industrial x86-compatible CPU with custom boards in a case,
 Ni> which provide a real hardware x86 solution to run retro programs (such
 Ni> as games):
 Ni> 
 Ni> https://pixelx86.com

This is kind of cool, but I really do wonder why there aren't
more just-barely-more-than-embedded platforms that people are
building simple BBSes and stuff for.  If you go back to the
original CBBS, it was basically a purpose-built embedded system;
but no one builds anything like that anymore.  I wonder why
not?

Seems we've got all sorts of cool, funky stuff we can do now.
I guess I sort of understand the appeal of running games or
whatever, but other than that, x86 is kind of boring.  On the
other hand, a Cortex-M with an MPU can do some pretty cool
stuff (of course, it'd be even better with an MMU, or at least
some kind of base/bound segment type thing, but MPU is better
than nothing).

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

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