Welcome on TextMode Demo

Hello World

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is the first post on the TextMode demo site.

Code Examples

Here is some inline code and various highlighted blocks:

10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD"
20 GOTO 10

def greet(name):
 """A simple greeting function."""
 for i in range(3):
 print(f"Hello, {name}! #{i + 1}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
 greet("DOS")

#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {
 char *msg = "Hello from C";
 printf("%s\n", msg);
 return 0;
}

Typography

Regular text looks like this. Bold text is highlighted in white. Emphasized text gets slash decorators.

Lists

First item
Second item
Third item

Numbered one
Numbered two
Numbered three

This is a blockquote. It has a left border in gray.

Building a DOS Theme for Hugo

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This post documents the process of creating a text-mode Hugo theme from scratch - no Bootstrap, no npm, just Hugo and SCSS.

Design Decisions

The key insight was that a DOS text-mode interface is actually simpler than modern web design. No gradients, no rounded corners, no subtle shadows. Just:

A fixed-width monospace font
A 16-color palette
Box-drawing borders (single and double)
Drop shadows made of solid color blocks

The CGA Palette

The entire theme uses only 16 colors from the original CGA adapter:

The Golden Age of Retro Computing

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The 1980s gave us some of the most iconic computing interfaces ever designed. From the Borland Turbo Pascal IDE to Norton Commander, these text-mode interfaces proved that you don’t need a GUI to be productive.

The Machines

The IBM PC 5150 launched in 1981 and changed everything. Here’s what it looked like:

ASCII.PNG

MS-DOS ASCII character set - the building blocks of text-mode interfaces

The original IBM PC came with just 16KB of RAM and a cassette port. No hard drive. The operating system fit on a single floppy disk.

Essential DOS Commands

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A quick reference for the commands every DOS user should know.

File Management

DIR List files in current directory
DIR /W Wide format listing
DIR /P Pause after each screen
COPY file1 file2 Copy a file
MOVE file1 dir\ Move a file
DEL file Delete a file
REN old new Rename a file
TYPE file Display file contents

CD \ Go to root
CD .. Go up one level
CD dirname Enter directory
MD dirname Make directory
RD dirname Remove directory
TREE Show directory tree

System Commands

CLS Clear screen
VER Show DOS version
MEM Show memory usage
CHKDSK Check disk
FORMAT A: Format floppy
FDISK Partition hard drive

Batch File Example

Here’s a simple batch file that creates a menu:

About

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

About This Theme

This is a Hugo theme inspired by the classic DOS/Borland text user interfaces of the 1980s.

Features

Pure CSS, zero JavaScript
CGA/EGA color palette
Pixel-perfect monospace typography
CSS-only dropdowns, modals, and toggles
Responsive layout with CSS Grid
Custom DOS-style scrollbars

Built with Hugo Pipes and /SCSS/, no npm or external build tools required.

Components

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Buttons

Default Primary Success Warning Danger Info Inverse

Alerts

This is a dismissible alert (with JS, click X to dismiss).

This is a success alert.

This is an error/danger alert.

Labels and Badges

Default Success Warning Important Info Inverse

DOS Window

Window Title

This is a DOS-style window with a title bar and drop shadow.

Collapsible Window

COLLAPSIBLE.TXT

Click the arrow in the top-right corner of the title bar to collapse this window. Click again to expand it. Just like Turbo Pascal.

Well

This is a well - a simple container with a black background.

Hero Unit

BLINKING HEADLINE

The hero unit has a double border, cyan background, and the h1 blinks.

Progress Bars

Table

Command	Description
DIR	List directory contents
COPY	Copy files
DEL	Delete files
FORMAT	Format a disk

Button Group

Left Middle Right

Accordion (CSS-only)

Section 1

Content for section 1.

Section 2

Content for section 2.

Section 3

Content for section 3.

Hover over this text to see a tooltip.

Welcome on TextMode Demo

Hello World

Code Examples

Typography

Lists

Building a DOS Theme for Hugo

Design Decisions

The CGA Palette

The Golden Age of Retro Computing

The Machines

Essential DOS Commands

File Management

Directory Navigation

System Commands

Batch File Example

About

About This Theme

Features

Components

Buttons

Alerts

Labels and Badges

DOS Window

Collapsible Window

Well

Hero Unit

BLINKING HEADLINE

Progress Bars

Table

Button Group

Accordion (CSS-only)

Tooltip (CSS-only)

Welcome on TextMode Demo

Hello World

Code Examples

Typography

Lists

Building a DOS Theme for Hugo

Design Decisions

The CGA Palette

The Golden Age of Retro Computing

The Machines

Essential DOS Commands

File Management

Directory Navigation

System Commands

Batch File Example

About

About This Theme

Features

Components

Buttons

Alerts

Labels and Badges

DOS Window

Collapsible Window

Well

Hero Unit

BLINKING HEADLINE

Progress Bars

Breadcrumb

Table

Dropdown (CSS-only)

Button Group

Accordion (CSS-only)

Pager

Tooltip (CSS-only)