February 25, 2026
Systemd on a toaster?
Show HN: Unix for the Commodore 64? Open Source
Tiny ‘Unix’ for Commodore 64 adds passwords, flair, and drama — nostalgia vs AI claims
TLDR: C64UX v0.7 turns the Commodore 64 into a tiny Unix‑like setup with passwords, themes, and a playful boot sequence. Comments split between heartwarming nostalgia and a heated debate over alleged AI‑authored code and licensing, spotlighting the clash between retro fun and proper attribution.
The retro crowd just got a treat: C64UX v0.7 aims to make the beloved Commodore 64 feel like a tiny, self-contained “Unix‑style” world with login passwords, color themes, and a theatrical boot scroll. Fans on Hacker News cheered the vibes — DARK mode on a 1980s computer? Yes, chef — and laughed at the “systemd‑inspired” startup messages on an 8‑bit machine. The “three failed logins send you back to BASIC” detail became an instant meme, while the plain‑text password by design note had security purists clutching pearls and posting mock PSAs.
Then the thread erupted. One user dropped a nostalgia bomb: they almost finished a full Unix‑like OS for the C64 back in 1987 but ditched it for a new girlfriend — pure hacker‑romcom energy. But the spiciest drama was a call‑out alleging the project used AI‑generated code: “MIT license and claiming authorship on Claude output?” Cue a licensing showdown. Defenders argued the point is the fun of open source on vintage hardware; critics demanded attribution receipts. Between playful boot screens, GREEN theme jokes, and REU (RAM Expansion Unit) nods, the vibe whiplashed from cozy retro to courtroom cosplay. In short: nostalgia vs provenance, with the Commodore 64 starring in the most dramatic tech reboot you didn’t know you needed.
Key Points
- •C64UX v0.7 adds a username/password login system with interactive first-run credential setup.
- •Credentials are stored in a SEQ config file (CONFIG), auto-loaded at startup; three failed logins return to BASIC.
- •New THEME command provides NORMAL, DARK, and GREEN color themes; settings affect border, background, and text.
- •A systemd-inspired boot scroll shows staged initialization (kernel, memory, filesystem, heap, hardware, REU, devices) with timed delays.
- •Internal boot and configuration improvements include a dedicated boot_sequence, REU detection in boot, cleaned clock/uptime, and graceful failures if disk access is unavailable.