L Break Into Program
@breakintoprogram.co.uk
Blog: http://www.breakintoprogram.co.uk
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/BreakIntoProgram
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/breakintoprogram
Software developer & electronics dabbler. Restoring & programming vintage computers from Acorn Atom to ZX81.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/BreakIntoProgram
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/breakintoprogram
Software developer & electronics dabbler. Restoring & programming vintage computers from Acorn Atom to ZX81.
Ah never mind. I’m not sure if I’m around for the March one. Will need to consult with my social secretary.
February 12, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Ah never mind. I’m not sure if I’m around for the March one. Will need to consult with my social secretary.
Engineer: “How many function keys do you need on the keyboard?”
User: “Yes”
User: “Yes”
February 12, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Engineer: “How many function keys do you need on the keyboard?”
User: “Yes”
User: “Yes”
Yeah, the normal number glyphs are level.
February 11, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Yeah, the normal number glyphs are level.
I use bedstead as my terminal font on my Mac and Linux boxes. It’s fixed width and very readable. Plus it makes me feel all warm and nostalgic.
February 11, 2026 at 11:14 PM
I use bedstead as my terminal font on my Mac and Linux boxes. It’s fixed width and very readable. Plus it makes me feel all warm and nostalgic.
My favourite retro font!
I'm somewhat pleased to release version 3.261 of my teletext-inspired font, Bedstead.
This version brings better rendering on Microsoft Windows, support for more African languages, two new kinds of semi-graphics, and old-style numerals. Because obviously your […]
[Original post on wandering.shop]
This version brings better rendering on Microsoft Windows, support for more African languages, two new kinds of semi-graphics, and old-style numerals. Because obviously your […]
[Original post on wandering.shop]
February 11, 2026 at 9:02 PM
My favourite retro font!
Got soaked walking from the station to work today. But ticked off one of my onboarding tasks. Complaining about the weather to a random colleague in the lift.
a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a desk with the word success on the screen
Alt: a man in a suit and tie is sitting at a desk with the word success on the screen
media.tenor.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:57 AM
Got soaked walking from the station to work today. But ticked off one of my onboarding tasks. Complaining about the weather to a random colleague in the lift.
Ha! They're brilliant.
February 10, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Ha! They're brilliant.
Fair point. And indeed!
February 10, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Fair point. And indeed!
It does kind of go against the grain of owning and upgrading home computers. I imagine there were scenarios where folk could only afford this cheap model initially. Upgrade later? Only with hassle.
February 10, 2026 at 4:45 PM
It does kind of go against the grain of owning and upgrading home computers. I imagine there were scenarios where folk could only afford this cheap model initially. Upgrade later? Only with hassle.
I think I said I wrote BBC BASIC for Next in the video. Heat of the moment. To clarify, I wrapped the open source BBC BASIC for Z80 with all the extras to make it work on the Next. Like graphics, I/O and whatnot. So still a fair amount of work. The excellent core interpreter is by R.T.Russell.
February 10, 2026 at 4:36 PM
I think I said I wrote BBC BASIC for Next in the video. Heat of the moment. To clarify, I wrapped the open source BBC BASIC for Z80 with all the extras to make it work on the Next. Like graphics, I/O and whatnot. So still a fair amount of work. The excellent core interpreter is by R.T.Russell.
At some point I’ll return to this project.
February 10, 2026 at 4:33 PM
At some point I’ll return to this project.
Wow. That is an incredibly petty move. Yes, probably wouldn’t take too much effort to circumvent.
February 10, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Wow. That is an incredibly petty move. Yes, probably wouldn’t take too much effort to circumvent.
Haha! Indeed.
February 10, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Haha! Indeed.
I’ve ummed and arred about it for a while. 16 bit maths in Z80 might be a bit expensive. It kind of works fine with 8 bit model space and 16 bit world space. I kind of like the Elite approach. It’s very 8-bit friendly.
February 10, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I’ve ummed and arred about it for a while. 16 bit maths in Z80 might be a bit expensive. It kind of works fine with 8 bit model space and 16 bit world space. I kind of like the Elite approach. It’s very 8-bit friendly.
Thanks! I’ll be doing some updates to the 3D engine soon to improve performance. I’m only using signed bytes for the model coordinates. Elite uses unsigned bytes with separate sign bits. Might do that at some point to increase the size of model space.
February 10, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Thanks! I’ll be doing some updates to the 3D engine soon to improve performance. I’m only using signed bytes for the model coordinates. Elite uses unsigned bytes with separate sign bits. Might do that at some point to increase the size of model space.
^ Excellent, though I’m sure you knew what I meant. Sigh.
February 10, 2026 at 1:19 PM
^ Excellent, though I’m sure you knew what I meant. Sigh.
Thank you. Credit to @markmoxon.bsky.social for his evening software archeological dig into Elite. I copied the point data for the ships from that.
Mark Moxon's Software Archaeology
Reverse engineering, code disassemblies and a healthy dose of retrocomputing nostalgia
www.bbcelite.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:49 AM
Thank you. Credit to @markmoxon.bsky.social for his evening software archeological dig into Elite. I copied the point data for the ships from that.
Me talking about twenty to the dozen during my segment!! I take after my mum for that. A fab reminder of a great day.
All the cool retro developers that were at @computinghistory.org.uk Retro Computer Festival 2025 event, including me.
@onlyretrofans.com
@matteusbeus.bsky.social
@lockfarm.bsky.social
@kevedwardsretro.bsky.social
@breakintoprogram.co.uk
@loudscotsbloke.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CJ...
@onlyretrofans.com
@matteusbeus.bsky.social
@lockfarm.bsky.social
@kevedwardsretro.bsky.social
@breakintoprogram.co.uk
@loudscotsbloke.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CJ...
Game Developers at Retro Computer Festival 2025
YouTube video by The Centre for Computing History
www.youtube.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Me talking about twenty to the dozen during my segment!! I take after my mum for that. A fab reminder of a great day.
The back of the instruction booklet for the calculator had been stamped by Boots with a purchase date of 26/10/76. It’s 50 years old in October! Original price sticker on the box - £13.95. That’s £95 adjusted for inflation. I paid about £30 for it and the PSU.
February 10, 2026 at 7:49 AM
The back of the instruction booklet for the calculator had been stamped by Boots with a purchase date of 26/10/76. It’s 50 years old in October! Original price sticker on the box - £13.95. That’s £95 adjusted for inflation. I paid about £30 for it and the PSU.
Tried carrying it in a rucksack. Way too heavy. Would have either broke it or me. Took my Sinclair Oxford 300 calculator instead. Interesting chats. Jeff bought along an electric violin which was cool.
February 9, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Tried carrying it in a rucksack. Way too heavy. Would have either broke it or me. Took my Sinclair Oxford 300 calculator instead. Interesting chats. Jeff bought along an electric violin which was cool.
Actual footage.
a black and white photo of a man in overalls standing in front of a building
Alt: a black and white photo of a man in overalls standing in front of a building. The front of the building falls on him but he is positioned conveniently under an open window.
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Actual footage.