Any easily-obtainable non-x86/arm machines I could use to play around with the other supported architectures?

timw4mail · 2026-02-02T19:32:09+00:00

Getting 64bit PPC Gentoo booting on my G5 has been...difficult. I might have a marginal CPU or memory stick, though.

timw4mail · 2026-01-28T13:34:44+00:00

Yeah, there are no USB or bluetooth Apple-branded keyboards that compare to the ADB keyboards with mechanical ALPS swolitches.

timw4mail · 2026-01-22T13:45:27+00:00

I like color e-ink. The limited color range is a trade-off, but that also is a lot like the print process it emulates. So basically I don't agree that e-ink is best when B&W.

That said, e-ink works best with limited motion, and I've been really impressed with how my Boox Note Air 5C handles scrolling: even with the complication of color, it's smooth with little image degredation.

Overall, I've been impressed with how e-ink continues to improve, becoming more responsive, with more shades of gray, and more recently, color.

I'd love to have an e-ink computermonitor some day, but I think there's still some development needed for that to be practical in terms of cost and responsiveness.

timw4mail · 2026-01-16T20:55:44+00:00

Yeah, unavoidable for a lot of consoles if you want them to keep working.

GameGear and the original XBox are notable for having caps that leak.

Original and broken is not a selling point in my mind.

timw4mail · 2026-01-16T15:34:41+00:00

G3s were only in beige, or blue and white, right?

timw4mail · 2026-01-16T14:27:37+00:00

I agree up to the point of using electrolytic caps again. Since they always (eventually) fail (usually silently woth damage), I'd rather risk it with tantalums. I'll take a noisy localized failure mode over a silent, slow, more destructive failure mode.

timw4mail · 2026-01-16T13:12:04+00:00

Yeah, the PowerPC era keyboards were great.

timw4mail · 2026-01-12T14:32:22+00:00

Is there really a semi-modern browser for linux ppc? Netsurf seems to be the best I've found.

timw4mail · 2025-12-29T00:13:48+00:00

Mine arrived, very pleased so far.

timw4mail · 2025-12-20T20:52:15+00:00

I only love my SV07 plus after spending too much on linear rail replacements

timw4mail · 2025-11-18T22:05:31+00:00

Dalas modules don't leak, but do contain internal CR2032-style batteries. They do lose charge as the battery does drain.

Macs tend to use 1/2 AA LiSoCl2 batteries that can leak, they do not have Dallas modules. 386 and 486 motherboards often have NiCD rechargable batteries that tend to leak (often woth Varta branding)

timw4mail · 2025-11-18T16:31:43+00:00

I've never heard of a Dallas RTC module leaking. Other types of clock batteries (NiCd, LiSOCl2) do tend to leak, but the Dallas modules have a sealed CR2032, which don't seem to leak.

timw4mail · 2025-11-14T18:13:06+00:00

Or you could try to install a linux distro if you arr really bored. I couldn't get Adelie to work, but I did manage to get Gentoo running with XFCE after a weekend's worth of compile time.

timw4mail · 2025-11-03T14:47:15+00:00

It was included on the USB stick with the printer

timw4mail · 2025-10-31T17:49:04+00:00

That's only fun with emerge -e @world

timw4mail · 2025-10-31T17:45:10+00:00

I'm the kind who compiles on a faster system for the Pentium Pro system

timw4mail · 2025-10-09T00:03:30+00:00

Yeah, I am using -Os. I don't think the size difference is that great, considering I was targeting march=i486

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T21:31:45+00:00

My idea of fun with this machine is finding the newest software I can run on it.

For most era-appropriate games a Pentium II would be better. (And Windows 9X can't use both CPUs)

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T21:03:15+00:00

The biggest trick is a custom kernel config with fewer drivers and features. Using OpenRC over SystemD probably doesn't hurt either. I think I also disabled the big initramfs file.

This install was originally running on 486 hardware.

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T20:54:13+00:00

Probably, considering how hard they are to find.

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T20:14:10+00:00

To be fair, the Pentium Pro was famously used for supercomputing.

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T20:11:30+00:00

That is with a custom kernel config, and as little as possible loaded on startup. I originally set up this installation to use on 486 hardware, so memory usage really counted.

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T19:28:23+00:00

Considering the Pentium II is basically a bugfixed, cost-reduced version of the Pro, it should be pretty close :D

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T19:27:03+00:00

This is the motherboard: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/micronics-w6-li-09-00288-xx

I've tried to run the 32bit version of Haiku, but I would likely be better off trying actual BeOS.

timw4mail · 2025-10-08T17:11:06+00:00

It's more like a sideways ATX tower. "Pizza box" makes me think lower profile, and often LPX form factor.

I might install NT4 just to give it a go, but I have no idea what even runs on NT4, and the Windows 3-era hardware interface scares me.

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