https://apfelhammer.de/tags/vt520/ Recent content in Vt520 on Apfelhammer Hugo en-en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:07:09 +0100 https://apfelhammer.de/posts/a-dec-vt520-as-a-linux-writing-terminal/ Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:07:09 +0100 https://apfelhammer.de/posts/a-dec-vt520-as-a-linux-writing-terminal/ <p><strong>Using a VT520 on a Utilite Pro over a Zimodem Wi-Fi modem — with working German umlauts, UTF-8 files, and <code>nano</code>.</strong></p> <p>This guide describes a working setup and explains how to rebuild it. It covers the two problems that cost the most time:</p> <ol> <li><strong>German umlauts are garbled or missing</strong> because the VT520 speaks ISO-8859-1 / DEC character sets, while modern Linux and Hugo expect UTF-8.</li> <li><strong>Typed characters are invisible</strong> because <code>netkit-telnetd</code> and the Zimodem negotiate the Telnet <code>ECHO</code> option incorrectly.</li> </ol> <p>The solution keeps the host fully UTF-8, transcodes only inside GNU <code>screen</code>, and explicitly re-enables terminal echo for VT520 logins.</p> https://apfelhammer.de/posts/dec-vt-520-terminal/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 22:12:19 +0100 https://apfelhammer.de/posts/dec-vt-520-terminal/ <p>I am a big fan of <strong>Terminals</strong> since I ever discovered them. Because I am a few years too young to truly know or use them, I am so fascinated by them. Above all, I really like the idea of ​​a silent computer with a full keyboard that connects to an actual computer. Logging into a “mainframe” evokes, for me, the kind of charm that, back in the day, only the young <em>Karl Koch</em> <sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup> truly experienced.</p>