I love the command line, but hate to see it looking all modern. The aptly named Cool Retro Term—available for Linux and Mac systems—solves this very important problem by simulating the look of an old CRT monitor.
I am not going to pretend this is in any way practical, let alone necessary. Text based interfaces are one of the most efficient ways to use a computer, and this app adds a layer of graphical effects over that. It’s obviously entirely unnecessary, but it’s also neat.
Install the application and you can start using it immediately, just the way you would use any terminal.
Credit: Justin Pot
The default style is a cool-looking amber monitor, complete with flickering and refresh lines. Screenshots don’t fully capture the effect, but it’s convincingly retrograde. Head to the settings and you can select from a variety of different themes, including my personal favorite, a mode that emulates the Apple ][ (that’s the Apple II to those of who slightly less committed to esoteric historical fidelity).
If anyone is wondering I got the original Zork running using “Frotz”.
Credit: Justin Pot
If you’d prefer something more IBM compatible, there’s also a DOS look.
Credit: Justin Pot
I could honestly spend all day showing you screenshots, and all of them would give me joy, but if this sounds at all like your kind of thing, you should really try the application out yourself. There are more themes on offer, including a few that are delightfully flickery, which I will leave for you to discover for yourself. You can also try your hand at making your own theme by customizing the font, colors, and 3D variables. It’s a lot of fun to play with, so put yourself in an ’80s state of mind, and dive in.
