RetroChallenge Winter Warm-up 2008

[luddite]

Subject: RetroChallenge Winter Warm-up 2008

Retrocomputing enthusiasts the World over are cordially invited to participate

in the 2008 RetroChallenge Winter Warm-up, commencing January 1, 2008.

RetroChallenge is an opportunity for fans of "obsolete" platforms to spend a

month pushing their retrocomputing limits in the company of like-minded geeks.

Participants set their own goal(s) and typically keep the community apprised of

progress via weblogs or on the Retro BBS.

Challenges are as unique as the individual RetroChallenger -- in the past

participants have programmed games; created music and video content; performed

dangerous hardware hacks or simply spent a month trying to get an old computer

to boot.

RetroChallenge is not so much about competing, as it is about sharing. Think of

it as an on-line show-and-tell for RetroGeeks. Because the individual challenges

are self-posed, the RetroChallenge is equally well-suited to hoary old wizards

and tender newbies alike. It's not about winning, but about *doing*.

RetroChallenge is open to *all* retrocomputing platforms. For the sake of

simplicity (and to avoid the usual endless debate), the criteria for what

constitutes a "retro system" is left up to the conscience of the participant.

Although it's very much a matter of perspective, we would hope that nobody's

going to bring their 5-year-old Dell to the games!

The Rules? Well... there really aren't any.

RetroChallenge runs from January 1st, 2008 to January 31st, 2008. Participants

are encouraged to announce their intentions prior to December 31st (but

stragglers, as always, will be accommodated). Other than that, have fun and try

to keep the platform wars to a minimum.

~LD8

Home page: http://retrochallenge.net

Contact : retrochallenge@ld8.org

Retro BBS: http://telnet://lorance.no-ip.org

RC Forum : http://68kmla.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=18

Please feel free to post this announcement to appropriate blogs and forums.

http://retrochallenge.net/2008/winter/RCWW08PR.TXT

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Alright. My challenge to myself...

Go the entire month of January using only computers produced in 1994 or earlier for my own use.

What makes this a challenge? I am an on-site computer technician, and spend all day going from client site to client site, and often need to whip out my notebook computer or iPhone to look things up online. For simplicity's sake (I don't have any other GSM phones anymore,) I will use my iPhone solely for its phone functions. I will use a Newton MessagePad (aka "OMP",) for 'PDA' duties, a PowerBook 540c for mobile computer needs, (I will likely use a Wi-Fi card in it, though,) and Power Mac 7100 as my desktop computer.

I know I have at least one functioning PowerBook 500-series battery, but I might buy two brand new ones just for this challenge, so I can actually use it for more than an hour at a time off wall power. I haven't yet decided if I'll run each computer's original OS (7.1.2 for the Power Mac, 7.1.1 for the PowerBook,) or if I'll put a more modern OS on each (9.1 for the Power Mac, and either 8.1 or an attempt to hack 8.5 or 8.6 onto the PowerBook, since I have one with a PowerPC upgrade.) The more modern OS would allow a reasonably modern web browser to be run, although iCab 2.9.9 can theoretically run on System 7.1. Or maybe I'll compromise and go with 7.6.1.

 

[MultiFinder]

Hummm... I might think about going back to solid Classic for a month... 6500 for my desktop and a 540c for my laptop... I'll definitely think about it, depending on what my school schedule looks like

 

[funkytoad]

I think I would die without the internet. If I can get the internet running on one of my older macs, I would do it

 

[Anonymous Freak]

funky: If your list in your sig is current, then ALL of your old Macs "can get on the internet", and all but the Plusses can run graphical web browsers. (Although web sites look like crap in 1-bit black/white on the Classic II.) The Performa and the LC II can even have internal Ethernet cards.

 

[funkytoad]

funky: If your list in your sig is current, then ALL of your old Macs "can get on the internet", and all but the Plusses can run graphical web browsers. (Although web sites look like crap in 1-bit black/white on the Classic II.) The Performa and the LC II can even have internal Ethernet cards.

True, One plus is dead, the other need an os, and I have no way of making a boot disk. I also have no keyboard or mouse for them. I also have to clue how to set up a network. I would just use dialup. I would like to get my Powerbook online because it has an internal modem.

 

[wgoodf]

I think I would die without the internet. If I can get the internet running on one of my older macs, I would do it

i think as well it sounds as though the endurance is the main thing.

going the month all retro is cool and all, but for some it just is not practical, for them?

projects projects projects!

 

[Franklinstein]

...we would hope that nobody'sgoing to bring their 5-year-old Dell to the games!

How 'bout my 9-year-old Dell?

I'd use that for Windoze... Win '98, yo! It's the oldest peecee I've got with me. Plus, I need to use FireFox or something for Hotmail, as I can't get it to render properly with IE5 or iCab.

For Macs, I've got my 540c running 7.5.5. I'll be spending most of my time with that little bugger, including posting my progress. An added project would be to rebuild 3 batteries so that I can use it for more than five minutes without its duct-taped power adapter. For emergency use (such as eBay bid sniping), I shall use 8.6 on a 233MHz WallStreet.

 

[MacMan]

I used my Quadra 700 for internet during the July RetroChallenge and it did the job fine. I'm not going to go for endurance this time though: I've got a nice little project as well as a good bit of fun lined up! ;-)

 

[The Macster]

True, One plus is dead, the other need an os, and I have no way of making a boot disk. I also have no keyboard or mouse for them. I also have to clue how to set up a network. I would just use dialup. I would like to get my Powerbook online because it has an internal modem.

All you need to be able to make a boot disk is a Mac that can write 800k floppies (you can even use a 1.44 MB floppy with the hole taped over if you have no way of getting any 800k/720k (they are the same) disks, though that shouldn't be used long-term as it's bad for the disk) and one of the boot disks from the web, Apple themselves even have some available.

Getting a Plus online would be hard as it has no built-in ethernet, you'd need one of those SCSI-to-ethernet adapters that seem to be hard to find and expensive if you do find one. You don't need to do much setting up if you use the built-in ethernet on the later models, just select DHCP from the TCP/IP control panel (you'll need Open Transport installed) and off you go!

...we would hope that nobody'sgoing to bring their 5-year-old Dell to the games!

How 'bout my 9-year-old Dell?

I'd use my 9-year-old Mac, but somehow I don't think that would be very popular! Especially given that I would probably enjoy using it more than I do using Vista every day, I really love using OS X.

 

[nahuelmarisi]

While thinking what I can do for my project I had a revelation!

If you are in the southern hemisphere, then it's not the winter warm-up but the summer warm-up! In a way the retrochallenge's name is discriminating everybody on the other hemisphere!

This revelation does not solve my lack of an original entry, mmm, i'll keep thinking about it. Endurance is an easy answer, but not very original

 

[wgoodf]

Getting a Plus online would be hard as it has no built-in ethernet, you'd need one of those SCSI-to-ethernet adapters that seem to be hard to find and expensive if you do find one..

MODEM!

 

[Patrickool93]

lol, I used my iBook's modem the other day, with free dial up and Vonage(free long distance)... Quite a novelty after having virtually no memories of dial-up.

 

[nahuelmarisi]

Getting a Plus online would be hard as it has no built-in ethernet, you'd need one of those SCSI-to-ethernet adapters that seem to be hard to find and expensive if you do find one..

MODEM!

better still: EN/SC adapter!

 

[luddite]

While thinking what I can do for my project I had a revelation!If you are in the southern hemisphere, then it's not the winter warm-up but the summer warm-up! In a way the retrochallenge's name is discriminating everybody on the other hemisphere!

I actually had thought of that, given how many members of the 68KMLA live "down-under", but I reasoned that no one complains about the "Winter Olympics" being discriminatory...

;-)

 

[luddite]

i think as well it sounds as though the endurance is the main thing.going the month all retro is cool and all, but for some it just is not practical, for them?

projects projects projects!

I deliberately tried to play down that aspect of the RC as it's always the most contentious and misunderstood. The reality is that it's not practical for most people.

 

[Cory5412]

This sounds like a great excuse for me to get the Wireless drivers on my ThinkPad 760CD going! (Windows 95)

 

[bluekatt]

going online with a 6320 or a 4400 using ...classic ..brr

or maybe ill install windows 95 or nt 4 on my pb 3 700 and see how that fares

 

[Cory5412]

I am personally in favor of NT4, but I have a long history of doing that. If I've got the additional ram for it by then, I might put OPENSTEP 4.2 or NT4 on that ThinkPad 760cd.