This idea is for a OS (or a XP overlay) styled like the computers we see in movies and old television shows; the future of computers as seen by the past, today.

A mouse-button, high-res prompt in some parts. A four-color, 160x100 screen in others. Oh, and you can talk into it, and it can talk back to you (in all its single-channel ASDR glory).

To install the software, you are required to replace one of your 5 1/4 drives with a light bay. These have blinking lights, which all have useful but esoterically coded information on the computer's operations. A second bay goes for storing magnetooptical disks (which look vaguely like CDs, and vaguely like 3.5 floppies, as suits the inspirational material).

Software to remotely take down power grids optional.
-- Almafeta, Dec 19 2003

(??) "That computer font" http://simplythebes...onts/checkbook.html
To be used whenever trying to give an impression of "high-tech" in the early 80s. [friendlyfire, Oct 04 2004]

(?) The Use of Computers in Movies http://www.annoyanc.../show/article09-127
(Sorry.) [Detly, Oct 04 2004]

Magnetic ink character recognition http://en.wikipedia...aracter_recognition
[Rods Tiger]/[Ian], I live and learn too, or I would if there weren't Tiger shaped holes spotted throughout the bakery. But I still don't quite understand how the design of the font (E-13B) assists in the machine reading of the characters. [zen_tom, Sep 28 2005]

And it has to use that "computer-y" font that no computer interface ever used, but since lots of printouts used it, it became embedded in people's minds as "the computer font" (see link).
-- friendlyfire, Dec 19 2003


I remember when using the Halfbakery was fun, and not a site where "Who can delete each other's ideas the fastest."

Well, I guess it is the basic law of entropy.
-- Amishman35, Dec 19 2003


Jutta: How is the idea of a computer OS styled like the computers of 1980s action movies any different than (for example) a house styled like the houses of noir movies?
-- Almafeta, Dec 20 2003


Well, well, [Rods Tiger] - I live and learn. I had always assumed it was printed that way on cheques and suchlike for ease of OCR (even though it was many years before mainstreeam OCR), but I have to admit that magnetic ink had never once crossed my mind.

"Magnetic Ink" - sounds like something a 'baker would come up with.
-- friendlyfire, Dec 22 2003


FF - When I was a lad, if you wanted to delay the processing of a cheque (so that funds you were expecting – say your salary - would cover it) it was standard practice to run a strong magnet over the magnetic numbers at the bottom of the cheque. This supposedly forced the cheque to be processed manually and could add that vital day to the process. I’m not sure whether this actually worked – not being the sort of chap to write dodgy cheques (well not often anyway).
-- Gordon Comstock, Dec 23 2003


Yes, and whenever there's an error, there will be a shower of sparks and some sort of electrical surge. See link.
-- Detly, Dec 23 2003


Can you get it to brown out a city like the one a San Francisco university used to every time it boots that would be cool
-- dev45, Oct 04 2006


Plug "brazil movie computer" into Google image search.

The 1985 movie Brazil had many computers with their cases removed, but still in use. The 1985 computers are a bit retro now even when whole.
-- popbottle, Jan 05 2016



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