Jonathan Pallant
@thejpster.org.uk
Rust Trainer and Developer, retrocomputing enthusiast
Quick question - which is faster at Mandelbrot? PowerPC 740 @ 266 MHz (gcc 2.95 on Debian 3.0) or MIPS R5000 @ 200 MHz (MIPSpro 7.4 on IRIX 6.5)?
January 10, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Quick question - which is faster at Mandelbrot? PowerPC 740 @ 266 MHz (gcc 2.95 on Debian 3.0) or MIPS R5000 @ 200 MHz (MIPSpro 7.4 on IRIX 6.5)?
You could watch a nerve-wracking horror movie, or you could attempt to remove the second drive bay cover from a beige Power Macintosh G3 without snappging it.
I think I need a lie down.
I think I need a lie down.
January 10, 2026 at 2:42 PM
You could watch a nerve-wracking horror movie, or you could attempt to remove the second drive bay cover from a beige Power Macintosh G3 without snappging it.
I think I need a lie down.
I think I need a lie down.
Do you remember 3D TVs? How every big TV came with 3D glasses and every movie was in 3D? All the glowing reviews for how the new 3D thing was even better than the last, right next to big shiny adverts for them.
I’m glad we all moved on from that.
I’m glad we all moved on from that.
January 9, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Do you remember 3D TVs? How every big TV came with 3D glasses and every movie was in 3D? All the glowing reviews for how the new 3D thing was even better than the last, right next to big shiny adverts for them.
I’m glad we all moved on from that.
I’m glad we all moved on from that.
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
January 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
I wrote up some words about my most recent batch of free stuff.
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
JP's Website
www.thejpster.org.uk
January 6, 2026 at 11:53 PM
I wrote up some words about my most recent batch of free stuff.
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
I wrote up some words about my most recent batch of free stuff.
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
JP's Website
www.thejpster.org.uk
January 6, 2026 at 11:53 PM
I wrote up some words about my most recent batch of free stuff.
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
Behold, the Packard SPARCbell Ultra iPower Aurora 3D.
www.thejpster.org.uk/blog/blog-20...
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
Which is mildly entertaining until time passes and someone without that knowledge stumbles onto something edgy and gets themselves killed.
Now we get to Generative AI. 10/
Now we get to Generative AI. 10/
January 6, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Which is mildly entertaining until time passes and someone without that knowledge stumbles onto something edgy and gets themselves killed.
Now we get to Generative AI. 10/
Now we get to Generative AI. 10/
My Dell is proving useful today!
It's a Precision T3400 with a Core 2 Duo, running latest Debian Trixie. But more importantly it has a 3.5" Floppy, SATA, a GPIB card, an IDE card and a SCSI card. Today it's taking a backup of the 18GB SCSI drive from the SGI O2.
It's a Precision T3400 with a Core 2 Duo, running latest Debian Trixie. But more importantly it has a 3.5" Floppy, SATA, a GPIB card, an IDE card and a SCSI card. Today it's taking a backup of the 18GB SCSI drive from the SGI O2.
January 3, 2026 at 3:11 PM
My Dell is proving useful today!
It's a Precision T3400 with a Core 2 Duo, running latest Debian Trixie. But more importantly it has a 3.5" Floppy, SATA, a GPIB card, an IDE card and a SCSI card. Today it's taking a backup of the 18GB SCSI drive from the SGI O2.
It's a Precision T3400 with a Core 2 Duo, running latest Debian Trixie. But more importantly it has a 3.5" Floppy, SATA, a GPIB card, an IDE card and a SCSI card. Today it's taking a backup of the 18GB SCSI drive from the SGI O2.
I have two Arm-based desktop computers on my desk. One is 81,000x the speed of the other, based on my mandelbrot benchmark.
That is not a typo.
That is not a typo.
January 1, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I have two Arm-based desktop computers on my desk. One is 81,000x the speed of the other, based on my mandelbrot benchmark.
That is not a typo.
That is not a typo.
I'm adding `-msoft-float` to speed up my floating point operations by a factor of about 5.
December 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I'm adding `-msoft-float` to speed up my floating point operations by a factor of about 5.
All you really need to know about embedded systems is that an MPU has an MMU whilst an MCU has an MPU (no, a totally different kind of MPU).
December 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM
All you really need to know about embedded systems is that an MPU has an MMU whilst an MCU has an MPU (no, a totally different kind of MPU).
I lost a couple of hours today trying to use a BlueSCSI HDD image with SCSI ID 0 on a Silicon Graphics machine...
(one where the SCSI controller is on ID 0)
(one where the SCSI controller is on ID 0)
December 24, 2025 at 7:19 PM
I lost a couple of hours today trying to use a BlueSCSI HDD image with SCSI ID 0 on a Silicon Graphics machine...
(one where the SCSI controller is on ID 0)
(one where the SCSI controller is on ID 0)
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
We are working to restore service. Apologies for the disruption!
December 24, 2025 at 12:49 PM
We are working to restore service. Apologies for the disruption!
Does anyone know how to wire an eject button to a @bluescsi.com DB25? I'm trying to install IRIX from 7 CD images and it's very painful having to remove the card every time I want to swap CDs.
December 23, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Does anyone know how to wire an eject button to a @bluescsi.com DB25? I'm trying to install IRIX from 7 CD images and it's very painful having to remove the card every time I want to swap CDs.
Ugh, VFAT is a trip. But now I can open files based on their long file name.
github.com/rust-embedde...
github.com/rust-embedde...
Support opening files by long file name by thejpster · Pull Request #217 · rust-embedded-community/embedded-sdmmc-rs
Adds a new API which lets you open files by their long file name.
Does not (currently) let you open directories in this manner, nor does it let you create files with a long file name.
Builds on #216
github.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Ugh, VFAT is a trip. But now I can open files based on their long file name.
github.com/rust-embedde...
github.com/rust-embedde...
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
Another LGR Christmas thing! Watching/reacting/researching stuff in the Computer Chronicles Christmas Buyer's Guide from 1987
youtu.be/bWXLDfbmpU8
And that's it for both holiday videos and LGR overall in 2025. Have a happy new year and I look forward to getting back to more LGR things in January 🎉
youtu.be/bWXLDfbmpU8
And that's it for both holiday videos and LGR overall in 2025. Have a happy new year and I look forward to getting back to more LGR things in January 🎉
1987 Computer Chronicles Christmas Buyer's Guide 🎁
YouTube video by LGR
youtu.be
December 21, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Another LGR Christmas thing! Watching/reacting/researching stuff in the Computer Chronicles Christmas Buyer's Guide from 1987
youtu.be/bWXLDfbmpU8
And that's it for both holiday videos and LGR overall in 2025. Have a happy new year and I look forward to getting back to more LGR things in January 🎉
youtu.be/bWXLDfbmpU8
And that's it for both holiday videos and LGR overall in 2025. Have a happy new year and I look forward to getting back to more LGR things in January 🎉
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
I made a joke in my main Discord server about DOOM E1M1 being in a major key and @abigbagofkeys.sickonedude.com actually made it. Jesus fucking Christ listen to this hahahaha
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I made a joke in my main Discord server about DOOM E1M1 being in a major key and @abigbagofkeys.sickonedude.com actually made it. Jesus fucking Christ listen to this hahahaha
Does anyone know how to *actually* get U-Boot working on a Raspberry Pi 3B (not a B+)? I followed a dozen guides online and nothing works. Just get a rainbow on HDMI and nothing on UART. Have tried macOS and Debian hosts.
December 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Does anyone know how to *actually* get U-Boot working on a Raspberry Pi 3B (not a B+)? I followed a dozen guides online and nothing works. Just get a rainbow on HDMI and nothing on UART. Have tried macOS and Debian hosts.
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
We’re looking for a Werkstudent:in in Germany to help work on rust-analyzer, the open-source LSP server behind Rust editor features.
Paid student position.
🦀 Details → ferrous-systems.com/blog/student...
Paid student position.
🦀 Details → ferrous-systems.com/blog/student...
December 19, 2025 at 1:35 PM
We’re looking for a Werkstudent:in in Germany to help work on rust-analyzer, the open-source LSP server behind Rust editor features.
Paid student position.
🦀 Details → ferrous-systems.com/blog/student...
Paid student position.
🦀 Details → ferrous-systems.com/blog/student...
I've finally managed to install Mac OS X Server 1.0 on a Power Macintosh (a Beige G3). It has Boink Out. It's delightfully NeXTSTEP-ish. Wonderful.
December 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I've finally managed to install Mac OS X Server 1.0 on a Power Macintosh (a Beige G3). It has Boink Out. It's delightfully NeXTSTEP-ish. Wonderful.
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
Maybe LLMs speak prep-school (post-) Imperial British English. Because that's what most English knowers globally use.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
I'm Kenyan. I Don't Write Like ChatGPT. ChatGPT Writes Like Me.
I'm calm. I'm calm. I promise.
marcusolang.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Maybe LLMs speak prep-school (post-) Imperial British English. Because that's what most English knowers globally use.
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
marcusolang.substack.com/p/im-kenyan-...
Reposted by Jonathan Pallant
Are you in a safety-critical industry? Using the Rust programming language (@rust-lang.org) or would like to? Make your voice heard when it comes to what you'd like to see for Rust Project Goals!
(survey link below)
(survey link below)
December 9, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Are you in a safety-critical industry? Using the Rust programming language (@rust-lang.org) or would like to? Make your voice heard when it comes to what you'd like to see for Rust Project Goals!
(survey link below)
(survey link below)
Oh yay, github actions are broken again. Downloading gzipped files in CI produces files that are not valid gzip files. No idea what the hell is going on but I'm going to uncharitably assume Copilot has been working on the codebase again.
December 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Oh yay, github actions are broken again. Downloading gzipped files in CI produces files that are not valid gzip files. No idea what the hell is going on but I'm going to uncharitably assume Copilot has been working on the codebase again.