New Zealand Vintage Computer Forums

Registrations have opened up once again for the RetroChallenge 2012 Summer Challenge (in Winter). Running over the month of July, the Challenge is a loose-knit bunch of people who do many and varied things with a retro computing theme. It doesn't much matter what you do, as long as you do something, then blog about it as you go. After somewhat arbitrary judging by unseen and unnamed (and entirely partial) judges, someone wins a thing!

Don't worry if you don't have the time or resources to do something spectacular - epic failure is par for the course, and entirely expected. I've signed up, and I don't have the foggiest idea what to do

http://retrochallenge.org/
@retrochallenge on the twitters.
They're also on the Facebooks at https://www.facebook.com/groups/365044403555438/ for what it's worth.

But surely every weekend should be a retro challenge?

Just kidding. I'll give it some thought but don't think I can commit to any projects this winter. Between work, family and CHESS rehersals/performaces there are not many hours left in the day.

Actually, I just finished a retrochallenge of a sort. Moving from ECHO to DISQUS for the comments on my blog (now called Projects and Articles) and collections webpages. I shifted the comments manually by cut and paste, which was indeed a mission. If I was a competent programmer and knew about APIs etc. apparently there was a way to automate the process but it would have taken me longer to learn the programming than to just do it!

So it's now done.

Let's hope Disqus don't discontinue the service. That's always a risk in these fast-changing times.

tezza wrote:But surely every weekend should be a retro challenge?

Ideally, yes. But sometimes a nudge is needed.. I've found the RC Winter Warmup (in January) excellent for nudging me into summer holiday retro projects.

tezza wrote:Just kidding. I'll give it some thought but don't think I can commit to any projects this winter. Between work, family and CHESS rehersals/performaces there are not many hours left in the day.

I've completely fumbled the RC Summer Challenge every time. Not enough time and other responsibilities always get in the way. I always sign up anyway

Awesome idea.
I'm doing my own little retrochallenge right now. I found FastLynx/LapLink + USB serial + DOSBox = no worky. So I'm writing my own.
Writing the client should be interesting, haven't used TurboC since the 1990's. Remote upload (using CTTY) is working though, just needs tweeks.

Is it something you have to do in July, or would my project be fine (I started it last week)?

A RetroChallenger has signed up who is playing with a VAX cluster - running on two Raspberry Pis.

http://www.designspark.com/content/rasp ... ax-cluster

I've passed on one of my R.Pis to a friend, so I only have one left. I'm thinking of projects that it could be used for