retro.mdwn (1403B)
1 Retro 2 ===== 3 4 **Retro** is a Latin word meaning "backwards" and "before". In computing, it generally refers to a kind of "time-capsule" computing that tries to re-enact a historical time period when a [[hardware]] platform was "still alive". Its central driving force is nostalgia. 5 6 The concept is problematic from the permacomputing point of view because: 7 8 * It affirms the industrial definition of "platform death" and that there can be no genuinely new uses for a platform when it is "dead". 9 * It separates the current time period from the "old times", thus creating an artificial mental boundary. 10 * While historical re-enactment and time capsules have their definite places and hardware [[lifespan maximization]] is an essential element of permacomputing, labelling all uses of old hardware or time-proven techniques as "retro" may actually discourage people from using them for new purposes. We need sustainable continuity rather than a culture where hardware eventually becomes "time-locked" (i.e., [[obsolete|obsolescence]]). 11 12 The concept of **Zombie media** has a similar problem with affirming the industry-defined concept of media "death". 13 14 [[Heirloom computing]] is another form of time-capsule computing but one that designs a static artifact that future generations may return to. 15 16 Examples of non-retro uses of old computers can be found in the [[demoscene]] and [[hacker]] cultures.