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retro-journal-pascal

This is a retro journal application in command line, written in Pascal.

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README

🖥️ RetroJournal (1986)

A retro-style terminal journal application written in Pascal, inspired by old-school DOS programs and green-phosphor CRT screens.

RetroJournal lets you write personal journal entries, read them back, search through them, and view simple statistics — all wrapped in a nostalgic boot sequence straight out of the 1980s.

✨ Features

  • 🟢 Retro boot animation with CRT-style green text
  • ✍️ Write journal entries and save them to a text file
  • 📖 Read all previous entries directly in the terminal
  • 🔍 Search entries by keyword (case-insensitive)
  • 📊 Basic statistics (line count & estimated word count)
  • 💾 Uses a simple, human-readable journal.txt file

🧠 How It Works

  • The program uses Pascal's Text file handling to store entries.
  • Each entry is timestamped using SysUtils.Now.
  • The CRT unit provides:
    • Screen clearing
    • Text colors
    • Delays
    • Keyboard input

Everything runs in a single executable, no databases, no dependencies — just pure Pascal.

📂 File Structure

text
RetroJournal/
├── RetroJournal.pas   # Main program source code
└── journal.txt        # Auto-created journal storage file

⚠️ journal.txt is created automatically when you write your first entry.

🛠️ Requirements

  • Free Pascal Compiler (FPC) or Turbo Pascal compatible compiler
  • A terminal that supports ANSI colors (most modern terminals do)

▶️ Compile & Run

Using Free Pascal:

bash
fpc RetroJournal.pas
./RetroJournal

On Windows:

bat
fpc RetroJournal.pas
RetroJournal.exe

🧪 Program Menu

text
========== RETRO JOURNAL 1986 ==========

1) Write a new entry
2) Read all entries
3) Search for a keyword
4) Show statistics
5) Exit

📜 Example Journal Entry

text
=== ENTRY 21/01/2026 22:41:03 ===
Today I built a journal like it's 1986.

🎯 Educational Goals

This project is great for learning:

  • Classic Pascal syntax
  • Text file handling (assign, reset, rewrite, append)
  • Basic string processing
  • Procedural program structure
  • Retro terminal UX concepts

🕰️ Philosophy

No cloud. No sync. No AI. Just you, your thoughts, and a blinking cursor.

RetroJournal is intentionally simple — a reminder of when software felt personal, local, and honest.

📜 License

This project is released under the MIT License. Feel free to fork, modify, and expand it.

👋 Final Words

Type slowly. Save often. And enjoy the glow of green text.

Goodbye, Amir.