Plexus P/20 Emulator
A new emulator revives the Plexus P/20, a Unix server from the 1980s, letting enthusiasts experience SystemV Unix on dual 68010 processors. This technical marvel, inspired by Adrian's Digital Basement, is written in C and compiled to WebAssembly. It offers a fascinating glimpse into vintage computing, making a piece of history accessible directly in your browser.
The Lowdown
This project unveils an emulator for the Plexus P/20, an obscure but significant Unix server that first emerged in the 1980s. The P/20 was notable for running SystemV Unix on a dual Motorola 68010 processor mainboard. This emulator brings that vintage computing experience to modern platforms, leveraging contemporary web technologies.
- Emulated System: The emulator targets the Plexus P/20, an '80s Unix server featuring a dual 68010 processor mainboard and running SystemV Unix.
- Inspiration: The project acknowledges inspiration from Adrian Black (Adrian's Digital Basement), who produced a series of videos documenting his efforts to get an original Plexus P/20 system operational.
- Technical Implementation: Written primarily in C, the emulator can run as a native program. However, the online version is compiled to WebAssembly using Emscripten, enabling it to function directly in a web browser. It integrates xterm.js for the terminal interface, connected via xterm-pty.
- Open Source: The emulator is released under the MIT license, with its source code publicly available on GitHub.
Ultimately, this emulator provides a unique opportunity for retrocomputing aficionados and curious developers to interact with a slice of computing history, demonstrating the power of modern web technologies to preserve and present vintage systems.