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Comment by j_s | Hacker News Reader

Are there any hardware options connecting old monochrome screens (such as MDA or Hercules) via modern technologies like USB?

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Yes, there's a multitude of USB-to-RS/232 adapters and Linux can easily be configured to echo a terminal to the serial port from boot onwards. Once you've got a serial console you can do whatever you want.

Depending on the terminal, you'll need to fiddle with baud rates, parity, and obviously hardware issues such as male/female connectors and number of pins. It took me quite a while to get my VT100-compatible terminal talking to my RaspberryPi3, but now it does, and it's great fun (particularly since I set up SIMH and have an ancient period-appropriate version of Unix V emulated).

Brings me back to when Greybeards reigned the Earth (or rather the machine room).

Thanks! I am looking to attach just an older monochrome monitor to a current-day PC rather than a full-blown terminal. I was unable to find any obvious solutions with a quick search.

I believe the constraints of the older technology may offer some advantages like reducing eye strain, nostalgia (as you mentioned), and maybe even making the interface obtuse enough to reduce my interest in staying online. Your suggestion sounds doable today and would accomplish my intended goal.

I fully support using older (simpler) interfaces to avoid distraction but I am afraid I have to inform you that green phosphor screens are quite a strain on the eyesight.

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