November 3, 2025
Card-punched nostalgia vs AI slop wars
S1130 – IBM 1130 Emulator in C#
Retro IBM 1130 emulator lands; commenters demand screenshots, cry AI slop, and share card tales
TLDR: An open-source IBM 1960s computer emulator in C# promises cross‑platform runs and strong tests, but its disk feature is incomplete. Commenters split between nostalgia and skepticism: people want screenshots, a bootable image, and proof it actually boots, while one voice calls it “LLM slop,” sparking a clarity‑versus‑credibility debate.
Old-school meets new-school: an IBM 1130 emulator in C# just landed, promising a full simulated brain (the CPU), a virtual card reader, and a work-in-progress disk drive. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, with 335+ fast tests and even a web API and optional React frontend. See the repo: S1130 on GitHub.
But the crowd instantly split. gwbas1c fired the opening shot with “Screenshots?” and a barrage of practical questions: does it boot, where’s the operating system, and how do you actually run a program? sigfubar went full spicy, calling it “LLM slop” and asking if it’s all vibe-coded. Meanwhile, m463 dropped nostalgia: punched cards, green‑bar printer paper, and Fortran memories, turning the thread into a mini history class.
The jokes flew: people quipped about shoving cardboard into USB slots and whether “1 million instructions in 1000ms” means anything if there’s no demo. The real clash is clarity vs credibility: slick build instructions, yet no obvious screenshot or starter image to prove the thing boots. That missing disk drive support adds fuel. Fans say it’s a cool retro revival that welcomes contributions; skeptics want a video, a bootable image, and answers now. Documentation gaps keep the comment section buzzing.
Key Points
- •S1130 is a C# IBM 1130 emulator updated for .NET Core/.NET 8, supporting Linux, Mac, and Windows.
- •It simulates the IBM 1130 CPU, memory, interrupts, and devices including the 2501 card reader and partially the 2310 disk drive.
- •The project includes 335+ unit tests with performance benchmarks and coverage of instructions, device behavior, and edge cases.
- •Status: CPU core is fully functional; 2501 card reader complete; 2310 disk drive partial; legacy PowerShell integration untested.
- •A backend Web API and optional React frontend are provided, with setup instructions, test commands, and optional Docker support.