classic posts

Filed under: Macintosh, Open Source, Browsers

Hot new Mozilla browser released for ... Mac OS 9?

by Jay Hathaway Jul 10th 2009

Here at Download Squad, we're always excited to report on the latest browsers. In recent months, we've seen some impressive updates to Firefox, Safari and Opera, and the debut of Chrome. Those are all great, but do any of them run on Mac OS 9? Classilla, a Mozilla variant, brings the hottest new browser technology to an unsupported (but fondly remembered) old OS.

Classilla comes from the recognition that old PowerMacs could still have some life in them if they had a browser that supported current web technologies. Instead of Mozilla's current Gecko rendering engine, Classilla uses Clecko, an engine that forked off from Gecko when Mozilla stopped developing for the Mac OS 9/Classic environment. Although you won't be able to view every webpage in Classilla, it's an open source project that aims to continue updating for better security and standards-compliance.

[via Slashdot]

Tags: browser, classic, classilla, mac-os, mac-os-9, mozilla, open-source

Filed under: Utilities, Macintosh, Productivity

Switch applications in OS X just like you did in OS 9

by Jay Hathaway May 22nd 2009

If you were a Mac user during the pre-OS X days, back when the Dock was a twinkle in a UI designer's eye, you remember switching applications via the menubar. Open applications would all be listed, and you could select one to make it active, as well as selectively hiding and showing your apps. If that's the way you like your interface, you should check out ASM and multiXFinder.

These two apps offer OS 9-style app switching functionality, and there's not much different between them, except that ASM costs money and mutliXFinder is open source. One advantage ASM has is the ability to drill down and use each app's menu items, just like right-clicking on an icon in the OS X Dock. That's definitely useful, but leaving it out is an old-school touch that classic Mac OS aficionados can probably deal with.

[via Macworld Mac Gems]

Tags: application-switcher, asm, classic, menu, multixfinder, OS-9

Filed under: Fun, Games, Internet, Time-Wasters

RetroShoot is colorful, casual space shoot 'em up - Time Waster

by Lee Mathews Apr 17th 2009

It's Friday, and time to take it easy - so how about a Time Waster that only requires you to move your mouse? Hello, RetroShoot!

Just because the controls are dead simple doesn't make the game any less fun. It's a packed with colorful old-school arcade goodness. Manouver your ship with the mouse and let your ship take care of the shooting. Apart from that, the only other controls are space bar to pause/restart and escape to quit.

Collect powerups as you progress to add area effects, improved blasters, and extra lives. Take a hit, and you'll receive a strike. You guessed it: three of those and you're out.

As an added twist, the screen will pivot 90 degrees during some stages. Sure, it's just the same thing sideways, but it makes things a little more interesting than playing up-and-down constantly.

Let the blasting commence!

Tags: arcade, classic, shoot-em-up, shooter, vintage

Filed under: OS Updates, Palm, Mobile

Palm Pre and WebOS gets emulator for older PalmOS apps

by Brad Linder Apr 2nd 2009

Palm did an interesting thing with the upcoming Pre smartphone: The company scrapped its old operating system and started from scratch. The new webOS is prettier, easier to use, and more focused on modern apps like web browsers than PalmOS.

The problem is, there are more than 30,000 PalmOS apps already out there. And by building a new operating system from the ground up, Palm was kind of telling loyal fans of some of those programs not to bother upgrading until (or unless) the develoeprs of those apps issued updates. Because webOS wasn't going to run them.

But now Palm has announced that MotionApps is developing a program called "Classic" that will allow WebOS users to run older PalmOS apps. The software isn't part of the operating system, and customers will have to buy it separately. But it should be available for purchase as soon as the pre launches.

Because Classic is an emulator, older PalmOS programs won't be able to access the core webOS functions. I assume that means if you decide to that you prefer the classic contact application to the new one, you won't be able to use it to initiate phone calls.

PalmOS emulation company StyleTap has also said that it's considering developing a version of its software for webOS.

[via Uneasy Silence]

Tags: classic, emulation, emulator, motionapps, palmos, webos, webos-classic

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters, Web

Three classic shooters, C64 style - Time Waster

by Lee Mathews Jan 16th 2009

I loved my Commodore 64 - I even talked my parents into letting me get one of the "mod" cases for it so would look like the newer (and more bad-ass) C128. There were three big Time Wasters for me back then: Zaxxon, 1943, and Gyruss.

Zaxxon's crazy pseudo-3d (also referred to as axonometric projection) blew me away. Like Icarus and his wax wings, flying too high or too low caused many untimely ends to my ship.

Gyruss, with its frantic pace and awesome electronic version of Toccata and Fugue in D minor kept me coming back for more. If you don't know the game, it's a tube-style shooter: move your ship in a circular pattern around the bad guys and blast them to space dust. 2 warps to Neptune, baby.

For days when I wasn't feling quite so futuristic, there was 1943. It's addictive, low-fi air-to-air combat at it's best.

Want to rekindle some old memories? Head over to C64s.com, where you can play all three (and tons of others). We've mentioned the site before on DLS, but its vintage goodness is hard to overstate.

Tags: classic, sega, time-waster, vintage

Filed under: Games, Freeware, Time-Wasters

Six classic horror-iffic games for Halloween

by Lee Mathews Oct 31st 2008

Turn out the lights and turn up the volume, it's time to scare yourself silly with some good, old Halloween-y games. Enjoy!

Escape from Hell via Abandonware Dos

Think of Diablo, in reverse, with really, really low-fi graphics. That might still not be an accurate description of Escape from Hell, but it's as close as I can get to a modern comparison. It's an RPG, and you'll have to fight your way out of Hell, meeting up with all kinds of evil nasties along the way.

Watch out, there's even a (very) little CG nudity (!) in this one.

Tags: abandonware, classic, games, gaming, halloween, horror

Filed under: Fun, Games, Internet, Time-Wasters

5 Sites For Old-School Gaming in Your Browser -Time Waster

by Lee Mathews Sep 7th 2008

Enough of this practical advice and useful downloads! I know you've been working hard, and you're probably itching for some fun and excitement. If you've read some of my previous Time Wasters, you'll know that I've got a soft spot for old school gaming.

Grab your browser, and get ready for some classic, low-fi action!

Neave Games specializes in making flash remakes of classic games, and has a few tasty selections for you. Among them are Frogger, Space Invaders, Tetris, and the old Nokia cellphone game Snake (pictured). Rad.

c64s.com is dedicated to my first computer and gaming system, the Commodore 64. It's been on DS before, but they've added a lot of great new games over the years. Packacuda, Wizard's Lair, Crystal Castles. It's hard to believe how good some of the games were for the trusty old c64.

Tags: arcade, classic, games, gaming, timewaster, vintage

Filed under: Fun, Games, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Freeware, Time-Wasters

vNES: Nintendo in your browser - Today's Time Waster

by Jordan Running Oct 9th 2006

Got a hankerin' for some classic 8-bit gaming? Want to play right now? Look no further than vNES, a fantastic site of questionable legality that lets you play any of almost 400 classic Nintendo games in your browser, for free. As you may have already guessed, vNES is a basic Java-powered NES emulator, and it has games for every taste, including a few dozen Japanese titles, some funky unreleased and prototype games, and even a "Games That Aren't Fun At All" category. It has most of the classics, and more are being added every day. It works great without any noticeable slowdowns or glitches in most games, but beware: vNES can be a bit of a memory hog. Bookmark vNES while you still can, as I doubt Nintendo's IP lawyers are going to be as happy about it as I am, especially once they start selling these classic games for the Wii.

[Via Lifehacker]

Tags: 8-bit, classic, emulator, free, java, nes, nintendo, retro, video games, VideoGames, vnes

Filed under: Fun, Games, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware, Time-Wasters

Megaman vs. Ghosts 'n Goblins - Today's Time Waster

by Jordan Running Mar 14th 2006

I've seen a few classic video game mash-ups before, like the brilliant Pong vs. Asteroids (okay I just made that up), but found many of them lacking. Mega Man vs. Ghosts 'n Goblins, however, is a masterpiece. It's a Flash game that seamlessly blends the original Mega Man and Ghosts 'n Goblins, a game I could never beat, into something that looks like it came right out of the basement of a bored NES programmer in 1987. It's just a few levels, but extremely fun and a surprising challenge.

Tags: 8-bit, 8bit, classic, flash, fun, game, ghostsngoblins, mash-up, mashup, megaman, nes, remix, retro

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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