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Ozymandiax (talk | contribs) Adding section on the community that focuses on replicas with the goal of historical preservation Tag: Reverted |
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Some emulations are used by businesses, as running production software in a simulator is usually faster, cheaper, and more reliable that running it on original hardware.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}
==Replicas of historically significant computers==
Replicas exist for quite a few historically significant computers, such as the [[LGP-30]], [[Altair 8800]], [[IMSAI 8080]] and [[PDP-8]]/[[PDP-11]]. Generally, these are designed by hobbyists and made available as Open Source Hardware and as computer kits. The technology used inside varies; FPGAs, microcontrollers and Raspberry Pis are popular.
Compared to modern Home-Brew projects, these replicas have a different focus; they are intended to help preserve the legacy of the original computers, by providing a hands-on experience that comes much closer to the original than software emulators can. A number of active on-line communities emerged around such replicas<ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/g/altair-duino|title=Altair-Duino group|website=Google Groups}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/orgs/thehighnibble/discussions/categories/imsai8080esp-replica|title=IMSAI 8080esp forum|website=github.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/g/pidp-11|title=PiDP-11 Group|website=Google Groups}}</ref>, arguably helping to preserve and widen the knowledge of the historical machines.
Older computers with a '[[Blinkenlights]]' [[front panel]] are especially popular targets. Next to their attractive appearance, front panels have an educational value. Their lights and switches give a very physical insight in the low-level operation of the computer.
==In popular culture==
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