Ghosts in the ROM (2012) (opens in new tab)

(nycresistor.com)

155 pointsgelstudios1y ago23 comments

23 comments

22 comments · 8 top-level

sircastor1y ago· 6 in thread

I don't remember how I learned it, but back when my family had a IIci I remember there was a startup key command you could press to display an image of the developers in the ROM. I kind of miss the days when that sort of thing was done.

spogbiper1y ago

similar on my childhood radio shack computer - https://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/CoCo3_Easter_Egg

ASalazarMX1y ago

As a kid I didn't have Internet yet, but somehow had a CoCo3. Many times I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Reset and wondered what was the purpose of this image, I even made a BASIC program to dump it on tape from the ROM. Didn't learn the answer to that mystery for many years.

wkjagt1y ago

Computers were still something special back then. I miss that too.

wslh1y ago

In the Commodore Amiga you can turn off and on the power light. Weird for these times.

kevindamm1y ago

On the Sega Master System there was an entire game in the ROM -- Snail Maze (the walls and floor reminiscent of the company's logo). Pressing up-left and both buttons while turning on the console with no cartridge in the slot would start the game.

1 more reply

unwind1y ago

That is because the power indicator LED also serves as an indicator of the audio low-pass filter. Rather quirky, yes.

kalleboo1y ago· 4 in thread

I checked out the comments where some of the original engineers who put this into the ROM commented. Right smack in the middle is a comment from Terry A Davis as well. Damn.

Aerbil3131y ago

Wow. I didn't know he died in 2018 either. Always thought he was from pre-2000s, maybe it's because I thought nobody can create an OS this recently.

hackmiester1y ago

That's why people found his work so amazing.

HeckFeck1y ago

Surreal indeed. Here he is: https://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/com...

As early as 2012 he was sharing the gospel of what was to become TempleOS.

3abiton1y ago

Terry Davis is an easter egg by himself.

grvbck1y ago· 2 in thread

This brings back fond memories of the various Blue Meanies easter eggs in System 7.0.1 on my first Mac (actually my dad's LC).

"Help! Help! We're being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

duskwuff1y ago

System 7.0: "Help! Help! We're being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.1: "Help! Help! We're still being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.5: "Help! Help! He's STILL being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.5.3: "Mercenaries hit the software factory and freed the prisoners."

0823498723498721y ago

!ɿɘƨwoɿd dɘw ɒ ni bɘnoƨiɿqmi nɘɘd ɘv'I !qlɘH

MontagFTB1y ago· 1 in thread

Lots of great 90s Apple Easter Eggs are listed here (the PDF): https://www.macintoshrepository.org/226-apple-easter-eggs

My favorite one is the story of an engineer who hid an image of Paula Abdul on a CD-ROM (another version I heard was a ROM chip) without anyone’s knowledge. When the image was finally discovered production had already begun, making for a very expensive Easter egg to remove.

kevindamm1y ago

I think perhaps the best side effect of the OSS movement is that software developers now are more likely to consider the impact of licensing.

jMyles1y ago· 1 in thread

So uhhh... does anyone know all the people? I'd love to know each person's nane.

officeplant1y ago

Some links in the comments from ex-engineers and people who knew about the easter egg apparently documented for over a decade when this was published.

>https://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/com...

>https://discussions.apple.com/thread/122367?sortBy=best

dang1y ago

Discussed at the time (of the article):

Ghosts in the rom - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4416032 - Aug 2012 (22 comments)

whoopdedo1y ago

The resource type 'SERD' is a driver for the SCC IO processor.

https://archive.org/details/SWIMDesignDocs/IOP%20serial%20dr...

joezydeco1y ago

I always got a chuckle out of the guy in sunglasses in the second image. It looks like it was hand-edited to make the shades completely black.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

23 comments

22 comments · 8 top-level

sircastor1y ago· 6 in thread

spogbiper1y ago

similar on my childhood radio shack computer - https://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/CoCo3_Easter_Egg

ASalazarMX1y ago

wkjagt1y ago

Computers were still something special back then. I miss that too.

wslh1y ago

In the Commodore Amiga you can turn off and on the power light. Weird for these times.

kevindamm1y ago

1 more reply

unwind1y ago

That is because the power indicator LED also serves as an indicator of the audio low-pass filter. Rather quirky, yes.

kalleboo1y ago· 4 in thread

I checked out the comments where some of the original engineers who put this into the ROM commented. Right smack in the middle is a comment from Terry A Davis as well. Damn.

Aerbil3131y ago

Wow. I didn't know he died in 2018 either. Always thought he was from pre-2000s, maybe it's because I thought nobody can create an OS this recently.

hackmiester1y ago

That's why people found his work so amazing.

HeckFeck1y ago

Surreal indeed. Here he is: https://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/com...

As early as 2012 he was sharing the gospel of what was to become TempleOS.

3abiton1y ago

Terry Davis is an easter egg by himself.

grvbck1y ago· 2 in thread

This brings back fond memories of the various Blue Meanies easter eggs in System 7.0.1 on my first Mac (actually my dad's LC).

"Help! Help! We're being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

duskwuff1y ago

System 7.0: "Help! Help! We're being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.1: "Help! Help! We're still being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.5: "Help! Help! He's STILL being held prisoner in a system software factory!"

System 7.5.3: "Mercenaries hit the software factory and freed the prisoners."

0823498723498721y ago

!ɿɘƨwoɿd dɘw ɒ ni bɘnoƨiɿqmi nɘɘd ɘv'I !qlɘH

MontagFTB1y ago· 1 in thread

Lots of great 90s Apple Easter Eggs are listed here (the PDF): https://www.macintoshrepository.org/226-apple-easter-eggs

kevindamm1y ago

I think perhaps the best side effect of the OSS movement is that software developers now are more likely to consider the impact of licensing.

jMyles1y ago· 1 in thread

So uhhh... does anyone know all the people? I'd love to know each person's nane.

officeplant1y ago

Some links in the comments from ex-engineers and people who knew about the easter egg apparently documented for over a decade when this was published.

>https://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/com...

>https://discussions.apple.com/thread/122367?sortBy=best

dang1y ago

Discussed at the time (of the article):

Ghosts in the rom - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4416032 - Aug 2012 (22 comments)

whoopdedo1y ago

The resource type 'SERD' is a driver for the SCC IO processor.

https://archive.org/details/SWIMDesignDocs/IOP%20serial%20dr...

joezydeco1y ago

I always got a chuckle out of the guy in sunglasses in the second image. It looks like it was hand-edited to make the shades completely black.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse