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1. Embed this notice
   occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 07:37:33 JST occult

   Please don’t be shocked, but I’ve been reading old #UNIX Review magazines on Archive.org, as one does. I’ve been finding a number of interesting artifacts throughout. This June 1984 ad by Cadmus Computer Systems listed a #USENET address: !wivax!cadmus.

   This is a UUCP bang path, for the kids who don’t know. The ! separates relay hops, it’s a literal routing instruction. Get to the backbone, reach wivax, forward to cadmus.

   No DNS.

   Machines screamed at each other to swap data.

   #unix_surrealism

   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 07:37:24 JST occult

     in reply to

     The art in these ads is incredible. This one for ChipCrafter by SeattleSilicon is pretty great.

   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 07:37:27 JST occult

     in reply to

     This is an original ad for a #UNIX computer company.

     No AI art here! You can see the artist’s signature over the dragon’s wing.

     Evan Prodromou repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 07:37:29 JST occult

     in reply to

     Here’s an ad for cross-compilers and assemblers for UNIX environments.

     My favorite detail here is this brag: “Over the past 3 years, we’ve built over 1MB of working code.” Cross-compilers, assemblers, simulators, and debuggers targeting six architectures across a dozen hosts. This code was dense.

     The 80’s #UNIX wars were a wild time.

     It’s also very fun to read the articles from the time and see what they were predicting for the future. “UNIX for the masses” was a popular topic.

   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Monday, 09-Mar-2026 07:37:31 JST occult

     in reply to

     wivax was a VAX at Wang Laboratories in Lowell, MA where Cadmus was based.

     The TELEX number printed right next to it is also interesting. This represents telegraph infrastructure and the infant internet, side by side in a transitional moment.

   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Wednesday, 11-Mar-2026 05:21:47 JST occult

     in reply to

     To think all of this amazing art is buried in 40-year-old computer magazines.

     This one is from the July 1988 issue of "VLSI Systems Design."

     James Morris likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     occult (occult@vox.ominous.net)'s status on Wednesday, 11-Mar-2026 05:21:48 JST occult

     in reply to

     This is some proto- @prahou art right here.