retro done right - cool retro term

Retro where computer stuff is concerned is usually not something I'm into. If the whatever-it-is can't serve any useful purpose, be it software or hardware, I just don't see the point.

Every so often, I find something that has all the cool retro nostalgia and can actually be used for real computery things. This is one of them.

The above is this web site using the text-based w3m web browser within Cool Retro Term. This is software that emulates both the look and feel of old CRT monitors.

And oh, is this thing good at what it does. Amber or green screen or whatever color you want, curvature of the tube glass, reflection, ambient lighting, jitter, static from wonky signal, bloom, scanlines, and so on. It is nuts how much this thing can be customized.

Get the look of a DEC terminal? Yes. Apple //? Yes. Commodore 64? Yes. Old CGA? Yes. Old MS-DOS? Yes. It's all there.

The big thing is that, at least in Linux, it's just another Terminal, albeit one with huge art value to it. This means anything done in Terminal can be done in Cool Retro Term. Not only does it look the retro part, it's 100% functional.

The only thing better than this is the real deal article. Given that I have no desire to actually own a DEC terminal, IBM 5151 display, Apple // or the like, Cool Retro Term gets the job done in fine style.

Cool Retro Term is not something I'd use every day, but whenever I want that old style CRT monitor look and still have full terminal functionality, I have it - without the need to switch computers. Nice.

Published 2024 Sep 10