Using a 1930 Teletype as a Linux Terminal
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN commenters love it as a vivid demonstration of terminal history, explaining why tools like ed and the tty echo model work the way they do.
What it is
CuriousMarc connects a restored 1930 Model 15 Teletype to a Linux machine and uses it as a terminal, after commenters requested it. The video shows the challenges of linking a 5-bit mechanical device to a modern OS.
Recommended by 4 HN commenters across 5 different months, 2020 to 2025.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec NateEag · 2020-07 · on “How Did Vim Become So Popular?”
Perhaps my favorite video on YouTube is this glorious footage of someone hooking a 1930s teletype up to a computer running Linux: [this video] Watching it for the first time is what finally made ed click for me. And yes, I was disappointed that the author clearly didn't understand why ed has the UI it does. It's about the teletype, not the computational cost of having a WYSIWIG UI.
Strong rec NateEag · 2020-10 · on “Using a Piece of Paper as a Display Terminal – Ed vs. Vim”
I've linked this before, but this video of hooking a 1930s teletype up to a Linux computer is what made ed click for me. [this video] It's one of the best things on the Internet, IMO.
Recommends sbuk · 2020-04 · on “Ask HN: What are some great posts or articles about history of computing?”
Saw this on YouTube last night; [this video] A facinating video that is part of a series going into the restoration of a 1930 Model 15 Teletype. In this video, they use it as a terminal for Linux.
Recommends emdashcomma · 2021-02 · on “The VT-69 portable data terminal”
If you haven't seen it before, you might enjoy this: [this video] (Using a 1930 Teletype as a Linux Terminal).
Recommends WaffleIronMaker · 2022-07 · on “Ask HN: YouTube Channels for the Intellectually Curious”
I can second CuriousMarc and Ben Eater for anyone interested in computer engineering. CuriousMarc has an amazing series on the Apollo Guidance Computer, as well as great one-off videos like running a linux terminal on a teletype ( [this video] ). Ben Eater does amazing videos on low level electronics, and has a great series on understanding how a computer really works.
Cites Naac · 2020-10 · on “Using a Piece of Paper as a Display Terminal – Ed vs. Vim”
To really understand how ed was useful, it's eye-opening to see exactly what life was like before video terminals. Essentially, think of using your laptop, but instead of looking at a monitor you're reading the output from a printer. So if you type `ls`, you see the directory listing being literally printed out on a dot-matrix printer. Naturally the only way of text editing is with a line EDitor, which lets you edit text one command at a time. When trying to use ed on a video terminal, it obviously looks wasteful. But that's because it was designed before video terminals were a thing. Kind of like using a modern day graphics card to play pong. here is a video illustrating using a teletype: [
Cites alexvoda · 2021-01 · on “Ask HN: Oldest piece of hardware a user could access the internet with?”
Going by the scenario in the first paragraph 1930 might be your answer. Here is a video of a 1930 teletype connected to a linux machine: [this video]
Cites NateEag · 2022-04 · on “Ask HN: Best way to learn about computing history?”
A few recommendations from an avid armchair computer historian: - Dealers of Lightning is a wonderful book covering Xerox PARC's history and contributions. If you don't know what Xerox PARC is, then you should definitely read it. - Where Wizards Stay Up Late is a highly-readable, engaging book covering the history of the Internet's early development. - Soul of a New Machine gives a compelling glimpse into the era when physical machines and unique architectures were more dominant than software in shaping the market. - The Jargon File as maintained by Eric Raymond is not without controversy, but I think it's still fair to say a lot of computing folklore and cultural history is preserved there.