retro computers

A developer has launched Thoreau BASIC, a programming language project posing a counterfactual question: what if BASIC had never fallen out of fashion? The project, shared on Hacker News, has drawn modest engagement from programmers nostalgic for the language that taught generations to code, with discussion centered on its design and retro-computing appeal.

Hackaday reports that the on-screen display chip inside inexpensive composite monitors can be fully controlled by the user. The write-up explains how hobbyists can take ownership of the OSD chip, typically locked to the monitor's firmware, opening the door to custom overlays, text display, and repurposing of these cheap screens for embedded projects and retro computing setups.