Vintage Mac Meets Modern Web - Reddit, ChatGPT, WayBack Machine and more on a 1986 Macintosh Plus

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Morinth39@reddit

Wow. Incredible… makes me want to try this out on my ‘84 Mac which has been upgraded to a Plus. I have been satisfied with BBSing for the last 4 years but this looks way cooler, lol.

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troutyogurtmachine@reddit (OP)

Thanks for checking it out! Any tips on connecting to BBSes with a BlueSCSI? It's something I haven't even begun to explore yet.

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Morinth39@reddit

No idea, sorry… I know it’s possible however I used a WiFi-232 device to go online.

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troutyogurtmachine@reddit (OP)

Explained in the video, but I created an enhanced fork of the popular MacProxy project called MacProxy Plus (https://github.com/hunterirving/macproxy_plus). You run MPP on a machine on your local network and configure the Mac (or any other vintage machine) to use it as a proxy server. MPP converts HTTPS to HTTP, strips out CSS, JavaScript, and other tags the Mac's browser doesn't recognize, and serves super-simplified HTML interfaces. Custom handling is enabled by "extensions" (individual python scripts) which intercept requests for a given domain (like chatgpt.com) and return an HTML interface. Current extensions include Weather, ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Wikipedia, Reddit, Hackaday, WayBack Machine, Web Simulator, and (not) YouTube. Though this solution was developed with vintage Macs in mind, it should work for any other machine that can connect to another machine on your network as a proxy server.

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SirExidy@reddit

Okay, so from the standpoint of someone who knows nothing about electronics, what exactly would they need and where would they get it

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troutyogurtmachine@reddit (OP)

Vintage computer (MacProxy Plus was designed with vintage Macs in mind, but it should work with other old machines, too)
BlueSCSI (If you're using a Macintosh equipped with a SCSI port; otherwise, you'll need another way to connect your computer to your local network. https://bluescsi.com/ )
Host machine (Could be a laptop, desktop, or even a Raspberry Pi that runs MacProxy Plus and serves as an intermediary between your vintage machine and modern Internet)

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SirExidy@reddit

Do you know if I’m able to buy the raspberry pie and BlueSCSI and where? Will I have to program the raspberry Pi myself

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troutyogurtmachine@reddit (OP)

You can purchase a BlueSCSI at https://bluescsi.com/ , but check to make sure your Macintosh has a SCSI port. I believe the Macintosh Plus (1986) was the first to include one. BlueSCSIs can be purchased as a kit or preassembled, with a Pi included (note, they are sometimes available with base model Pi Zeros. If you want to use it to go online, you'll need one with a Pi Zero W). If you buy a preassembled kit, it will probably be preprogrammed. You'll just need to insert a microSD card with your Macintosh disk image(s) stored as .HDA files. Some example HDAs to get you started are available here: https://bluescsi.com/docs/BlueSCSI-Images

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Licalottapuss@reddit

That explains it. I have to admit my own stupidity for not clicking on the video. 🫏

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troutyogurtmachine@reddit (OP)

Nahh, not at all. I actually appreciate you asking for an explanation. I'm sure others might not have clicked the video and would prefer to have things written out in text. So thanks! :-)

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blissed_off@reddit

This is great! Fun project. I don't have a working B&W Mac right now, but I do have a Powerbook Duo 280c that I could probably get plugged into ethernet and try this with.

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