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Show HN: Resurrecting Infocom's Unix Z-Machine with Cosmopolitan

(christopherdrum.github.io)
156 points ChristopherDrum | 2 comments | 14 Apr 25 03:51 UTC | HN request time: 0.407s | source

I recently brought Infocom's original UNIX z-machine source code back to life on modern systems. The modified source code, instructions on usage, a build of the z-machine, and examples of embedded game executables are available.

There is also a detailed write-up about the state of the original source code, the porting process, and the invaluable role Justine Tunney's Cosmpolitan project played in bringing the Zork trilogy (and more) to Windows/Mac/Linux/bsd for arm/x86 machines over the course of a lazy Sunday.

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joshu ◴[14 Apr 25 04:57 UTC] No.43678188[source]▶
i think ucsd p-system vm predates z-machine by a couple of years (re OP's origin of vm use comment)
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ChristopherDrum ◴[14 Apr 25 05:10 UTC] No.43678260[source]▶
Interesting to know, thanks. My intention with that comment was in pondering about vms distributed commercially in the home market, which I don't think I made clear enough in the post. :/
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1. flonkyflonk ◴[14 Apr 25 10:29 UTC] No.43679816[source]▶
Blank and Berez were definitely thinking about p-machines when they designed the Z machine, and there is a hat tip in the 1980 Creative Computing article describing its inner workings.

[1]: https://mud.co.uk/richard/htflpism.htm

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2. ghaff ◴[14 Apr 25 15:30 UTC] No.43682400[source]▶
And the founders were AFAIK mostly looking at games as a testbed for bigger and better things—a mindset that unfortunately led to the Cornerstone database.