Last night, I successfully installed #Debian using a decades-old #DEC #vt510 #serial #terminal. And then, of course, set it up for daily use. My blog post at https://changelog.complete.org/archives/10886-installing-and-using-debian-using-my-decades-old-genuine-dec-vt510-serial-terminal explains how.

#PhotoJanuary2025

Jour 30 : Vintage

Vieux terminal informatique à écran cathodique #VT510 de chez #DigitalEquipment

⌨️📺 The DEC VT510 is a model from the final series of Digital's "classic" terminals. It supports displaying 53 lines and speeds up to 115200 bit/s.

#computermuseum #computerhistory #slovenia #ljubljana #softwareheritage #digitalheritage #nostalgia #nostalgie #nostalgi #retrocomputing #VT510 #vintagecomputer #vintagecomputing

@dpflug @ajroach42 @beto Here are photos of my #vt510 in action.

1) The login prompt to the Raspberry Pi it's connected to.

2) Reading debian-devel in #mu4e in #Emacs.

3) Browsing this thread in toot.

4) The #DEC #vt510 was their first terminal to accept a PC keyboard with a PS/2 port. Here I have an IBM clicky keyboard hooked up, because I never liked the DEC layout. Also on the vt510, I can remap keys, so ctrl is where it is supposed to be - left of A.

@kelbot I find it's a whole different mindset doing things on my #DEC #vt510. I think more carefully about what I type (due to slow display speed). I don't multitask as much (even with GNU screen). In some ways, I get more done because it's focus mode.

Cool retro term probably isn't exactly the same there, but maybe it's enough of a different sort of feel to trigger some similar differences?

Pictures from "another happy customer" of the #RunCPM #Pico version, but here serial connected to a #DEC #VT510 #terminal ;)

https://github.com/guidol70/RunCPM_RPi_Pico/issues/3

#ThrowbackThursday, I had fun putting together the #PiDP11 kit and playing some #ColossalCaveAdventure. I would like to hook up my #VT510. Not period correct, it's what I have on hand. For now it sits behind my desk with its beautiful #BlinkenLights.

https://obsolescence.wixsite.com/obsolescence/pidp-11

3/

Introducing Fast, Ordered Unixy #Queues over #NNCP and #Syncthing with #Filespooler: https://floss.social/@jgoerzen/108387639329271399

"#Modem World" and modern communities that span interests: https://floss.social/@jgoerzen/108546787833118936

Why do I feel drawn to work from my #DEC #vt510 #terminal? Does it have advantages over my 27" LCD GUI? https://floss.social/@jgoerzen/108898543787831520

Growing up through the #PC and #Internet revolution in #rural America: https://floss.social/@jgoerzen/108909211718813036

@jgoerzen

@jgoerzen 7/ So here I sit at my #vt510, using all those programs, without distractions. It is more direct, this way. My screen to yours. No alerts popping up, tabs cluttering my screen, windows with other stuff to the side. Just one terminal, to which I give my full attention, which I sometimes have to wait on. And that's OK, because sometimes being slow and focused is better than being productive. /end #eveningthoughts

@jgoerzen

@jgoerzen 4/ At university, I and many, many of my CS classmates used terminals or X terms to access a pair of Sun servers. Timesharing! The collective power of those servers, of course, is far less than that of the Raspberry Pi my #vt510 is connected to now.

Every so often I feel drawn to my #DEC #vt510 terminal. Tonight I've spent an hour or so reading email and browsing the web (yes, with #eww) on it. Despite, or perhaps /because/, its limitations, something about it seems familiar and comfortable.

And I'm writing this toot using the #cli program called #toot, from my amber 80x25 screen on a vt510 that's nearly 30 years old. toot reminds me of IRC in a way, and I think that's a good thing.

@ajroach42 This thread stirs up so many "yes!" thoughts in me, where to start?

I make a habit of periodically working from a #VT510. A realy VT510, says "digital" on the front and everything. It is connected to a Raspberry Pi on a cart, and from there I ssh to my "real" workstation (though the newer Pi4s are getting to be nearly capable enough of that on their own.) One of the biggest hurdles I face is UTF-8, but it is fantastic focus mode and a bit of a stop back in time.

@wizzwizz4 @ajroach42 I think you're right. I would LOVE to be able to use my #UltimateHackingKeyboard on my #VT510 but I have yet to find any manner of device that will take a keyboard without any PS/2 signaling and let it run on a PS/2 port.

@claudiom I spend a part of many days working from a #DEC #vt510 #terminal. Focus mode is fantastic, and since I do email and programming in Emacs anyway, it's capable of real work.

As long as you've got telnet or ssh, you're good to go! In this case, I have the VT510 hooked up to a #RaspberryPi Model 4, on a cart that I can wheel around to wherever I may want to work that day.

@elb I have an #ultimatehackingkeyboard and am quite happy with it. Never used a chord for Esc, and was somewhat surprised that #DEC vt* keyboards didn't have the key!

I use a IBM model M #keyboard on my #vt510 (which is a rare DEC terminal that accepts PC keyboards) and enjoy that experience, and the Esc key does work on it!

Tried an ortholinear #keyboardio but it was too hard to go back and forth between it and a regular laptop keyboard for me.

@Swimming I seem to be the only one that has no idea what you were up to before, so maybe someone can clue me in. But, #CRT ? What kind? I seem to have started a collection of #DEC #serial #terminals - I've got a #vt510, some #vt420 units, and a #Wyse even.