/
lectern.tv
Play15s30s1x0:00/--:--
DoneWatched
Expand
VCF Midwest·VCF Midwest
54:10
0:00/54:10
2:40
2:21
3:44
3:05
2:38
1:32
5:18
4:32
5:00
1:45
1:05
3:05
6:50
4:40
4:05
1:50
The DEC VT100 Terminal: An 8-Bit Computer Deep Dive
Explore the intricate engineering of the DEC VT100, revealing its sophisticated internal architecture as a self-contained 8-bit computer that defined text-mode interaction for decades.
The VT100 was not just a dumb terminal; it was a tightly engineered computer with its own CPU, firmware, video system, keyboard protocol, expansion bus, and bag of tricks. This talk takes the VT100 apart from the inside out, showing how DEC built the terminal that became the template for decades of text-mode computing. We will look at the hardware, the firmware, the video timing, the keyboard, the NVRAM setup system, smooth scrolling, double-width and double-height characters, escape sequences, and other details that made the VT100 feel almost magical in 1978. For Commodore 64 fans, think of this as a deep dive into another 8-bit machine, except this one conquered minicomputers, Unix rooms, BBSes, and terminal emulators instead of the living room. Along the way, we will connect the VT100's design choices to things familiar from home computers: memory maps, ROM routines, raster timing, character cells, serial I/O, and firmware hacks. By the end, you will understand why the VT100 became a standard, why it was stranger than it looks, and why a "terminal" can be just as interesting as the computer it talks to.