Classic Computer Emulators

Figure 1: Sometimes the authentic hardware takes up too much damn space!

I love emulators and am in awe of the people who can write them. I've even been involved in beta testing one or two. Emulators give you a vintage machine in your own computer! While it's not quite the same as the real thing, they do have their uses. For example, you might want to:

• Get a nostalgia fix (one of the main uses)
• See what the interface of a classic machine looked like
• Run some classic programs
• Try out software before converting it for your real machine
• Develop software for a classic machine (Easier to do this in an emulator than in a real classic computer)

Some can also be handy in converting software from disk/cassette images to a form where the programs can be loaded into your modern machines. Whatever you want to use them for, they can be a lot of fun and most are free.

My real collection of machines is mirrored with corresponding emulators. I use them mostly for conversion purposes along with the last two reasons cited above. Once a year or so, I scour the web and update all my emulators. Having just undertaken this task I figured the results might be useful to others. Consequently, the emulators I use are listed below. Before you jump into this list and download an emulator for your favourite machine though, note these caveats:

• These are for Windows XP and above. They may or may not work on earlier platforms.
• They are not the only ones out there. They are just the ones I use.
• Some are still supported and some are not.
• Some come with ROMS and some do not. ROMS are not difficult to find on the Internet though.
• By the time you read this it will already be out of date. Make sure you get the latest version from the websites listed.

Here they are...

Tez
16th May, 2020