[dead]
Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
31–40 of 151 posts
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#32There is no a modern day equivalent. Not because of availibility of hardware or software (both better hardware and better software are widely available at trivial costs nowadays), but because the world around us has changed. Specifically, the experience needs to compete against the limitless other distractions from the internet.
Here's a simple simulation of the 1980s experience: https://virtualconsoles.com/online-emulators/c64/ If your kid is like most kids, they might spend 20s on this before they get back to their Youtube/TikTok/Instagram/Roblox fix. Or maybe a few hours at best if there's a very enthusiastic adult sitting next to them explaining everything. But they'll probably be back at their regular internet distraction as soon as the adult is gone.
For a decent recreation of the 1980s experience, you'd need to shut the kids off from the internet for some extended period. But even that is only an approximation, if they have any contact with other kids.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#33I don’t think this experience is available any more. The missing ingredient is not the technology, but the motivation/reward. In the 80s/early 90s, fiddling with that system setup earned you an interactive audiovisual experience that you simply couldn’t get anywhere else, not even on TV. Today, there is very little that kids haven’t already seen on YouTube, or that can’t be played at the click of a button. It was an…
Self-hosting anything and everything (on one's LAN) is a domain with lots of "Wild West" still in it.
No two people will set it up quite the same.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#34Kano - https://kano.tech/us/original
Looks like their website has changed around. They used to have a kit that came with a raspberry pi (that you had to assemble yourself) and their own Linux-based OS that taught you about computers and the command line
https://github.com/KanoComputing/kano-desktop https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/kano-computer-kit-touch...
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#35Whilst I understand the nostalgia, I think it's easy to forget that these things were modern and exciting - not so much today. I suggest you take what is here today and use it.
If it were me (and it may soon be) I would get them to make a static (ie with no backend processing) web page. It is easy and can be free to publish it. The basic page can then be enhanced with interaction using scripting almost without limits.
The child can show it off to anyone with a screen. You can control the publishing since it can be built offline.
And before you say JavaScript is terrible, so is Basic!
This is the modern equivalent to what you remember.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#36Most people are posting links to hardware, but in my mind, this is a software question. Maybe one of those BASIC interpreters with an integrated IDE, the way that QBASIC used to be on older Windows versions?
QB64 is the modern equivalent: https://qb64.com/
Your kids won't literally need to navigate the command line to launch the games. But I think that editing config files to "hack" the game is still on the table :-)
EDIT: also https://www.endbasic.dev/, which jmmv posted below.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#37Minecraft
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#38A Rasberry Pi. The number of things you can do with these cheap computers is astronomical. You can have a Debian Linux computer and then learn networking, programming, run your own small website. Then start on hardware. Connect up various hardware devices, maybe starting with just a fan. Turn on. Turn off. A second monitor, larger disks. Webrtc. On an on. You never know what kinds of things kids will like. They may l…
A pi by itself, eh I don't know.
A pi + a full kit like breadboard/cables, LCD/LED display panels, camera, microphone/speaker, air sensors, IR sensors, gyros, etc. Now that's got a chance.
It's certainly not going to be for all kids but for those with an inquisitive mind once you set them up and show how to display output in various ways they will start to see the potential. From there you can move onto basic rc hobbyist stuff which is more accessible than ever. Buy some cheap brushless motors, wheels and a frame online, make the pi follow you around by sound only.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#39I think the "competition" is much harder nowadays. When you have all the AAA games available, it's not that exciting to just get something moving on the screen.
Maybe something physical would be interesting? Like programming a led-strip (nowadays you have these where you can individually address the lights), robotic arm or something like that.
If kids are into certain games, maybe there's some opportunities to explore on the modding side. Like for the Euro Truck simulator you can bring your own graphics for the trucks. No idea how complicated it is to package those, but it would probably teach a ton of things.
Re: Ask HN: Whats the modern day equivalent of 80s computer for kids to explore?
#40Kano - https://kano.tech/us/original Looks like their website has changed around. They used to have a kit that came with a raspberry pi (that you had to assemble yourself) and their own Linux-based OS that taught you about computers and the command line https://github.com/KanoComputing/kano-desktop https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/kano-computer-kit-touch...
Their website redesign is so unintuitive.