ESP-Osito Eschews Retrocomputing for Modern Code on Modern, Equivalent Hardware
Roberto Alsina has developed an operating system called ESP-Osito for the Cheap Yellow Display, which he describes as the cheapest computer. The OS allows for quick app loading and simple app creation, reminiscent of 90s-era computers but with modern capabilities. While it lacks multitasking, the user experience is enhanced by fast app performance and a variety of applications, including a weather clock and a chat app connected to an LLM.
- ▪ESP-Osito is designed for the Cheap Yellow Display, which Alsina refers to as the cheapest computer.
- ▪The operating system allows for quick app loading and easy app creation in a few hundred lines of C.
- ▪Despite lacking multitasking, the OS offers a user experience similar to 90s computers with modern features.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
ESP-Osito Eschews Retrocomputing For Modern Code On Modern, Equivalent Hardware No comments by: Tyler August May 29, 2026 Title: Copy Short Link: Copy If you’re of a certain vintage, you have probably looked at some of the microcomputers on the market these days and thought “that would have been a decent workstation back in the day!”. We certianly have, and so did [Roberto Alsina]. Rather than allow himself to contemplate his age and threfore rapidly approaching mortailty, [Roberto] wrote a useful operating system called ESP-Osito for the Cheap Yellow Display, which he refers to as “the cheapest computer”. He’s not wrong, and it’s certainly a better use of time than an existential crisis.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hackaday.
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