{
  "attachments": [],
  "title": "Random thoughts for 2014 Nov 25",
  "tags": [
    "daybook",
    "thoughts",
    "livinginthefuture",
    "retro",
    "bbs",
    "synchronet"
  ],
  "year": "2014",
  "month": "11",
  "day": "25",
  "isDir": false,
  "slug": "random",
  "type": "entry",
  "date": "2014-11-25T19:00:00.000Z",
  "postName": "2014-11-25-random",
  "html": "<p>TL;DR: Living in the future with spreadsheets and DOS games.</p>\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>Hello world. I've not gotten any better at keeping these posts going.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>A reminder that we're living in the future: </p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>A <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/\">powerful spreadsheet package</a> is available online, free to use.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>It offers the ability to fill in cells with live data queried from\nservices all over the world.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>This is serious gee-whiz stuff. I seem to remember first getting fired\nup by the potential after reading <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Internet-Groupware-Jon-Udell/dp/1565925378\">Practical Internet Groupware by Jon\nUdell</a>, circa 1999.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>Oh, and I mainly use it to <a href=\"https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/2013/06/22/importing-price-data-into-spreadsheets/\">plan business activities in a video\ngame</a>.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Speaking of living in the future: <a href=\"http://bbs.decafbad.com\">bbs.decafbad.com</a> lives again! </p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><a href=\"http://bbs.decafbad.com\"><img src=\"/uploads/2014/decafbad-bbs.png\" style=\"width:66%\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a></p>\n</li>\n<li><p>In a spasm of nostalgia-ception, I set up <a href=\"http://synchro.net\">Synchronet</a> with a handful of\n<a href=\"http://breakintochat.com/wiki/BBS_door\">BBS DOOR games</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>e.g. <a href=\"http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Legend_of_the_Red_Dragon\">LORD</a>, <a href=\"http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Barren_Realms_Elite\">BRE</a>, <a href=\"http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Solar_Realms_Elite\">SRE</a>, <a href=\"http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Usurper\">Usurper</a>, and a few others.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>The last time I did this was <a href=\"http://www.decafbad.com/blog/2002/02/15/ooooai/\">back in 2002</a>, on a\nlittle 70mhz PC rescued from a dumpster.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Holy crap over 12 years ago</em>. So, there are like 2 layers of nostalgia\ngoing on here.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>This time around, I first tried installing Synchronet on my\n<a href=\"http://blog.lmorchard.com/2013/02/10/building-my-couch-computing-station/\">couch gaming PC</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The BBS itself works. But, alas, Windows 8 has\nlargely left the old DOS games behind. Also, and having this stuff\ngoing on this PC is annoying.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>My second attempt was to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/lmorchard/status/535478319148703744\">try running Windows 98 in QEMU</a> on my\nhobby Linux VM.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/lmorchard/status/535485189196369920\">It was hilarious.</a> But, it chewed up 100% CPU\nwhile running. After I slapped it with <a href=\"http://cpulimit.sourceforge.net/\">cpulimit</a>, it performed\nabout as well as that 2002 trash computer.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><p>My third attempt saw me <a href=\"http://wiki.synchro.net/install:nix\">building the Linux port of Synchronet</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>This involves wrestling with <a href=\"http://wiki.synchro.net/howto:dosemu\">DOSEmu</a> to run the old-school games.\nThere are a few hitches, but the games are far more playable than I\nexpected.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>I expect this Linux-based install to be a lot easier to keep running,\nsince it doesn't depend on hardware in my own house and I can mostly\nforget about it.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<!-- vim: set wrap wm=5 syntax=mkd textwidth=78: -->\n",
  "body": "TL;DR: Living in the future with spreadsheets and DOS games.\n\n<!--more-->\n\n* Hello world. I've not gotten any better at keeping these posts going.\n\n* A reminder that we're living in the future: \n\n  * A [powerful spreadsheet package][docs] is available online, free to use.\n  \n  * It offers the ability to fill in cells with live data queried from\n    services all over the world.\n\n    * This is serious gee-whiz stuff. I seem to remember first getting fired\n      up by the potential after reading [Practical Internet Groupware by Jon\n      Udell][group], circa 1999.\n\n  * Oh, and I mainly use it to [plan business activities in a video\n    game][evesheet].\n\n[docs]: https://docs.google.com/\n[group]: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Internet-Groupware-Jon-Udell/dp/1565925378\n[evesheet]: https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/2013/06/22/importing-price-data-into-spreadsheets/\n\n* Speaking of living in the future: [bbs.decafbad.com][] lives again! \n\n  * [<img src=\"/uploads/2014/decafbad-bbs.png\" style=\"width:66%\">][bbs.decafbad.com]\n\n  * In a spasm of nostalgia-ception, I set up [Synchronet][] with a handful of\n    [BBS DOOR games][door].\n\n    * e.g. [LORD][], [BRE][], [SRE][], [Usurper][], and a few others.\n\n  * The last time I did this was [back in 2002][lastbbs], on a\n    little 70mhz PC rescued from a dumpster.\n\n    * *Holy crap over 12 years ago*. So, there are like 2 layers of nostalgia\n      going on here.\n\n  * This time around, I first tried installing Synchronet on my\n    [couch gaming PC][couchpc].\n\n    * The BBS itself works. But, alas, Windows 8 has\n      largely left the old DOS games behind. Also, and having this stuff\n      going on this PC is annoying.\n\n  * My second attempt was to [try running Windows 98 in QEMU][win98] on my\n    hobby Linux VM.\n    \n    * [It was hilarious.][winfunny] But, it chewed up 100% CPU\n      while running. After I slapped it with [cpulimit][], it performed\n      about as well as that 2002 trash computer.\n\n  * My third attempt saw me [building the Linux port of Synchronet][sbbsport].\n  \n    * This involves wrestling with [DOSEmu][] to run the old-school games.\n      There are a few hitches, but the games are far more playable than I\n      expected.\n\n    * I expect this Linux-based install to be a lot easier to keep running,\n      since it doesn't depend on hardware in my own house and I can mostly\n      forget about it.\n    \n[couchpc]: http://blog.lmorchard.com/2013/02/10/building-my-couch-computing-station/\n[cpulimit]: http://cpulimit.sourceforge.net/\n[dosemu]: http://wiki.synchro.net/howto:dosemu\n[sbbsport]: http://wiki.synchro.net/install:nix\n[lastbbs]: http://www.decafbad.com/blog/2002/02/15/ooooai/\n[synchronet]: http://synchro.net\n[bbs.decafbad.com]: http://bbs.decafbad.com\n[door]: http://breakintochat.com/wiki/BBS_door\n[lord]: http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Legend_of_the_Red_Dragon\n[bre]: http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Barren_Realms_Elite\n[sre]: http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Solar_Realms_Elite\n[usurper]: http://breakintochat.com/wiki/Usurper\n[win98]: https://twitter.com/lmorchard/status/535478319148703744\n[winfunny]: https://twitter.com/lmorchard/status/535485189196369920\n\n<!-- vim: set wrap wm=5 syntax=mkd textwidth=78: -->\n",
  "parentPath": "./content/posts/archives/2014",
  "path": "2014/11/25/random",
  "thumbnail": "/uploads/2014/decafbad-bbs.png",
  "summary": "TL;DR: Living in the future with spreadsheets and DOS games.",
  "needsBuild": true,
  "prevPostPath": "2014/10/27/thoughts",
  "prevPostTitle": "Random thoughts for 2014 Oct 27",
  "nextPostPath": "2015/02/09/parsec-patrol-resumes",
  "nextPostTitle": "Parsec Patrol Diaries: Construction Time Again"
}