Retro Computers
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retrocomps.bsky.social
Retro Computers
@retrocomps.bsky.social
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Semi-automated posting of old computers and videogames. Sometimes other bits of retro aesthetics and design. ~6-8 posts a day, ~24 posts on holidays.

⚠Outbound links tagged and monitored by Bluesky.
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retrocomps.bsky.social
Recursion (Source.)
Under the read heading "Recursion," A ballpoint pen drawing of a girl holding a mirror in front of her and behind her. We see the front of her head and the back of her head stretching into infinity. Artist's signature is "C. Lewis", but no credit is given in the booklet itself.
February 10, 2026 at 12:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Well, this is a curious artifact - this image was used to explain what a digital computer was to people who were used to human computers. (Source.)
Up top, the title "BASIC COMPUTER ELEMENTS: comparision between manual composition..." The top half illustrates manual composition: a whistling man carries loose paper marked 'incoming problem' to a desk, and leaves it at a 'Notebook'; the operator, with a 'Desk Calculating Machine' to his left, works with pen and paper; the man leaves, printed folios of answers in hand. Below a horizontal rule, page bottom, the title continues: "...and Whirlwind I Computation." An arrow pointing in states "problems to be done," leading to a box labeled Input Devices; Input Devices points to a broad system bus line. Next is Storage, which reads from and writes to the system bus. Next is Control; control reads from the system bus, and writes to all boxes in this diagram. Next is Arithmetic Element; it reads from and writes to the system bus. Last is Output Devices; it reads from the system bus and writes out "Results in Desired Form."
February 9, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
The Linux WatchPad
A 1998-style watch; you can tell it's from 1998 by the bevelling and the asymmetrical controls. The tiny 12x14 character screen shows a few commands have been entered AND the output, although it's not clear where the keyboard was plugged in.
February 9, 2026 at 12:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
"Robots might soon have to save humans from having to deal with society's oldest and newest crises: warfare and hazardous waste..."
From the July 1991 issue of Compute. The art by Mark McCandlish takes up the bulk of the two page spread; in it, a fighter jet has crashed, robotic firefighters are putting out the plane, and a robotic firefighter (with a style evoking the airbrush robot aesthetic of the 1970s) is carrying a human to safety.
February 9, 2026 at 6:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
♪ The song I sing will tell the tale of a cold and wintry day; / when evil fled, and brave men bled, the Dark One came to stay... ♫
A Commodore 64 screenshot. Underneath the gothic font header of "The Bard's Tale by Michael Cranford", a bard plays a lute and sits on a barrel, drink at his side; customers lean in to listen. Below are the lyrics above: "The song I sing will tell the tale of a cold and wintry day;"
February 9, 2026 at 12:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
The IBM JX was the last gasp of the IBM PCjr.
A three-piece desktop computer. Up top is a black CRT, with a single red power button. The pizzabox style case features two 3.25" drives, a recessed red power switch, and an unlabeled future expansion port. The front of the case seems to slide off entirely, which would allow the top to hinge up and off, like their competitor Apple. The keyboard, itself, is black in the familiar IBM layout, with one addition: a raised ridge, where a student might rest a pencil.
February 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
The INSULT that made a MAN out of "Mac"
An ad for Sourcegear source control that is inspired by the old Charles Atlas Method ads from comic books. The comic depicts a weakling using the competitor's product, dealing with a corrupted database, suddenly having an easy time thanks to the Sourcegear Vault. The picture of Charles Atlas is replaced with Sourcegear CEO Eric Sink ("Officially declared Not A Legend!") The ad for Sea Monkeys is now an ad for Code Monkeys, and the ad for X-Ray Specs is now an ad that lets you "Figure out who checked in that busted code in seconds with Sourcegear Fortress!"
February 8, 2026 at 12:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Hey! Someone tell @spinny that something in Skybot broke:
Something broke when attempting to embed!
February 8, 2026 at 6:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
A demonstration of the miniaturization possible with modern technology, the various cabinets of the UNIVAC I demonstrated that it was possible to fit an entire aisle's worth of racks a computer like the Whirlwind I into a single cabinet. (Source.)
An isometric diagram of a computer room. Along the left wall, four Magentic Tape Units, and one Sort Collate Unit. In the far corner, two general storage drum cabinets, showing magnetic tape. Along the right wall, one General Storage Control Cabinet, one Arithmetic Cabinet, two Program Control Cabinets. In the near corner, one 90-column card control cabinet. Along the near wall, a 90-column card processor. In the very center, an operat's desk, labeled Console System.
February 8, 2026 at 12:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Man, 80s computer books made even non-relational databases look fun. (Source.)
The cover to the book, "Writing Your Own Program: Creating A Database: Adventure Game." Each line is in its own font. The computer (a black affair with rainbow keys" depicts a scuba diver swimming, handcuffs in hand, as it is attacked by a giant cross octopus; the painted octopus is literally bursting out of the monitor. A tiny little banner in the corner states: "For Commodore 64 And Apple IIe Computers"
February 7, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
SPARKS OF GENIUS (Source.)
A red ad, showing five games. The title is "Sparks of Genius." Game 1 is NARC ("Your mission is to seek out and destroy the king pin of the MR BIG Corporation); screenshots show a beat-em-up and a guy on a walkie-talkie. Game 2 is Robocop 2 ("Seven levels of muscle-straining, reflex-testing, sideways scrolling fury!); screenshots show a sidescrolling stage and robocop firing up. Game 3 is Total Recall ("As Doug Quaid you travel to Mars to discover your true identity..."); a poster and images of a platforming section and an elevator section appear. Game 4 is Chase HQ 2 ("Special Criminal Investigation - continuing where Chase HQ left off..."); screens show a racing game in a foggy cityscape in skyscrapers, and a helicopter chase in a dirtier city at nighttime. Game 5 is Pang ("No time for balloonin' around!"); screenshots show a UK palace and a mountain range, both of which have a tiny guy in a safari hat shooting up at bubbles. At bottom, the OCEAN logo.
February 7, 2026 at 12:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
OPERATION: SABOTAGE (Source.)
An airbrushed cover by William Geise from the August 1982 issue of SoftSide Magazine. Over a very magenta background, a metallic robot faces the viewer; the robot has a very thin black eyeslit (with tiny burning LED eyes), antennae ears, a very 80s jacket collar, and a black cowling of a neck. The face of it is chrome. In the refection on the robot's face, we see a feline woman, with long curly red hair wearing a slit black dress with gold trim and holding a laser pistol, has taken another robot hostage and blindfolded it; around the corner in the refection, two robot police officers stand at the ready. In the reflection of the reflection (man, William Geise was cooking with these airbushes), the robot sees himself; dressed in yellow, the robot was obviously off guard, with his hands down at his sides..
February 7, 2026 at 6:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Hi-Res Adventure #2: The Wizard and the Princess (C64, 1982)
A small, six-building town, of blue buildings with red roofs, stretching along a road into the horizon. The lines of the roofs don't line up with the buildings. The border is grey. On the horizons, one sees cactuses. Below in the text area, it reads "YOU ARE IN THE VILLAGE OF SERENIA. AROUND YOU IS A DESERT. COMMAND?_"
February 7, 2026 at 12:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Hey! Someone tell @spinny that something in Skybot broke:
Something broke when attempting to embed!
February 6, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Computers in Congress (Source.)
Up top, a drawing of a poster a politician, eyes covered by PCBs and mouth filled with a keyboard, posted on a brick wall, behind a trash can. Beneath, the title: "Computers in Congress" The article follows.
February 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
"With Peter Pan, EA*Kids is doing something absolutely new..."
An ad from the October 1993 issue of Compute magazine. In the center, Captain Hook has a indian woman tied to a post, but is terrified in turn of a dolphin the anthropomorphic handbrush and hand of a childlike god. Peter Pan, stage left, looks on in surprise. Stage right, the tiny font describes a game that will let "boys and girls age 5-9 become the hands of the animator," describing a paint-driven choose-your-own-adventure game. The logo for "EA*Kids" at the bottom evokes the squiggly aesthetic of Fido Dido style mascots that were popular in the early 90s "benign disaffected" marketing schemes.
February 6, 2026 at 6:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
COMPUTER GRPAHICS
In this William Geise illustrated ad, the title "Computer Graphics" appears up top, being cast from a giant Apple II monitor on an iceburg; the casts are a gradiant from purple to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple again, hewing towards neon tones. From the tan Amdek monitor flies a red biplane, a parachuting penguin, and a leaping unicorn; dolphins jump from the ice into the monitor. Around the iceberg, a sea otter peeks up, a penguin tap-dances, and a whale tale lifts a unicorn on a floe. The monitor is sitting on a giant Apple II. Down below, breathless text describes three different programming packages: "For the artist: Special Effects by David Lubar and Mark Pelezarski. Paint on your computer in over 100 colors with 96 different brushes!" "For the designer: The Complete Graphics System II by Mark Pelezarski. Everythign needed for computer-aided design." "For the programmer: The Graphics Magician by Mark Pelezarski, David Lubar, and Chris Joehumson. Add fast, smooth animation and hundreds of pictures to your programs." In the bottom left, the penguin software logo appears next to ordering information, with a sunfish floating to its left; at the very bottom it says, "All Penguin applications products are now on unprotected disks for your convenience."
February 6, 2026 at 12:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
WORD PROCESSING HAS NEVER BEEN SIMPLER
Above, the headline "Word Processing Has Never Been Simpler." Below, a picture of a young girl dutifully typing at her computer, while her proud parents watch, set before a monochrome CRT. Below, bullet points of features ("Document chaining allows you to print documents of unlimited length", "Highlighting of text", "Upper and lowercase without additional hardware"), below the Bank Street Writer logo. The slogan: "The First Word Processor For The Entire Family." The logo of Broderbund Software, three abstract crowns, appears at page bottom.
February 5, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
BUILD IT YOURSELF in a few hours!
An ad from a 1957 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. Up top, the title: "New! A machine that COMPOSES MUSIC!" To the top left, an image of the "Geniac Electric Brain," a masonite board with a set of six ceramic dials in which electronic components may be mounted; these dials are turned for input and the connections underneath serve as the analog "timer" of sorts; the side has a series of four lights, the machine's output. To the top right, an image of a tune created by the Geniac. Below, dense type promotes the machine ("Yes, you can build any one of 33 electric brain machines!" "Over 400 components and parts!" "Your cost for GENIAC kit: Only $19.95 postpaid" (roughly $200 today). A sidebar lists institutions that have purchased GENIACs (including IBM, Bell, and Westinghouse); at the bottom is an ordering sheet for the Oliver Garfield Co., plus options to show interest in various other scientific fields.
February 5, 2026 at 12:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
"As the leading West Coast exhibition devoted to PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS of Artificial Intelligence, AI '88 provides a forum where vendors and users can meet to discuss specific needs, exchange ideas, and get down to serious buying and selling..." (Source.)
An ad for AI West (May 4-6 1998), in black and red. Up top, the beveled logo, with the red call to action: "Plan Now To Attend" Below, the full name: "The Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computer Technology Conference and Exhibition" A full page red heading declares, "The ONLY West Coast Conference/Exhibition on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE in 1988!" Smaller headings in the dense text emphasize The Conference ("Emphasis will be on COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS..." "32 Technical Sessions and 12 Tutorials are planned"), The Exhibitions ("Leading suppliers will be displaying their latest equipment..."), Who Should Attend ("Corporate Executives, Computer Systems Designers, Office Automation Specialists..."), Organized By (Tower Conference Management, DM Data, Applied Artificial Inteligence, Society for Computer Simulation, PC AI, Spang-Robinson Report). Bottom center is a clip-out coupon asking for information about attending or exhibiting (complete with line for Telex number), and bottom right is a red wireframe human head.
February 5, 2026 at 6:05 AM
retrocomps.bsky.social
TENGEN: ARCADE HITS THAT HIT HOME (Source.)
A magazine ad from the March 1990 issue of Compute! Magazine. The center reads "IF ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, YOU'D BE DEAF BY NOW. At Tengen, we take only the best hits from the arcade and make them available for play on your comptuer. We let the incredible action in our games do all the talking. Besides, with the roar of excitement in our ears, you can't hear our words anyways. TENGEN: Arcade Hits That Hit Home." Surrounding the ad copy are (bottom left clockwise to bottom right) Rolling Thunder, a platformer whose cover art features a man shooting offscreen while cradling an injured woman; Blasteroids, a shootemup whose cover art features two spaceships narrowly avoiding hitting each other while firing at a meteorite storm; Vindicators, a top-down tank combat game whose cover art features a giant tank firing a massive energy weapon; Xybots, a first-person cover shooter maze featuring a giant robot hunting a tiny human on its cover art; and All Points Bulletin, a top-down cop racing game whoses cover features a police car with lights blazing driving through a wall of Wanted posters.
February 5, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Retro Computers
acm.org
HBD, Ken Thompson! Thompson received the 1983 #ACMTuringAward with Dennis Ritchie, for their development of generic operating systems theory and specifically for the implementation of the #UNIX operating system. Thompson explains creating UNIX: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E2c...
February 4, 2026 at 9:00 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Unfortunately, the internet being used to push weird pills of dubious effectiveness is nothing new. (Source.)
The majority of the ad is yellow text against a green background: "Time is against you. Gravity is against you. Genetics are against you. But, hey, have a great day." Below it reads: "Log on to enutrition.com and discover 288 Weigh tmanagement products, 1934 natural remedies, plus thousands of other health and nutrition supplements. All delivered directly to your door. Enter the following location code during step 2 of the checkout process and save $5 on your order. 1FPGD" The bottom right has the logo and slogan, with the logo made to look like a search bar: "Enutrition.com: your source for healthy living."
February 4, 2026 at 6:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Decimal registers, decimal assembly language, graphite-rubber memory... the CARDIAC was a different kind of computer in more than one way.
The Cardiac - "CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation", a blue cardboard computer resembling a calculator wheel. Device left is the output strip. In the left half is the 'accumulator', which is altered by three cardboard strips; a flowchart gives instructions on how to interpret the 'command' at any given step. On the right half is the memory, which is able to be written to by the human operator's pencil; to the left of each slot is a space for the operator to put a 'bug' which acts as the instruction pointer
February 4, 2026 at 12:05 PM
retrocomps.bsky.social
Pass the word!
Recalling Norman Rockwell's "The Gossips," a slew of computer users share a disc made by a user, each user sharing it with someone else until it ends up in a new machine, beginning the story anew. Artist: Mike Hagel, RUN Magazine Mar/Apr 1991
February 4, 2026 at 6:05 AM