retroware

English

apple ][

TRS-80

commodore 64 (C64)

commodore 128 (C128)

Examples of retroware (sense 1).

Etymology

Blend of retro +‎ software / hardware, or from retro- (“old-fashioned or old-school”) +‎ -ware (“software”). First attested in 1995, but in common usage only as of the 21st century.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rĕt′rō-wâr′
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊˌwɛə/, /-ˌwɛː/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊˌwɛɹ/

  (General American) IPA^(key): /-ˌweɹ/

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈɹet.ɹəʉˌweː/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈɹet.ɹəʉˌweə̯/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹoˌweɹ/
• Rhymes: -ɛtɹəʊwɛə, -ɛtɹəʊwɛː
• Hyphenation: ret‧ro‧ware

Noun

retroware (usually uncountable, plural (nonstandard) retrowares)

2. (computing, informal, programming, software) Old software/hardware.
   • 1995 June 28, Rob Pegoraro, “Behind the Screens”, in The Washington Post‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 May 2025:

     Microsoft itself has shown only two games for Win 95: Fury3, a Descent-like flight sim, and Return of Arcade, another retroware disk.

   • 2000 March 10, “Other voices”, in The Houston Chronicle:

     The March issue of Wired looks at retroware, the growing use of older computers, in an article by Mark Frauenfelder titled “Never Say Die”.

   • 2005 February 27, David, “Input=ESC/P2; Output=tiff... Any drivers/software?”, in comp.periphs.printers‎^[2] (Usenet), retrieved 22 May 2025:

     p.s. My source for the ESC/P2 are old retroware/retro-computing software and the data will be coming out of 8-bit system emulators.

See also

• beerware
• careware
• coasterware
• fritterware
• shovelware
• slideware
• treeware

Further reading

• “retroware”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.