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First post, by chris2021

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Here's one, an Atari 1040st.

Go -

Reply 2 of 18, by Errius

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If you owned one back in the day, and want to relive that experience, go ahead. Otherwise, just run an emulator on a PC. (I've always used Steem.)

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 3 of 18, by chris2021

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Ok but in essence you're using an Atari. You're running some game or other software.

What's a pc? Does it have an 8088/8086? An 80286. .. 386 ... 486 ... pentium blah blah. Even if pc's pertained to this converdation, why? Does an old puter offer anything a new computer doesn't?

Reply 4 of 18, by Tetrium

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chris2021 wrote on 2022-05-08, 03:17:

Does an old puter offer anything a new computer doesn't?

Yes.

Whats missing in your collections?
My retro rigs (old topic)
Interesting Vogons threads (links to Vogonswiki)
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Reply 5 of 18, by imi

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chris2021 wrote on 2022-05-08, 03:17:

What's a pc? Does it have an 8088/8086? An 80286. .. 386 ... 486 ... pentium blah blah. Even if pc's pertained to this converdation, why? Does an old puter offer anything a new computer doesn't?

PC in retro terms usually means IBM PC compatible, so yes that means 8088 or x86 compatible CPU and architecture.

a new computer can't run old software out of the box, and you also definitely don't get the same experience.

Reply 6 of 18, by Cuttoon

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A recent x86 Computer still has many things in common with an original IBM PC, but for countless reasons, it will not run many older games.
Typical thing with DOS games: They want a sound card on an ISA bus.

Even if an emulator would realize the mere software function perfectly, there's still a reason to get an old PC: It's probably less hassle than the emulator.
But, that may not apply to proprietary home computers like the Atari. For mere compatibility, you may be better off with an emulator.

Apart from that, Atari is just a nice piece of computing history and for an ok price, probably a safe investment.
(Please don't ask me what an ok price would be. Make sure to pick up any Amiga you find on the curb.)

I like jumpers.

Reply 7 of 18, by chris2021

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This is not tne rrason I posted, but I've been contemplating selling off my ST gear. Too much stuff, too little money. There's always the emulator scene. Whereas I enjoy old crap still, I don't want to be.dominated by it. I really want to build a computer that's sort of a swiss army knife, based on the 680x0 anyway. One of these centuries.

Reply 8 of 18, by Errius

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I'm currently nursing an injured foot because last night, on my way to the bathroom in the dark, I kicked a PC/XT case on the floor. There's a reason not to own a vintage computer.

Is this too much voodoo?

Reply 10 of 18, by imi

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chris2021 wrote on 2022-05-08, 22:48:

but I've been contemplating selling off my ST gear. Too much stuff, too little money.

well nobody can really tell you what to do, this is after all a decision you have to make for yourself, there's nothing wrong with sticking to emulation, if you'd rather have the money for something else.

just don't do anything you'll regret later ^^

Reply 12 of 18, by Namrok

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Nostalgia is powerful, and sometimes only the real thing will give you what you need. Plus the experience of computing has changed significantly over the years, and not always for the better. I wasn't around for it, but I can definitely sympathize with people who have a fondness for how much direct access you had to the hardware on 8-bit machines, and who just enjoy noodling around in code that way.

As for my own preferences for DOS/Win98 on a CRT, well, that's just the only way things look and feel right. I tried to play the games I wanted to play using emulators, VMs, compatibility layers, community patches, etc for years and years and years. At a certain point, I just had to be honest with myself that I wasn't getting the experience I wanted. For many of the solutions the controls felt a little too floaty or sloppy. For others the 4K LCD display kind of ruined the graphics that were designed for a CRT's better contrast and "natural" AA. I strongly suspect the response time on PS/2 inputs and a CRT monitor is noticeably better than whatever you get from a USB input and LCD display. I'm not good enough at games to say I'd be better at them on a CRT. But I swear I can feel a difference.

I guess for me it's really driven by the software. Specifically gaming. You know, back when games were games, and not slot machines dressed up as games we used to love, peddled through Games as a Service. And once I start playing them, I can't resist the desire to play them as they were meant to be played, no compromises.

Win95/DOS 7.1 - P233 MMX (@2.5 x 100 FSB), Diamond Viper V330 AGP, SB16 CT2800
Win98 - K6-2+ 500, GF2 MX, SB AWE 64 CT4500, SBLive CT4780
Win98 - Pentium III 1000, GF2 GTS, SBLive CT4760
WinXP - Athlon 64 3200+, GF 7800 GS, Audigy 2 ZS

Reply 13 of 18, by Jo22

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I had an Atari ST, as had a friend of our family.
The odd thing is.. It's very PC-ish. It can read 3, 5" PC DOS floppies; it's OS, the TOS, is based on CP/M 68k, it also has GEM graphical environment (like PC had)..
And then there's the semi-professional monochrome monitor with 72Hz refresh in 640x400.
Musicians used it for their shows, to run Cubase etc.
There's even a decent PC emulator, PC Ditto.
It exists both as a pure software-emulator and a software+808x board.

Edit: I recommend trying out TOSBox. It's like DOSBox. Just for a 486 era PC running DOS.

"Time, it seems, doesn't flow. For some it's fast, for some it's slow.
In what to one race is no time at all, another race can rise and fall..." - The Minstrel

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Reply 14 of 18, by chris2021

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There's also at least 2 Mac emulators. Hardware based that is. The Atari has much more to offer in terms of functionality, so reverting to a Mac is just that, a downgrade. It's still cool though.

Reply 15 of 18, by FioGermi

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Case: You want something to tinker with/a project or are curious in how it actually felt to use -insert vintage computer here-. If you just wanna play games and give zero thought about the hardware, probably just stick to emulation or sourceports. Not everyone will notice or care about the slight inaccuracies with things like FM sound or whatever.

I like having things to to tinker with personally. That is why i invested in real hardware.

Reply 16 of 18, by chris2021

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Lately, and forever really I've been fascinated with the prospect of whipping up replacement fpga renditions of unobtainium ic's. It all started with an article I read in Circuit Cellar Ink, where the author readily produced a raplacement for a chip in his HP 41cv calculator. I believe we even had a brief email exchange. Of little use to most gamers, but the NEC upd7220 graphics controller would be an interesting project.

Reply 17 of 18, by gerry

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FioGermi wrote on 2022-05-09, 22:50:

Case: You want something to tinker with/a project or are curious in how it actually felt to use -insert vintage computer here-.

that's it really, combined with a mix of

- cannot throw something away if it still works
- recreate something you had or wanted when younger
- try out things you would not have tried out on your one working machine back n the day
- dedicate machines to specific 'roles'
and more

If you just wanna play games and give zero thought about the hardware, probably just stick to emulation or sourceports. Not everyone will notice or care about the slight inaccuracies with things like FM sound or whatever.

mostly in my case I notice and don't really care - in the sense that I know it's a bit different but the game is the same essential experience, sometimes better because things have been fixed or altered so as to work more easily.

Reply 18 of 18, by SpectriaForce

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chris2021 wrote on 2022-05-08, 01:21:

Here's one, an Atari 1040st.

Go -

The 1040ST has a distinctive look, it was used by many music composers, it is one of the first affordable personal computers with a GUI and color screen, it's the first computer for home market with 1MB of RAM, large library of classic games available etc.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-05-08, 03:17:

Does an old puter offer anything a new computer doesn't?

Yes, but you don't need it like you need water and food.