Admiral Shark

Hi, I'm Admiral Shark, and I've been on a mission to collect, research and document IBM, Lexmark, Unicomp, Lenovo & TGCS keyboards for 5 years for posterity! I also enjoy PCs, ThinkPads, terminals & POS equipment. Site: sharktastica.co.uk Socials: linktr.ee/sharktastica Reddit: reddit.com/r/modelm

Isn't it stunning? 🥹

Many months in the making, vga16fb on #SHORK #Linux finally works, providing general EGA & VGA framebuffer support so non-VBE2+ devices like this IBM #ThinkPad 365ED can enjoy SHORKGUI! NGL, it currently doesn't run that well, but it's certainly a start & can rest easy tonight now this is working!

Say hello to SHORK 586! I added an option to the #SHORK 486 #Linux configurator to select the target architecture for optimisation. If you select a 586, you now get this! For now, it shares the same features & programs as SHORK 486, but I anticipate 586 will gain new, unique multimedia stuff soon!

Margaret Hamilton, who led the 100-person team that wrote the onboard software for the Apollo missions, has died.

#SHORK 486 #Linux was covered on @thisweekinretro.bsky.social! Huge thanks to them for covering SHORK, to Veronica Explains for the kind words and enthusiasm! 💙 www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ts...

MAXIMUM SEGA.

#SHORK 486 #Linux now finally includes more than 1 game! New BSD Games (nbsdgames), a pack of 22 minigames such as battleships, checkers, jewels, reversi, minesweeper, etc., and the Tetris clone CTris! github.com/SharktasticA...

#SHORK 486 #Linux now finally includes more than 1 game! New BSD Games (nbsdgames), a pack of 22 minigames such as battleships, checkers, jewels, reversi, minesweeper, etc., and the Tetris clone CTris! github.com/SharktasticA...

The last few days have seen #SHORK 486 #Linux's PCMCIA stack & config much improve! Here is my IBM ThinkPad 365ED online, tethered to my phone via a Xircom RE-100 connected to a Type-C USB hub with Ethernet (pretty much how I plan take SHORK online on trains, etc.) github.com/SharktasticA...

The last few days have seen #SHORK 486 #Linux's PCMCIA stack & config much improve! Here is my IBM ThinkPad 365ED online, tethered to my phone via a Xircom RE-100 connected to a Type-C USB hub with Ethernet (pretty much how I plan take SHORK online on trains, etc.) github.com/SharktasticA...

Blumineck lo ha vuelto a hacer 🥹 le aplaudo hasta que se me caigan las manos, bravo. "Be masculine, be feminine, be neither, or be both. But be kind."

It’s #ThrowbackThursday and a #LatestDonation! 🌞 We’re exploring our recently donated Sun SPARCstation Coyager, introduced in 1994. Here’s a look at the Voyager from the inside, as our volunteers inspect this fascinating “nomadic” UNIX workstation. 🔧🖥️

We may soon have DOS emulation on #SHORK 486! I compiled dosemu2 with the hope of at least providing a means to run DOS-era Word and WordPerfect. There are teething issues to work out like RAM usage and sound, and the question remains whether it runs acceptably on 486, but the first step is laid!

#Linux kernel 7.3-rc1 was just released, and yes, I've already patched 486, TSC-less 586 and x87 emulation support back in for #SHORK 486! I had a much easier time than doing so for 7.2! 😁

#Linux kernel 7.3-rc1 was just released, and yes, I've already patched 486, TSC-less 586 and x87 emulation support back in for #SHORK 486! I had a much easier time than doing so for 7.2! 😁

#Linux kernel 7.2 has been released and is available with #SHORK 486! Naturally, I immediately 'punished' it with a 486SX and 8MiB RAM, and it still works rather nicely! With 7.2 now out, I'm giving myself a week to wrap up development of and release Public Test 1!

#Linux kernel 7.2 has been released and is available with #SHORK 486! Naturally, I immediately 'punished' it with a 486SX and 8MiB RAM, and it still works rather nicely! With 7.2 now out, I'm giving myself a week to wrap up development of and release Public Test 1!

Happy 45th birthday to the IBM PC and Model F/XT! I scrambled to get this done in a day, a tribute but keyboard-orientated. There are definitely things I could've added and improved on, but it will do. Just note to everyone: NEVER leave things last minute... sharktastica.co.uk/articles/pc-...

Is this image just image just blank for y'all? It's using a big, scawy cutting edge technology called a "PNG"...

Happy 50th patent birthday to the IBM 327X-75 Model B Base Keyboard, the smol keyboard option for the IBM 3251 Graphics Display Station, 3276 Control Unit Display Station, 3278 Display Station, 3279 Color Display Station and 8775 Display Terminal! sharktastica.co.uk/topics/keybo...

#SHORK 486 #Linux can now include cURL, Lua & Tilde! GNU Emacs & micro are also under testing and should be available soon, pending optimisation. A #writerDeck centric edition of SHORK can now be built, which prioritises including text editors and fewer distractions. github.com/SharktasticA...

#SHORK 486 #Linux can now include cURL, Lua & Tilde! GNU Emacs & micro are also under testing and should be available soon, pending optimisation. A #writerDeck centric edition of SHORK can now be built, which prioritises including text editors and fewer distractions. github.com/SharktasticA...

Legacy Actors Team Up To Tell Paramount What Star Trek Is...at SDCC 2026 #StarTrek #SDCC @trekculture.bsky.social youtu.be/MZW2Rg2DzfU?...

Took some up-to-date photos of #SHORK 486 #Linux on my #IBM #ThinkPad 365ED, demonstrating kernel 7.2-rc working with 486/586 support patched back in! More photos: ftp.sharktastica.co.uk/shork-linux/...

#SHORK 486 #Linux has finally got Vim! Wasn't so easy since it turns out it's a RAM hog on 486 levels of RAM... If you have 16MiB RAM + 16 swap, 24+8 or 32, it's fine. Otherwise, opening files that trigger syntax highlighting is too much... To fix, SHORK automatically creates a swapfile for Vim.

#SHORK 486 #Linux has finally got Vim! Wasn't so easy since it turns out it's a RAM hog on 486 levels of RAM... If you have 16MiB RAM + 16 swap, 24+8 or 32, it's fine. Otherwise, opening files that trigger syntax highlighting is too much... To fix, SHORK automatically creates a swapfile for Vim.

A productive start of the week for #SHORK 486 #Linux with Cscope, Ctags, dialog, Indent, Make & NASM compiled and tested! There was also "budget" to enable 33 new BusyBox coreutils. All can now be tried from the PT1 branch! Here are all the available commands on a Plus build as of tonight!

A productive start of the week for #SHORK 486 #Linux with Cscope, Ctags, dialog, Indent, Make & NASM compiled and tested! There was also "budget" to enable 33 new BusyBox coreutils. All can now be tried from the PT1 branch! Here are all the available commands on a Plus build as of tonight!

#SHORK 486 #Linux will be getting some minesweeper! I found an interesting implementation, terminal-mines by Joel Ekström, that I forked, simplified given the target platform and added SHORK's visual cues. Available with SHORK soon! github.com/SharktasticA...

#SHORK 486 #Linux will be getting some minesweeper! I found an interesting implementation, terminal-mines by Joel Ekström, that I forked, simplified given the target platform and added SHORK's visual cues. Available with SHORK soon! github.com/SharktasticA...

The #SHORK #Linux build script now has an option to configure SHORK 486 for serial console usage for you! Here's a demonstration of it...

The #SHORK #Linux build script now has an option to configure SHORK 486 for serial console usage for you! Here's a demonstration of it...

A quick demo of the WIP #SHORK INSTALLER (shorkstall). If your system is too old to boot a CD, you can at least use SHORK DISKETTE as a boot disk, mount the SHORK DISC CD with it, and still run shorkstall. Note: on real 486 hardware, it won't be as fast as this...

#Linux #kernel 7.2-rc1 on #SHORK 486 now in testing with restored 586 and x87 math emulation support! SHORK DISC is now available for building and burning SHORK to a CD - just make sure you have an El Torito-compatible BIOS. SHORK DISC will soon serve as the basis for SHORK 486's installation media.

#Linux #kernel 7.1 is out & can be built with #SHORK 486! 7.1 removes 486 support, some ISA & PCMCIA network drivers & IBM PC 110 trackpad driver - all of which are patched back in! github.com/SharktasticA... SHORK 486's first release is next week as I hope to expand testing and gauge more opinions!

#Linux #kernel 7.1 is out & can be built with #SHORK 486! 7.1 removes 486 support, some ISA & PCMCIA network drivers & IBM PC 110 trackpad driver - all of which are patched back in! github.com/SharktasticA... SHORK 486's first release is next week as I hope to expand testing and gauge more opinions!

A smol writeup for the day! sharktastica.co.uk/meetups/2026...

A smol writeup for the day! sharktastica.co.uk/meetups/2026...

Yesterday, I attended a keyboard meetup in Bristol to fly the IBM/vintage flag! Naturally, I brought a venerable HAJ protector for the table! The ThinkPad displayed a continuous slideshow of other IBM keyboard/keyboard adjacent heritage! Photos of the event: ftp.sharktastica.co.uk/meetups/2026...

😔 Looks like the Model M MCANPOS & MPOS LCD keyboards have been retired, gone from TGCS's site. If true, it means we're down to just 3 Model Ms with buckling sleeve switches - original IBM ThinkPad keyboard descendents - left. 35 years of history at knife's edge. commerce.toshiba.com/wps/portal/m...

I'm pissed."would not have broad appeal beyond the franchise’s already dedicated fanbase." So, it was probably gonna be good? I guess we should've known what was gonna go down given this is Amazon. I'm also so sorry for everyone involved with making it. They had a good band of people assembled.

For my #Arch #Linux friends out there, shorkfetch (my shark-themed *fetch utility originally for SHORK 486) is now on AUR! Please give it a try and let me know what you think and if there any bugs or weird/overly verbose output! github.com/SharktasticA... aur.archlinux.org/packages/sho...

For my #Arch #Linux friends out there, shorkfetch (my shark-themed *fetch utility originally for SHORK 486) is now on AUR! Please give it a try and let me know what you think and if there any bugs or weird/overly verbose output! github.com/SharktasticA... aur.archlinux.org/packages/sho...

SHORK 486 #Linux can now be built with multi-user/password-protected support! About time I added this... I feel like we're getting close to a first release for wider testing/beta. I think the main thing missing now is a proper settings program... Soon! github.com/SharktasticA...

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