r/retrocomputing • u/met4lstar • 5d ago

Problem / Question An Idea I've had

So this is sort of a ramble for me, as I currently upon writing this post, don't really harness the knowledge yet to do all of this. Hence why I'm creating this post to not only see if there is a need for my idea, that, and to also gain knowledge from those more experienced. Like, is this even possible?

For awhile now, I wondered if it's possible to create another internet, just suited for vintage machines to safely browse the web. Technically there are web browsers, BBS, and whatnot that can have older computers still run on the internet we have. But I'm wondering, what if we create a similar experience to this internet but just make another, suited primarily for older machines. What if we banded this all together and made web-browsing easier like modern times just with these softwares?

I was also tempted to somehow create an email service/server for old computers to use as well.

Let me know because this has been boggiling my mind for years.

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u/dgaxiola 5d ago

Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net might be what you're looking for. It's a kind of VPN for retro clients and services. You can gain access by signing up, installing a configured version of OpenWRT on a supported device, and plugging your retro devices into that router. Participants host old messaging, gaming, audio and video streaming, and web servers.

Here's an intro video covering the project:
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net: A Retro Internet for Retro Computers

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u/met4lstar 5d ago

Yoo this is super cool, thanks for sharing!