retrocomputing
/ret'-roh-k*m-pyoo'ting/ Refers to emulations of way-behind-the-state-of-the-art
hardware or software, or implementations of never-was-state-of-the-art;
especially 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.
[Jargon File]
Nearby terms:
rete « RETI « Retrieve « retrocomputing »
retronym » return from interrupt » return from the
dead
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