Hey Herb (and all), I don't think this is quite as seedy as you suspect. The author is John Kennedy who works for Microsoft and does vintage computer work as a hobby. His Github is here: https://github.com/GrantMeStrength The source-code for the project is here: https://github.com/GrantMeStrength/S100 With some explanation. There are some disk images here: https://github.com/GrantMeStrength/S100/tree/main/web/public/disks It looks like he is currently working on a debugger for the system. Other than using Copilot assist LLM, I don't see anything unsafe or shady in the source. I think this is a guy who knows some dev stuff and likes documenting vintage systems. Self promotion is probably not his goal. It looks like he also made an 8080 CP/M emulator for iPhone: https://github.com/GrantMeStrength/Core8080Manager and some various 6502 tools and toys. Pretty cool stuff in my book! -Wil On Sat, May 16, 2026 at 12:31 PM Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
I did some Web search homework on this thing: "S-100 Virtual Workbench". Looks like someone blasted social media and vintage computing Web discussion sites with a link to this thing. All references to this thing are a few days old and start with a link and a tease - no prior discussion. People respond with either S-100 nostalgia, or puzzlement, or brief compliments (so far three days out).
The thing itself, is a github site with only one entry point (apparently) to run a browser-based 8080/Z80 simulator that represents several Altair-class boards to run CP/M 2.2. Docs? - negative. Code source? - negative. History, biographies, who-the-hell wrote it?- negative.
Plausible speculation, is that someone used an AI to produce this coding. Given the modest resources needed to simulate a Z80 or 8080 and generate browser-operating code, all to not-difficult specifications - seems plausible to me.
I conclude someone is showing off some kind of skills and wants chatter about doing so. This thread is one of many threads on other sites where people respond to this thing. My response is to "look behind the curtain" and report what I found or not found. My opinion about the thing isn't the point, my opinion is that this is a set-up. "When the product is free, you are the product". Someone wants our vintage computing eyeballs but refuses to explain why and for what, and how the work was done.
I considered further commentary. But this is not my thread. The subject is some site that does something S-100-ish. I questioned the premise and suggest there is another purpose. If someone finds some better purpose or more depth than I've suggested, I think that's a fair response. Disscussion about AI or the past or future of "vintage computing" is another topic. My apologies to Christian Liendo but I honestly believe he was unknowingly *set up*, and that's not his fault.
regards Herb Johnson