TimeDial.org is a public BBS-style system that you can access through a browser, SSH, Telnet, or a raw TCP socket.

Whether you're logging in with a modern terminal or a real vintage setup, TimeDial lets you explore a shell environment, play classic games, and even run authentic vintage software on simulated machines like the PDP-11 and VAX.

TimeDial is built with true vintage compatibility in mind. The interface dynamically adapts to both 40- and 80-column displays, meaning it works just as well on a real terminal as on a modern terminal emulator. It's also optimized for slow connections and remains usable even at 1200 baud.

How to Connect

Connect using any of the following ports with the username guest and the password guest. The system will guide you through creating a new account. Once that's done, simply log in again using your personal username and password.

Web SSH Connect directly using your browser through our WebSSH client
22 - SSH (recommended; use with PuTTY or similar)
23 - Telnet
24 - Raw TCP (least ideal, but useful for serial-to-TCP bridges or vintage terminals)

In addition, for those seeking an authentic vintage experience, you can even slow down your connection:

1223 - Telnet Emulates a 1200 baud connection
2423 - Telnet Emulates a 2400 baud connection
9623 - Telnet Emulates a 9600 baud connection

Privacy Note: While passwords are encrypted on the server, Telnet and raw TCP connections transmit credentials in plain text. Don't store anything important on the server and use a unique password you don't use elsewhere.

What You'll Find Inside

The platform is still in its early stages, but already offers:

Classic Simulated Hardware

Run real software on simulated vintage systems. Always wanted to try out BSD UNIX but don't have a PDP-11 lying around? Now's your chance!

Each simulator runs as a private instance, with disk images and configuration files stored in your personal home directory. That means full control - modify your setup, log in from multiple terminals, and pick up right where you left off.

Altair 8800 (8800) with BASIC 3.2
Altair 8800 (Z80) with CP/M 3.0 and 8 drives full of vintage software
Data General Nova with RDOS 7.5
PDP-11/70 with 2.11BSD
PDP-11/45 with Version 7 UNIX
VAX 8600 with OpenVMS 7.1
Want something else? Just ask or build it your self!

More information about the simulators

Interactive Shells: Bash and C-Shell

Access your own home directory, manage files, create scripts - the power of Unix is at your fingertips.

Currently available shells:

Bash
C Shell (csh)
More on the way - request your favorite!

Classic Games

Step into the world of early interactive entertainment with text-based adventures and dungeon crawlers that helped define entire genres.

Rogue - The dungeon crawler that started it all.
Zork (Original Epic) - The complete, uncut version from the late 1970s.
Zork I: The Great Underground Empire (1980) - Begin your quest for fame and fortune.
Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz (1981) - Face the cunning wizard and descend deeper.
Zork III: The Dungeon Master (1982) - Confront fate and face your ultimate test.
Classic BSD games - All of the classic games from 2BSD and 4BSD

Tools

Communicate with others or explore the web - all from the command line.

Mail - Traditional Unix mail client (limited to internal messaging)
Lynx - A text-based web browser that lets you explore the modern web from a vintage terminal

Media and demo's

See what your terminal can really do!

ASCII Star Wars - Watch the original Star Wars in the best possible way
VT100 player - A large collection of VT100 animations, most of which also work on newer terminals
And many more!

Rules

This is a shared space - treat it like your favorite old machine: with curiosity and care!

Be respectful to others
Don't break things that aren't yours

Source code

All of the source code for TimeDial.org can be found on GitHub