Thoughts on retro computers? Why don't you own one?
>>100121550Same reason I don't own an ox and plough
I like that case but nothing else is appealing
>>100121550I have a job
>>100121550I own a small pile of them but can't afford a house to set them up in so they're sitting in a storage unit.
>>100121582>Doesn't practice permaculture Ngmi
>>100121550>37lbs scratched up case smelling like piss and shit, rusty and moldy on the inside>48lbs crt screen sucking 98W and slowly destroying your eyes >ahh yes, SOUL, the perfect setup
>>100121630oh no, wagebaby has no free time and wants us to know!
>>100121550My penis still works
>>100121550I have a c64 but get this, it's not very useful and trivial to emulate
>>100121738>>48lbs crt screen sucking 98W and slowly destroying your eyes>CRT blowing up randomly in your face sending huge shards of glass into your face>quickly type in "SOVLFVL" and post it on /g/ before passing out from blood loss
As interesting as they are, they belong in either a museum or a recycling plant. That piss of shit probably gets dumpstered on by the average smart phone.
I own several, of a couple different eras. Depends on what you consider retro. I was born in 1996 so anything I saw as a young kid I consider pretty retro these days, so I’ve got a lot more stuff from the early 2000’s than I do anything older.But two key ones, an SGI Indy and a Commodore C64cThey’re not really useful, but they’re fun in the same way anything old is. Sometimes there’s more to the media than just the media. Playing unreal tournament 99 on pc, in 4k in openGL, that’s a great way to play UT99But UT99 on the fuckin Dreamcast? In 640x480, with the Dreamcast rubber dome keyboard and ball mouse? That’s a really fun way to play UT99 just as well, for reasons beyond just the media.
>>100121550>Why don't you own one?take a guess
>>100121550I probably have a dozen retro computers but don't have the space to set them all up.>feels bad
>>100121550>Why don't you own one?Because I can emulate everything in 86Box
>>100122433>allowing plebbit to dictate your lifecongrats, you're the same as a plebbitor.
>>100121550I have a Commodore 64. Seems to be in excellent condition, though I haven't turned it on yet since I only have the original power supply, and I've heard the old ones can go bad and short out the PCB. Don't know how much I really want to get into it since I don't have that much I'd want to do with it, and I don't really like how the keyboard feels (though the caps are sexy as fuck). If I was to have anything 'retro', I'd rather have one of those old NEC/PC-98 machines or maybe just some niche ergo keyboard I can rig up to use on my modern machine.
>>100122171no CRT anywhere, has ever exploded
I have just the base unit of one of these (but any other old kb/vga monitor works) but theres no working hard drive sadly cuz it uses a weird standard called esdi. Still though , can boot a floppy and swap to play some wheel of fortune.
>>100121550>Why don't you own one?Novelty of retro computers runs out, but not old crts.
I have several laptops, the newest is a 2006 MacBook. Also a dell Inspiron with Pentium 4 that can run win98 and a Compaq armada with Pentium 3 that is supposed to run win98 and can barely run xp.I rarely use them, if I want to run old software, it's better to use vm or emulation. I can still do that with a crt if I want. With a desktop, even a modern PC can play win98 and dos games fairly authentically if you use the right software and PCI cards. 7900gs is $20 and gives you hardware accel in win98.
Love old technology, but I'm not a boomer that feels the need to hoard and collect. I can look at images and videos of it anytime I want.
>>100121550My collection>Apple IIe>Apple IIgs>Macintosh 128k>Macintosh Plus>PowerMac 7600>iMac G3>Generic Pentium 200 PC>Generic Athlon XP PCI'm looking to get an Amiga next but they seem to go for a lot of money these days.
>>100122984>the need to hoard and collectNowadays nobody does this although they look like they doThey just want to make a quick buck on ebayWhenever you see here shitpiles of crt models shilled for weeks, 100% thats an american with a dozen crt in his basement decommisioned from a local business trying to sell on ebay as "premium vintage"
>>100123166I own an Amiga A4000 almost exclusively for furry street cred and it cost more than my car.But it got me laid, once.
>>100122950>That lack of feeling when your childhood computers are showing up in retro threads
>>100121550I own 90s thinkpads afraid to get into retro pcs as the space they take up is substantial
>>100122180>dumpstered on by the average smart phone.They SHOULD but the average smart phone actually can't do what a lot of this ancient crap can: Just fucking run the software I have locally without sucking up all the I/O/memory/CPU with adware, forcing reboots/oomkills/updates while I'm in the middle of things, and just letting me run a fucking self hosting compiler.We were promised smartphones that would dumpster these and we never fucking got them. Smartphones have been the absolute most disappointing thing to happen to technology since Windows Vista.
>>100123199Ebay actually has decent prices these days. Facebook marketplace somehow became an even bigger scam despite being all local. I routinely see worthless shit being listed for overinflated prices there. Ebay is pretty much the only place left where you can still find good deals on things sometimes.
>>100121550Why would I bother when I have:My old CRT monitorDOSBoxPCEm86BoxNeko Project 21/WArchive.org
I've accumulated a large collection of old machines, have a significant number of Apple computers, almost all of the TRS series, an Atari, ZX-80, even a Xerox 820-II. All in storage. I am building a station where I can bring a machine up and set up for use but I'm questioning why I still have all of these machines.
>>100123382One of the later 68k era machines would make a stylish offline computer (for word processing, focused hacking etc.)
>>100121550Because I actually dealt with their shittiness when they were new/relevant.
Because there's nothing objectively better about retro computing when it comes to things computers are used for, like document creation, media consumption, gaming, or internet access. Retro computing a novelty hobby that is about as engaging as jigsaw puzzles.
>>100121582>Same reason I don't own an ox and ploughBut the Amish are the only group pro-creating at higher than replacement rates in the USSA though...
my "retro' box is a dell POS half baked emulator box.DOS box would have its place but you know getting that disk to turn is gonna get tough, having the mentality to to use 5.25" floppys and screw type serial connections, underwater stereo speakers, blinding CRT, ticking modem and HDD, I don't miss it
>>100121550stop glorying a past you didn't live in, kid.
I do. Been trying to get Windows 98 to work on it, but it won't boot from the install disk I burned.Pentium MMX 166MHz with 48 MB RAM and an 8 GB hard drive, should run old games pretty well.
>>100121630So buy one
>>100121550I do own one. I play Lode Runner The Legend Returns on it.
>>100121550Power efficiency.CRT looks nice but that's all to it
>>100121550I love these old huge cases. They're really hard to find in good shape but they're so cool
if i had more space i would have a few retro machines. for now, watching at a distance and using emulators is fine. i went to a VCF show once, it was pretty good.
>>100121646>but can't afford a house/thread basically. Can't really have anything of sorts when there's no place to put it. I was even thinking of ditching my tower PC at some point, as it's pain in the ass to haul the setup when I have to move. t. rentie & wagie
>>100122404I hate myself for getting rid of my small SGI collection. Indy, Indigo2 Purple, two Octanes and two O2s.I doubt even R12k Octane could manage today's script hellhole internet browsing, it was already relatively slow 12 years ago.But of course, material things can and will become an issue at some point in your life so that's that.
>>100122171>CRT blowing up randomlyCRTs have a vacuum you fucking retard. Did you get the wound between your legs checked? Smells like shit, piss and pus, you should go to a doctor.
>>100125052Windows 98 shipped with a floppy bootdisk, didn't it? I don't recall if the CD itself was bootable or not
>>100121550How long these things can continue operating? I suppose the main failures are linked to crt an drives mechanical parts but it's still overwhelmingly longer than obsolescence What are the oldest ones you have?
>>100127420I think that's about as far as I got before getting sidetracked, I made a floppy boot disk with another PC but the old PC couldn't even read it. Now I need to figure out if it's the floppy disk, the drives, or the PCs that are having issues, which gives me whatever the opposite feeling of nostalgia is.
>>100122180> Disregards the entire point of retro computing. > ut muh smart phones are fasterWhy are you people like this? Are you allergic to learning things?
>>100127685>NOOO NOT ME HECKIN OLD COMPUTERINO!!!!Fuck off. I already said to put it in a museum you fucking artifact.
>>100126823they are mostly AT and thus cannot be used by modern computer
>>100127420Yeah there was a diskette version and a CD version.
>>100127564I am not him but I do have a computer from 1995 which is full workingI am only using it for MSDOS.. so games onlyCould do the same with emulators really
>>100127564More so capacitors and power circuits than drives. I've just recapped a lot of old boards and they work awesome afterwards.
>>100127714>>100127420windows 98 original release has to be booted from a floppy to start an installthe method of booting from CD ROM was invented by windows 98 second edition
>>100127700Why are you shitting up this thread? pissoff if you don't like old things ya toxic zoomer.>>100127703Yes they can. Just modify the case for sleeper pc builds.
>>100127739>NOOOO MY HECKIN OL COMPUTERINO!!!I do like them, I just don't worship them retro culter.
>>100127739Preddit newfags are retarded and can only think in the 2-possibility format of nujak memes when it comes to other people, please understand.
>>100127584>which gives me whatever the opposite feeling of nostalgia isHaha, are you new to the retro computing hobby? You're doing it man. This is it, you're right in the thick of the action. Especially on the PC side you're going to spend a whole bunch of time troubleshooting due to the amount of different hardware that was made for it. Older systems like the C64 are a lot more "turn it on and go" as you had just a single hardware configuration throughout most of their lifepan. But the thing is, you're still going to spend a bunch of time trying to load software on them, as both the formats and the devices that read/write them are so old that you either have to work your way backwards and ensure they're in good condition, or take the cheater's route and buy some expensive homebrew retroomer piece of kit that lets you write and load things easily.
>>100121550Give me a single reason I shouldn't just emulate an old system if I want to mess about with it
>>100128291You're missing out on the whirrs, the clicks, and the clacks
>>100127739>Just modify the case for sleeper pc builds.AT means you have to drill a big hole into case so that motherboards connectors are revealed through the holesAT has only one hole and its for DIN sized keyboard connector, you need to start removing metal right next to DIN hole to make room for motherboard connectors
>>100127703Some are ATX too, it's just hard to find one that is in good cosmetic shape and it's the type you want. You know the rule, you'll find the opposite one you want.
>>100128365yeah I know a few are in ATX but most of the real archaic looking ones sadly arent
>>100121550I have an old Compaq suitcase style portable computer that I keep on top of a bookcase as a display piece, last I checked maybe 5 years ago it still boots and works.
Id love to get a proper NEC PC98 setup for playing retro touhou games the authentic way but shipping is such a big gamble as they have to come from JP/SK
>>100121550>Thoughts on retro computers?mental illness>Why don't you own one?im not a transgender
I really want one but I can't have radiation in the house with a pregnant wife
>>100121550>why don't you have useless garbage in your houseI like it clean and tidy.
>>100121550Because they are useless in the modern times
>>100121550I'm not going to buy one because I know it will just sit and gather dust
>>100129610this
>>100126960>thinks about tranny surgeries out of the bluethe toilet mind of a 4chan NPC
>>100123236I'm not trying to discourage anyone from enjoying their own computers. More for you guys. More like you can enjoy old software without having to get an old computer, if you want to. It can even be a good experience.
>>100121550>Why don't you own one?I own multi, but none of them still works. If one of them did, it wouldn't be retro, it would be my daily driver.
>>100121550Many of those full tower cases are quite ridiculous, they don't have any more drive bays than mini towers, just empty space that has no practical use whatsoever. If you want to have some fancy SCSI chain full of drives, you'd have to build the brackets for the drives yourself.
>>100121550I have an iMac g3 and a Dell d600 laptop. Anything else I use 86Box and DosBox.I like old computers, and if I had a huge finished basement or something I might have a collection set up, but i cant justify that amount of space is all.
>>100121550takes up lots of space for niche purpose, i lived through those times and didnt enjoy them, i kept around token pieces of tech for decades waiting for it to be useful, not to mention circuit boards that old are physically falling apart. novelty does not interest me, though i do run across this stuff at estates and used to try to sell it. No one would buy a system 36 for $50. completely breaching systems and returning them to oobe after viruses and hardware failures is the only entertainment value these ship anchors have
>>100121550What's the use case for a computer from the 80s? (hardmode: no bibio games)
They're cool.>Why don't you own one?I don't have a lot of space in my apartment. And really, I'm not sure what I would do with one. After the novelty wore off, I'm sure it would just collect dust.
>>100121550I own multiple.2x Pentium 3 computers1x Pentium 2 computers2x Pentium 4 computers1x Athlon 500 MHzI don't have anything from the AT era though.
>>100131849I just use mine for playing old games occasionally. Things that don't run perfectly on emulation, or that my computer can't emulate properly anyway.My iMac is mostly used by my kids to play old edutainment games.
i dont have anywhere to store themi only have one old computer from a factory that was about to be thrown out, one of those dell prebuiltsi could format it and use it for something but i want to see what it contains out of curiosity
>>100131820A surprising amount of those machines end up being used as word processors. A lot of people who write as a hobby prefer to use devices which are distraction free.Think like, the Freewrite and its intended market. But instead of poser hipsters it’s people who actually write and are rally dedicated to their choice of hardware.Sometimes it’s people who would just use old brother word processors, sometimes it’s whole vintage systems.A friend of mine exclusively writes on a Commodore 64, because it’s what his dad had in the basement and it’s what he always wrote on, so he writes best on it. And as such has an entire c64 era setup and dot matrix printer for the purpose of casual writing.
>>100121550>Why don't you own oneBut I do. Many, in fact.
>>100123199>Nowadays nobody does this although they look like they doMaybe you don't, but I do. I love my computers and would never part with them (except the modern ones, hate those ones). And I fucking hate the scalpers who's greed makes my hobby prohibitively expensive.
>>100123212>But it got me laid, once.How?
>>100121550I managed to steal a very old Windows 95 computer that my uncle had and I would use it to entertain myself. Made a little bit of music and played through the entirety of Mother 1 with it. Good times.
>>100123659>having the mentality to to use 5.25" floppys and screw type serial connections, underwater stereo speakers, blinding CRT, ticking modem and HDDI like all of these things
>>100125052Your motherboard might not support CD booting. Use an MS-DOS boot disk then install from there.
>>100132402This. Another reason besides lack of distractions is that modern laptop keyboards are absolute aids. Thinshit and minimalism completely ruined keyboard design.
>>100131820It would be fun to program on.
>>100128577I like it.
>>100133084He said he made a boot disk but it wouldn't read. Might be the drive. Wonder if 86Box can read from a really drive. Could maybe install 98 via that then move the drive over to the actual PC.
>>100127584Try swapping using a different diskette (you should have plenty). If that doesn't work try a different drive. If that doesn't work take out the HDD and install DOS on it using another PC, then use it to boot the Windows install disc.
>>100133318I wouldn't install windows on a separate computer. It would fuck up the drivers and registry. Should install DOS instead, then install Windows through DOS once its back in the original PC.
>>1001277151995 isn't so old, i suppose we could find 80's ones >>100127725I forgot about the crappy chemical capacitors as a failure cause, these components are cheap and good ones last long
