JavaScript PDP-1 emulator running the original code of “Spacewar!” from 1962

http://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/index.html

by sgt • 14 years ago

86 10 14 years ago

masswerk.at

user24• 14 years ago

It's not just a JS Spacewar - it's a JS PDP-1 running spacewar.

sgt2• 14 years ago

Yes thanks for pointing this out - I should have been more clear in the title!

If you look at spacewar.js you'll see the actual machine code in hexadecimal, I'd love to see this translated to PDP-1 assembly instructions, mnemonics and operands.

Edited: JonnieCache pointed out what I'm actually looking for: https://gist.github.com/4258114 This is really a lot of fun, I'm seeing a lot of exotic emulators in JS coming out recently.

lisper• 14 years ago

More interesting-looking stuff here:

http://spacewar.oversigma.com/sources/

pan69• 14 years ago

I'd interested to see the original source code somewhere.

JonnieCache• 14 years ago

https://gist.github.com/4258114

ajross2• 14 years ago

Mostly likely your PDP-1 assembly is a little rusty, so that may be hard to read in isolation. Refresh your memory with the original manual: http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/dec/pdp1/F1...

(Actually that just documents the hardware. Honestly I don't know if the assembler that built Spacewar still survives.)

edstock• 14 years ago

Just spent 15min playing it with a colleague, it's still a fun game 50 years later.

WalterGR• 14 years ago

I wrote this comment for the IBM 362 submission (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4902345). Seems appropriate here.

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View spent 2 years fully restoring a DEC PDP-1. You can go see it - I don't even think you need to pay for admission to the museum.

During the presentation, they load Spacewar! from paper tape, and two members of the audience can battle it out.

It's pretty amazing to play one of the first graphical computer games ever, on a computer first released 50 years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar!#Spacewar.21_today

JavaScript PDP-1 emulator running the original code of “Spacewar!” from 1962

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