The May 2026 Obsolescence Guaranteed newsletter highlights significant progress in recreating historical computing environments, most notably through the Arpanet Reconstruction project which now features a functional 35-node simulated network. Major software and hardware updates have arrived for the PiDP series, including new operating systems like Stanford's WAITS for the PiDP-10 and Unix v4 for the PiDP-11. The community continues to expand with enhanced peripheral support for the PiDP-1, new interactive museum concepts, and a growing library of "paleogaming" classics.
* Arpanet Reconstruction: A simulated 35-node network is now online, allowing users to experience the original topology via MIT and Stanford systems.
* PiDP-10 Update: The addition of Stanford's WAITS operating system brings 600MB of historical data and software for exploration.
* PiDP-1 Advancements: New community mods have introduced magnetic drum storage, light pen support, and a wide array of peripheral options.
* PiDP-11 Milestones: Unix v4 has been successfully recovered and is now bootable on the PiDP-11 platform.
* Enigma Touch: A new cased version featuring high-quality woodworking and historically accurate leather straps and metal clips is available.
* Arpanet Reconstruction: A simulated 35-node network is now online, allowing users to experience the original topology via MIT and Stanford systems.
* PiDP-10 Update: The addition of Stanford's WAITS operating system brings 600MB of historical data and software for exploration.
* PiDP-1 Advancements: New community mods have introduced magnetic drum storage, light pen support, and a wide array of peripheral options.
* PiDP-11 Milestones: Unix v4 has been successfully recovered and is now bootable on the PiDP-11 platform.
* Enigma Touch: A new cased version featuring high-quality woodworking and historically accurate leather straps and metal clips is available.
>"Ajitem S. writes about how a conversation on a plane in 1953 set in motion the stack that eventually processes tens of thousands of flight bookings per second"
A resource guide for TOPS-20AN, providing essential information and links for researchers or enthusiasts interested in this historical operating system. The page outlines effective search terms, recommended hunting grounds like bitsavers.org, and specific instructions for running various versions of TOPS-20 on KS10 or KL10 hardware.
Main topics include:
- Recommended search queries (tops20an, netwrk.mac, etc.)
- Documentation and information sources
- Links to historical code and installation/distribution tapes
Main topics include:
- Recommended search queries (tops20an, netwrk.mac, etc.)
- Documentation and information sources
- Links to historical code and installation/distribution tapes
Infocom, the legendary studio behind text adventures like Zork, faced financial decline following a failed attempt to diversify into business software with their 1985 database program, Cornerstone. While intended to leverage their virtual machine technology, the software was notoriously slow and struggled against IBM-compatible systems. Now, thanks to new work by developer TaradinoC, an interpreter called Linchpin allows this obscure piece of software to run on modern PCs.
This article explores the question of whether we've reached a point of diminishing returns in computing power. It notes historical mispredictions about computer demand and highlights the rapid increase in processing capabilities, comparing modern smartphones to 1980s supercomputers. The author discusses how software engineers will always utilize available resources and questions if the continued pursuit of ever-increasing compute power is truly beneficial. It suggests that for many personal projects, existing hardware is more than sufficient, and that the "enough" threshold is highly dependent on individual needs and tasks.
This project is an attempt to recreate MACLISP in 1980.
It is based on a small C Lisp interpreter and aims to provide a
MACLISP-like experience.
Installation
Compile and install using:
sudo make install
This will create an executable named lisp in /usr/local/bin. Usage
Start the interpreter by running:
maclisp
Exit the interpreter by typing:
(quit)
Notes
This is not a full MACLISP implementation, but a simplified
version that captures the feel of the original.
Dynamic scoping is used.
Core functions like QUOTE, ATOM, EQ, CONS, CAR, CDR, and COND are
implemented.
It is based on a small C Lisp interpreter and aims to provide a
MACLISP-like experience.
Installation
Compile and install using:
sudo make install
This will create an executable named lisp in /usr/local/bin. Usage
Start the interpreter by running:
maclisp
Exit the interpreter by typing:
(quit)
Notes
This is not a full MACLISP implementation, but a simplified
version that captures the feel of the original.
Dynamic scoping is used.
Core functions like QUOTE, ATOM, EQ, CONS, CAR, CDR, and COND are
implemented.
Michael Wessel has released the PicoRAM Ultimate Rev. 2, a memory and storage emulator for vintage computing systems, increasing RAM emulation to 4kB. It supports various systems like the 6502, MC6400, Micro-Professor, and Heathkit, offering SD card storage and ROM emulation.
This report details the progress of the Medley Interlisp Project in 2025, including work on the core system, community outreach, and future plans for preserving and reviving the historical Interlisp environment.
This Hackaday article discusses the historical significance of the Atari 800 and 400 computers, released in 1979, and their impact on the early home computer market. It highlights how the Atari 800, with its music synthesizer, bit-mapped graphics, and sprites, compared favorably to competitors like the Apple II, Commodore PET, and TRS-80.
A Landel Mailbug email appliance was repurposed into an AI console using an ESP32 microcontroller, text-to-speech, and the ChatGPT API.
