HackerTube.dev

Using a 1930 Teletype as a Linux Terminal

CuriousMarc · 1.6M views · 2020-04-13 · 16:33

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

CuriousMarc connects a restored 1930 Model 15 Teletype to a Linux machine and uses it as a terminal, after commenters requested it. The video shows the challenges of linking a 5-bit mechanical device to a modern OS.

On Hacker News

HN commenters love it as a vivid demonstration of terminal history, explaining why tools like ed and the tty echo model work the way they do.

Recommended by 4 HN people across 5 months · HN mentions 2020–2025

Topics

Demoscene & retrocomputingHistory of computingLinux & open-source ecosystems
Search by tags
teletyperetro computingunix historyterminalsrestoration

What people said

NateEag · 2020-10 · Strong recommendation

I've linked this before, but this video of hooking a 1930s teletype up to a Linux computer is what made ed click for me. [VIDEO] It's one of the best things on the Internet, IMO.

Read the original HN comment ↗
NateEag · 2020-07 · Strong recommendation

Perhaps my favorite video on YouTube is this glorious footage of someone hooking a 1930s teletype up to a computer running Linux: [VIDEO] Watching it for the first time is what finally made ed click for me. And yes, I was disappointed that the author clearly didn't understand why ed has the UI it does. It's about the teletype, not the computational cost of having a WYSIWIG UI.

Read the original HN comment ↗
WaffleIronMaker · 2022-07 · Recommendation

I can second CuriousMarc and Ben Eater for anyone interested in computer engineering. CuriousMarc has an amazing series on the Apollo Guidance Computer, as well as great one-off videos like running a linux terminal on a teletype ( [VIDEO] ). Ben Eater does amazing videos on low level electronics, and has a great series on understanding how a computer really works.

Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by CuriousMarc, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks
  • SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
  • Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources