Uncovering the Hidden Power of Vintage Word Processors
Originally Published 2 years ago — by Hackaday
Cathode Ray Dude explores the Olivetti ETV 2700, an old-school word processor that combines x86-based hardware with an electric typewriter. Unlike modern WYSIWYG word processors, the ETV 2700 required manual loading of pages and hammered out characters one at a time using a daisy wheel and ink ribbon. While the machine internally runs on an x86 processor and boots MS-DOS, its keyboard layout and lack of graphical output make it unique. The durability of these devices has allowed for AI-enabled typewriter projects and the porting of vintage operating systems.