Action Retro

Today, I want to do something a little bit different - an Action Retro-spective! Let's look at some highlights from 2021, get a sneak peak of the computers we'll be looking at in 2022, and oh yeah... my face is in this one!

Adelie Linux, my favorite PowerPC Linux distro, has recently released a bunch of live media with bootable modern desktop environments - which work on PowerPC Macs! Let's try them on a whole bunch of old and weirdly-upgraded Macs, to see just how well KDE Plasma 5 runs on our beloved yet neglected architecture.

Today we're installing the latest version of OpenBSD 7.0 - from 2021! - on a 333mhz iMac G3 from 1999. That's right - a totally modern OS! And in the spirit of the PowerPC Challenge, I want to see just how modern of a computing experience we can eek out of this thing.

Today we're going to try and install Debian 11 Sid on a PowerMac G5, which is known to have a broken bootloader and almost installing from the netinstall CD. The catch is - I've already successfully installed it once, but I don't remember exactly how I did it. So today, let's try to reproduce the install for posterity, and then explore bleeding-edge Debian Linux on a 20 year old Power Mac!

Today we're checking out a Quad G5 - that's right, there's TWO DUAL-CORE PowerPC G5 processors in this 20 year old behemoth!

What does it take to become a Twitch streamer? Do you really need the latest and greatest hardware? Nope! I became a Twitch Affiliate by streaming with NOTHING ELSE but a Power Mac G5!

Today we're going to try running a PowerMac G5 from modern NVMe on PCIe! How much speed gain can we really get from it, and can we install most or all of Linux on the drive for a super souped-up monstrosity of a Power Mac?

Industrial disks on modules - neat little SSDs that come in tiny packages meant to fit directly into IDE or SATA motherboard connectors in industrial machinery - no bulky data cables required! But, how well do they work in old computers? Could they be a way better solution than CF card adapters? Not only are they faster, likely more reliable, and leave much more airflow room in the case - but they might even work out to be cheaper. Let's install one, take a bunch of benchmarks against other modern retrocomputing IDE replacement solutions, and find out!

Today we're taking a humble 600Mhz iMac G3 from 2001, tossing in a few upgrades, and installing OpenBSD 7.0. Why? So we can stream it directly to Twitch with ffmpeg, of course!

Today we're cracking open the best WORST compact Mac that Apple ever released - the COLOR CLASSIC! Can we upgrade it beyond all recognition, or will I absolutely ruin it? Let's find out!

Today we're exploring an adorable little Macintosh clone from 1996 - the UMAX SuperMac C500! We'll tear it down, install a flash disk module, and then reinstall MacOS from the original UMAX install CD! Make sure you stick around until the end - there's a surprise!

Today we're looking at a bunch of PowerPC, G3 and G4 upgrades - including an "impossible" one for Macs with no real upgrade path.

Today we're checking out the BlueSCSI, a fantastic open source and open hardware SCSI replacement device. Have a failing old Mac hard drive? This one's for you!

Hot Dog Linux is an incredible labor of love for vintage computing GUIs. As a ridiculously convoluted Linux window manager - by design! - Hot Dog Linux is the best and worst of the vintage computing experience, backed by the power of Slackware 15.

I absolutely love the BlueSCSI, an open hardware and open source replacement for your old SCSI hard disks. However, we got some less than stellar benchmarks last time. Today, let's try and get as much speed as possible!

Today we're building a brand new STEALTH Apple IIGS, in a beautiful transparent case, with a brand new mechanical keyboard!

Today we're running Windows 2000 on top of Mac OS 9, and Mac OS 9 on top of Windows 2000. What software can rwe run? Which one will be worse? What in the sweet Spindler is wrong with me? Let's find out together! Try this madness yourself: Virtual PC with Windows 2000 on Macintosh Garden: https://macintoshgarden.org/apps/virt...

Today, we're installing a CUSTOM dual 2GHz G4 processor card into a Power Mac Quicksilver. Then, we'll take a look at the new version of Sorbet Leopard, and see just what kind of crazy performance increase we'll see.

I found a Kaypro with a bunch of crazy modifications. Let's dig in, and I'll tell you the miraculous story of how it came back to life at VCF East.

Today, we're going through the wacky upgrades in this cursed Kaypro, and fixing up all the exploded bits. Then, we'll get it ONLINE!

Today, we're going to upgrade the Stealth Apple IIGS with an extremely rare accelerator - the ZipGS! We'll finally be fast enough to play the IIGS port of Wolf3d. Let's explore this weird accelerator!