Latest Podcast Episodes
If you love 8 bit computers, video games and their history, you’ll love The 8 Bit Files, a podcast hosted by John and Dave, two retro computing enthusiasts who share their passion and knowledge with you every week. In each episode, they explore a different topic related to 8 bit computers, such as hardware, software, games, programming, culture, and more.
Whether you’re a veteran 8 bit enthusiast or a newcomer who wants to learn more about this fascinating era of computing, you’ll find something to enjoy. Subscribe today and join John and Dave on their 8 bit adventures!
In this episode, John and Dave talk about discovering ZimaOS and building an affordable home lab using repurposed hardware – and how that single setup quickly expands into media streaming, network-wide ad blocking, ROM organization, browser-based retro gaming, backups, and local services. Along the way, they also touch on the Commodore 64 Ultimate, a Sega Channel preservation project, a retro electronics repair simulator, and why digital preservation and self-hosting matter more than ever.
Topics & sub-topics discussed:
ZimaOS – app-based operating system that makes home labs approachable
https://www.zimaspace.com/zimaosHome lab fundamentals – NAS, backups, ad blocking, VMs, and always-on servers
ROMM – organizing ROM libraries with metadata, artwork, and downloads
https://github.com/rommapp/rommEmulatorJS – play retro games directly in your web browser
https://emulatorjs.orgJellyfin – self-hosted media streaming without subscriptions
https://jellyfin.org
The 8-Bit Files Podcast & Discord
https://the8bitfiles.com