Paolo Amoroso

Astronomy, space, retrocomputing, Lisp, Linux, coding.

No stock photos, SEO, marketing, clickbait, ads, or calls to action. I Just enjoy sharing my geeky interests.

#Lisp #Interlisp #CommonLisp

Public Key

npub18xgq8g5lllkdj9u3vs0ctfz007f6hmj3299t34ypferpxz44qrqs77le4m

NIP-05 Address

amoroso@oldbytes-space.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsrnyqr520llmxez7gkg8u9538hlyataeg4zj4c6jq5u3snp26spsgpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qz9nhwden5te0wfjkccte9ehx7um5wghxyctwvs4dly3c

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

relay.nostr.band

Author Public Key

npub18xgq8g5lllkdj9u3vs0ctfz007f6hmj3299t34ypferpxz44qrqs77le4m

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Last Notes

2025-06-08 10:31:34

Quarkdown is a typesetting system based on a Markdown dialect with a Turing-complete scripting extension. It can produce books, articles, and slide presentations in HTML and PDF formats.
I'm playing with the tool which is easy to use and quite versatile.
https://github.com/iamgio/quarkdown?tab=readme-ov-file
#markdown

2025-06-07 19:36:27

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@nprofile…94y5 A pioneer.

2025-06-07 17:43:01

RIP Bill Atkinson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Atkinson
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210606
#retrocomputing #HyperCard #apple

2025-06-07 17:43:01

RIP Bill Atkinson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Atkinson
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44210606
#retrocomputing #HyperCard #apple

2025-06-06 10:25:40

A great introduction to Common Lisp symbols in a FAQ-ish format.
https://kevingal.com/blog/cl-symbols.html
#CommonLisp #lisp

2025-06-02 19:17:51

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@nprofile…m2ru TeX is another piece of timeless software.
@nprofile…r4ut

2025-06-01 10:28:27

Seeing text in Computer Modern fonts instantly triggers a pavlovian reflex in me. My mind wanders back to when I first read the TeX-typeset books and software manuals that shaped my journey to computing.
#TeX #retrocomputing

2025-05-31 11:12:24

"Stimulating Simulations: Ten unique programs in BASIC for the computer hobbyist" by William Engel, published in 1977, was in the great tradition of project based books of the early personal computing era. It presented ideas and BASIC code for simulation programs in domains from games to space flight and business.
https://archive.org/details/Stimulating_Simulations_1977_C_William_Engel/mode/2up?view=theater
#retrocomputing #basic #books

2025-05-29 10:48:35

Jeff Shrager, who collects early ELIZA programs, is trying to make the seminal AI program Logic Theorist (LT) by Simon, Newell, and Shaw run in the original IPL-V it was written in. He's seeking help in learning IPL-V, an early list processing language with much of the features of Lisp.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7332656354811101184
#retrocomputing #ai #eliza

2025-05-28 09:34:33

Interlisp source files embed binary control codes for text formatting such as ^F^B for bold. GitHub renders the codes as boxes in browsers other than Firefox, which strips the codes. Here's a sample file:
https://github.com/pamoroso/braincons/blob/main/BRAINCONS
Codeberg thinks the sources are binary files and doesn't render them. The same file on Codeberg:
https://codeberg.org/amoroso/braincons/src/branch/main/BRAINCONS
I'd love to migrate my Interlisp code to @nprofile…8x0h but this is a showstopper.
#interlisp #codeberg #GitHub

2025-05-25 10:39:15

These late 1980s and early 1990s papers reviewed the state of hypertext research and applications, covering systems such as NoteCards, GNU Info, Intermedia, CREF by @nprofile…9z2k, HyperCard, and more. They capture the intense activity and exploration around a still young and rapidly evolving field.
A Survey of Hypertext
http://csis.pace.edu/~marchese/CS835/Readings/conklin95survey.pdf
State of the Art Review on Hypermedia Issues And Applications
https://www.academia.edu/download/113330463/balasubramanian94.pdf
#HyperText #retrocomputing

2025-05-24 10:16:24

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@nprofile…zfuh Books and resources for exploring computers as creative tools, as opposed to using them for carrying out tasks, were much more common back then.
@nprofile…de2h

2025-05-22 10:42:33

In 1988 BYTE magazine published a second special issue on Lisp.
By that time two major standards were emerging, Common Lisp and Scheme, which the coverage reflects. The resource guide is a snapshot of the Lisp market back then.
https://archive.org/details/198802_byte_magazine_vol_13_02_14_multiscan_monitors_lisp_pdf__mlib/mode/2up?view=theater
#lisp #CommonLisp #scheme #retrocomputing

2025-05-21 10:41:02

Angelo Pesce on the tyranny of code, i.e. the inertia and resistance to change of large codebases: "The only answer to large codebases is not to have them".
https://c0de517e.com/022_tyranny.htm
#SoftwareEngineering

2025-05-20 10:18:33

I'm on the board of ISAA (Italian Space and Astronautics Association), an Italian non-profit organization for space outreach. We run our own Mastodon instance with a main account @nprofile…t72s for news and information and a bot @nprofile…ghqt for data and media. I have an account there @nprofile…s07h only for space and astronomy in Italian.
We use and believe in open systems and hope to reduce our reliance on X and Facebook.
#space #mastodon

2025-05-19 10:39:28

A 1990 MSc dissertation on the theory and design of dialog boxes in GUIs. An overview of the field at the time, with examples also drawn from Interlisp-D such as the Trillium UI designer for Xerox copiers.
https://repository.rit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1105&context=theses
#gui #retrocomputing #interlisp

2025-05-16 10:45:08

When updating a video, under Advanded settings > Video thumbnail PeerTube @nprofile…kz02 now lets you select a specific frame as the thumbnail directly from the video player.
A really handy interface not even YouTube has. The feature was likely released at least a few months ago but I only just noticed.
To improve metadata — and just for fun — I revised the thumbnails of all my videos.
#PeerTube #fediverse #tips

2025-05-16 06:07:36

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@nprofile…zyjy There's some nice detail on the disc.

2025-05-14 10:16:09

Eric Normand on REPL-driven development in Lisp and other languages:
The REPL accelerates learning by increasing the speed and information richness of feedback.
[...]
Fast, rich feedback is essential to achieving a flow state.
https://ericnormand.substack.com/p/repl-driven-development-and-learning
#repl #lisp #clojure

2025-05-13 10:43:12

An online exhibition of historically significant Internet artifacts such as the 1977 ARPANET map, the first smiley, the first MP3, the first Amazon order, and more. A nicely curated and designed collection.
https://neal.fun/internet-artifacts
#retrocomputing #internet #web

2025-05-12 10:44:55

DandeGUI now supports rich text for window output. DandeGUI is the GUI library for Medley Interlisp I'm writing in Common Lisp.
https://journal.paoloamoroso.com/changing-text-style-for-dandegui-window-output
#CommonLisp #interlisp #lisp

2025-05-11 10:48:27

Do you use the kSuite/kDrive cloud productivity suite or migrated your Google data there? How do you like it? What about support? I'd appreciate your feedback on the product and your experience.
https://www.infomaniak.com/en/ksuite/ksuite-pro
#ksuite #kdrive #EuropeanAlternatives #google

2025-05-10 11:28:31

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@nprofile…l9v9 What is on there? Arrow key support?

2025-05-10 11:26:11

How can I get in touch with Gilbert Baumann, the maintainer of the Common Lisp Nova Spec? https://novaspec.org
I'd like to suggest a feature. Typing a string in the search box brings up a list of matching entries, and mouse-clicking one opens the corresponding page. It would be handy to navigate the list with the up/down keys and press ENTER to select.
#CommonLisp #lisp

2025-05-08 10:37:40

There's more to avoiding calling Lisp homoiconic because it's an inaccurate or incomplete characterization. As Shriram Krishnamurthi @nprofile…8atg points out, this misses the point of why Lisp languages are different. To capture this he introduces the concept of "bicamerality".
https://parentheticallyspeaking.org/articles/bicameral-not-homoiconic
#lisp #CommonLisp #scheme

2025-05-07 10:50:29

Alan Kay on what platform could have set computing on a better trajectory than the 1980s micros did.
https://www.quora.com/In-the-early-days-of-personal-computing-what-one-platform-if-successfully-commercialized-could-have-set-computing-on-a-better-trajectory-than-the-1980s-micros-did-Details-in-comments/answer/Alan-Kay-11?ch=10&oid=1477743858328604&share=ae07a68f&srid=ofklT&target_type=answer
#AlanKay #retrocomputing

2025-05-05 10:51:32

The PicoCalc uLisp Machine is a Clockwork Pi PicoCalc handheld computer that runs uLisp, a Lisp implementation for microcontrollers.
The Clockwork Pi PicoCalc features an RP2040/2350-based Raspberry Pi Pico or Pi Pico 2 board, and has a nice 320x320 4" colour IPS display and keyboard. uLisp provides a rich environment and tools.
http://www.ulisp.com/show?56ZO
#ulisp #lisp #rpi #rpipico #rp2040

2025-05-04 10:44:24

A step by step guide for migrating from Windows 10 to Linux Mint Cinnamon. It's a good overview of how to install and set up Mint, regardless of migrations from other operating systems.
https://www.reallinuxuser.com/windows-10-is-ending-how-to-switch-from-windows-10-to-linux-mint-in-10-easy-steps
#Windows10 #linux #SwitchToLinux

2025-05-01 10:35:58

David Oliver @nprofile…a9mz on the act of curating and reading a collection of RSS feeds:
The experience of using an RSS reader is and should be characteristically different than using other forms of social media.
https://www.doliver.org/articles/rss-as-a-skill
#rss #feeds

2025-04-30 10:42:33

A Renaissance era basilica next to a rocket is not an Italian take on a space launch site. This mockup of an early version of the Vega European launcher is on display at the "Leonardo da Vinci" Science and Technology Museum in downtown Milan, Italy.
My other photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PgHt2vxbyZjRkuTf6
#space #rocket #esa
https://assets.oldbytes.space/assets.oldbytes.space/media_attachments/files/114/426/494/096/529/101/original/18d648c30557b92f.jpeg

2025-04-28 16:14:50

Hello!
I live in Milan, Italy, where I've always worked in astronomy and space outreach and education. I post about these and my other tech interests such as Lisp, retrocomputing, Linux, Assembly, and more.
This is me at Kennedy Space Center on Apr 21, 2022. Behind, at pad 39A, is the Falcon 9 rocket that carried my astronaut friend Samantha Cristoforetti to space days later. More photos of the experience:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvRAMJCqoib9WTLb8
#introduction #retrocomputing #lisp #astronomy #space
https://assets.oldbytes.space/assets.oldbytes.space/media_attachments/files/114/416/473/658/322/231/original/eda4149d321950ec.jpeg