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diff --git a/content/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019.md b/content/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..98b9f28 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019.md @@ -0,0 +1,111 @@ ++++ +title = "Retro Computing - Vintage Computer Festival Zürich 2019" +categories = [ "Retro Computing", "Vintage Computer Festival", "VCF" ] +date = "2019-12-08T09:37:22+01:00" +thumbnail = "/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019.jpg" ++++ + +## Intro + +My first visit to an exhibition of old computers. It was held on +November 30th and December 1st in Zürich in the "Rote Fabrik". +Given my collection of not-so-old computers I wanted to see a collection +of really old computers. + +## PDP-11 + +The first thing which catched my attention was a PDP-11 emulator with +frontend also simulating a Tektronix 4010 graphical terminal. It's +running on a Raspberry-PI fully emulating a PDP-11 running BSD 2.11. +I was aware of old Unix V6 or V7 versions running on emulators, but +a BSD 2.11 with a TCP/IP-stack is so much nicer. + +The following is a real desktop PDP-11 with some emulators for things +like tapes and external devices: + +{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019-PDP-11.jpg" alt="PDP-11" >}} + +## Apple ][ + +I brought some old floppies and was astonished they were booting the +oldest Apple machines without any problems. Even the chess program +worked (one of my earliest encounters with a computer was playing +chess in the computer room back at my high school on an Apple \]\[). + +{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019-Apple-2.jpg" alt="Apple \]\[" >}} + +I was also able to run a "games disk" with a menu system I once typed +in from a book during my holidays back in school (yes, floppies where +too expensive back then and you learned BASIC as a bonus while typing). + +Obviously too excited this still worked I didn't take any photos of it, +so here is a placeholer, the original book with the program listings: + +{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019-apple-games-book.jpg" alt="Apple Game Book" >}} + +## old PCS + +While everybody else at the exhibitation was showing off their machines, +the IBM-PC guys were trying to make sure that monitors didn't explode +(one did) and building up a network, so they were constantly busy +doing something on those machines. I was able to run a Flight Simulator 4 +from Microsoft on an EGA-based machine, really nice: + +{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019-FS4.jpg" alt="Fligh Simulator 4" >}} + +## SoftVGA + +Really interesting speech on how to implement a VGA "card" on an Atmel-based +board. This catched my interest because I'm all in for minimalistic +hardware and software on an FPGA. + +## Fluxengine + +This was more out of personal interest, as I still own 100nds of Apple \]\[, +CP/M and PC-disks reaching back into the mid-80ies. My oldest two machines +(an IMC-2001 Taiwanese Apple/CPM-clone and the Olivetti M290) are not working +anymore and I can hardly find a floppy connector on the already old machines +I own. + +Fluxenine reads floppy images via a 5V FPGA on a stick, one side is an +old floppy connector, the oder side a normal USB connection. + +I brought some old floppies I could donate (in form of an image) for +future analysis. + +## What else + +SGI, a Next, IBM/360 on an FPGA, Amiga, Commodore, tons of Apple/Macintosh, +ZX Spectrum, ... + +## What not + +I personally missed some CP/M-based machines (not counting the electronic +type writer running CP/M and running games from a small tape drive, which +was interesting to see). Closest (from the outer appearance) came the +following IBM portable: + +{{< figure src="/images/blog/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019/retro-computing-vintage-computer-festival-zurich-2019-IBM-5155.jpg" alt="IBM 5155 Portable" >}} + +Also I missed some Atari (like the ST TT series) machines (or maybe +I just didn't see them). + +## Important Lessons Learned + +Talk to everybody! Every single one is an enthusiast and has an interesting +history. If you just walk through the hall and stare at the machines, most +things will not be impressive at all. Also the talks I can recommend. + +## Links + +* general links + * [Vintage Computer Festival Zurich](http://vcfe.ch/doku.php): official Webpage with exhibitors and schedule of speeches held + * [Event Information "Rote Fabrik"](https://rotefabrik.ch/#/events/5084?utm_medium=display&utm_source=kulturzueri.ch&utm_campaign=kulturzueri#/events/5084): + event information + * [Wikipedia entry on vintage Computer Festival](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_Computer_Festival): history and purpose of the event + * [Gallery 2019](https://www.skv-net.ch/mobilegallery/gallery.php?a=456) +* PDP-11/Tektronik: + * [Tek4010](https://github.com/rricharz/Tek4010) + * [BSD 2.11](https://github.com/RetroBSD/2.11BSD) +* [SoftVGA](http://neil.franklin.ch/Projects/SoftVGA/) +* [Fluxengine](http://cowlark.com/fluxengine): the FPGA-based USB-floppy reader |