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                         FIDONET REGIONAL NEWS   
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   Retrocomputing events: A Sysop's view of a trip down memory lane   
   Flavio Bessa - 4:801/188   
      
   For some of us, it's been 30 or more years already since the dawn of   
   our golden age. However, the retrocomputing scene, where groups of   
   aficionados get together to set up some really old computers and   
   remember about the good old days, seem to be growing, at least here   
   in South America.   
      
   I have been able to attend a few of these events and the experience   
   has been the best possible. Please allow me to try my best on   
   describing it here.   
      
   Brazil was a particularly tough place for computer hobbysts. Years of   
   military dictatorship created a closed market, where it was nearly   
   impossible to be in line with the greatest releases in computer   
   hardware. Nonetheless, the idea for a national computer industry   
   grew alongside our rulers.   
      
   And, it started... as a "Market Reserve Policy", where only   
   Brazilian-based factories could produce computers to be sold at the   
   local market; Foreign computers could be procured, but the   
   bureaucracy alongside it would be horrendous. That lead to the   
   development of several "clones" of the ZX-81, TRS Model III, Apple   
   II e, and others. However, the most popular was the MSX.   
      
   Very popular in Japan, the MSX standard appeared in Brazil around   
   1985, and ruled the market up the 1990s. The general population   
   was introduced to floppy disks: before that, most of the   
   software was available on cassette tapes only.   
      
   With that background explained, I was taken into an event of those   
   MSX aficionados by a friend some time ago. Man, what a trip down   
   memory lane! I could see several Experts and Hotbits (local clones)   
   and some interesting Japanese computers and even an Arabic clone!   
      
   They were all playing games and doing some neat hardware projects   
   to adapt them to this current day and age, just like we did with   
   BBSing. I had a blast there, and started to participate more on   
   the scene.   
      
   I have had some interesting experience on the next events, and   
   even brought a "mobile" version of my BBS into it, where people   
   could play some nice games and try to log in using some very old   
   MSX or Commodore system. I even was able to find a fellow Sysop!   
   He will shortly join Fidonet now.   
      
   I would encourage all of you to reach out to these retrocomputing   
   events (they happen everywhere), after all, BBSing is retro these   
   days. Let's share some of our fun and knowledge on these events   
   as well, we might be able to get back the users that were lost   
   long ago.   
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