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A vector graphics workstation from the 70s

201 points by ibobev

by Der_Einzige

3 subcomments

I am obsessed with Vector computing and I recently became the lucky owner of a Vectrex.
Projects like the VecFever, and PiTrex, exist to make it possible to combine vector displays with much more modern CPU technology, allowing emulating even old Vector arcade titles like Star Wars or Battlezone.
It is criminal that Vector Computing never took off past the 1980s, and has died. Nothing, not even OLEDs (sorry Vectrex-Mini guys!) can replicate the beauty of phosphor glow.
Speaking of amazing forgotten lighting effects, the techniques for the cool lighting effects used in Don Bluth films (and his games like Dragons Lair) are also forgotten/unused and I find them analogous to vector displays.
I find the death of Vector Displays and the cool display tech Don Bluth did to be great examples of "Worse is Better" and counterexamples to the idea that progress overtime inevitably makes things better.
I wanted a TechTronix vector computer super bad, and still do, especially the one's with the fast 3D and color add-ons.
I'll drop a few motivating videos:
0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M98VOoGFLL8 (TekTronix 3D/Color stuff)
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dv15YRAmzM
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j60DV0Ujp_E
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAPHGBM2sQ8
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUB6OYeCKek

by dhosek

2 subcomments

Oh man, the first graphics code I ever wrote used Tektronix vector commands for drawing. It used ASCII escape sequences to specify diagonal lines on the screen, but, as I recall you could also tell it that instead of drawing a diagonal line, you could have it draw a rectangle with what would have been the endpoints of the diagonal line being opposite corners of the rectangle. These codes were supported by some VT-series graphics terminals as well as at least one dial-up terminal program on the PC back in the 80s so that’s what I targeted on my code (which was a DVI previewer for TeX running under VM/CMS).
The original Tektronix terminals (I only ever saw one once) did all screen drawing with these vector commands (think the look of the classic Asteroids game which I think may have used a similar hardware interface to the CRT display), which naturally was not especially fast for ordinary text which is why hybrids like the abovementioned VT-series terminal (I think it was the 240/340/440 that had this) ended up supplanting the Tektronix displays.

by pnw

0 subcomment

One of my first jobs I worked in a government agency that still had Tektronix 4054 series used for capturing paper street maps point by point into a GIS via a large digitizer and puck that sat next to the system. These models had the dynamic graphics option 30 module which gives you both the static vector display (that required you to clear the entire screen), and a dynamic vector display which could be updated in real time for text entry etc. The Option 30 worked by driving the screen at a lower current and refreshing just those vectors constantly. Given the low res pixel displays of that era, even these dated displays were a great solution for that task, because the resolution was extremely high.
I remember being skeptical that all that electronic map data would be very useful to anyone outside the agency without all of the required hardware. How little I knew!

by ilaksh

1 subcomments

Love Tektronix vector computers. xterm can run Tek vector commands (search for "Tektronix xterm" such as the last time it came up on here) and I think a few demos are even included in some distros.
kitty doesn't have Tektronix vector support right? Would be cool if they would consider adding.
But something interesting happened recently which is that it is now apparently a given that terminal programs support raster graphics. At least, the people at r/command line were treating it as such when someone recently posted a program that requires something like kitty graphics protocol to work at all.
The kitty raster protocol is somewhat efficient. It could be interesting to combine that with some ideas for low latency lightweight computing and social networking.
The simplest version of that might be just to have a group of people start setting up some type of BBSs over ssh, but designed to upgrade the graphics just slightly over ANSI, or even perhaps combined with ANSI. People could use emulated vector monochrome graphics for some screens if they wanted that Tek vibe.
Another step up possibly would be to make a few STUN/TURN servers or some setup so people on IPV6 could find and each other even if at home and if IPV4 still connect with whatever NAT traversal or maybe there can be such as thing as ssh over WebRTC? That might not make sense.
You could also make it content centric and set up something to easily do RSS over IPFS (I assume that exists) with a group that has agreed they will target ANSI plus kitty graphics with some set document size limits to keep things fast and lightweight.
Because kitty graphics are based on escape codes, you might also use such a social network for distributing lightweight (binary size limited) web assembly applications and games that are designed to run in a terminal supporting that. Because web assembly runtime support for text output is good I believe.
I do think that there should be some built in load latency or data size limit tested and enforced somehow to ensure that you keep the snappiness possible with text interfaces.

by fuzzfactor

1 subcomments

The printers for these used a special vacuum tube for memory derived from the kind in television cameras.
They were massive and printed a whole page at a time, similar to the thermal page printers from Perkin-Elmer for their model 3600 Intelligent Terminal of the early 1980's, but P-E printers were much smaller by then.
3600 had vector graphics too, these were very expensive but introduced the form factor of a horizontal box with two 5 1/4 floppies, monitor on top and wired keyboard with the first row of "F" function keys people had seen. Which is the desktop form that was later adopted by IBM when they issued their first PC.

by fastaguy88

0 subcomment

Before Postscript, tektronix 4010 was the language of graphics, at least for biologists drawing phylogenetic trees or reassociation curves. The phylip phylogenetics package, introduced around 1980, still has the option to generate trees in tek4010 format.

by msarnoff

1 subcomments

Storage tubes are amazing. I once had a Tektronix 464 scope. Unlike the ubiquitous 465, the 464 was an analog storage oscilloscope! The persistence of the storage tube let you capture pulses, visualize signal jitter, etc. And there was a very satisfying erase button that cleared the tube with the characteristic green flash.
You could also just mess with the horizontal/vertical position knobs and use it as a very expensive Etch-a-Sketch.

by wrs

0 subcomment

I used one of these in 1978 or so, when it was the hotness, so it's great to see the restoration.
However, I am compelled to point out that it doesn't have a "1024*780 pixel resolution", because it doesn't have pixels. Maybe "1024*780 vector endpoint precision"?

by jacquesm

0 subcomment

The engineering on anything made by Tek is nothing short of amazing. I've a really old 'regular' scope (ok, what's really, old, by Tek standards it is still young) and a much smaller and lighter (and a bit less deep) digital one, an anemic TDS 210 that is more than good enough for any of my needs these days. But if you ever have the opportunity to have a close look at one of those scope racks on trolleys be prepared to be amazed, especially when you learn when it was made.

by riktw

1 subcomments

Author here, if someone has specific questions, or ideas on programs to run on this, do let me know!

by PopAlongKid

0 subcomment

My main used of the Tektronix terminal was to preview troff[0] output before sending the final product to the phototypesetter[1], which cost a nominal fee per page as I recall.
[0] Unix program to format high quality printed documents, similar to newspaper/magazine/book printing
[1]machine using photographic paper to output typeset pages, supporting a variety of fonts

by dn3500

0 subcomment

I bought a Tektronix 4014 in 1991 and had it until 2016. During that time it never required any repairs or calibration. Built like a tank. The guy I sold it to had to replace capacitors in the power supply, and still uses it today.

by rbanffy

2 subcomments

An incredible machine. I didn't remember this one had a dot-matrix font - later ones had a vector-based one. I'd love to see the definitions for this latter screen font.

by pjmlp

0 subcomment

I was curious about the BASIC capabilities, so
https://bitsavers.org/pdf/tektronix/405x/070-2142-02_Tek_405...

by badc0ffee

0 subcomment

GPIB! Also known as IEEE 488, it was the USB of the 70s.

by howToTestFE

1 subcomments

This sort of older tech always amazes me. Also how insanely expensive ("or around $30.000 in 2025 money") it cost

by urbandw311er

0 subcomment

What applications and workflows were these workstations typically used for?

0 subcomment

by Waterluvian

1 subcomments

> But can it run DOOM?
>No[t yet…]
I believe in the community making this a yes.

by underlipton

0 subcomment

barney being the only one whose name isn't capitalized is a low blow.

by khaki54

1 subcomments

Did he really need that crazy probe or was that a joke? Normal probes that come with Fluke 179 couldn't do it? I guess mine says 1000V so not rated for it. Do they even make 4000V handheld meters? How are you supposed to do the calibration?