Yeoh Keong Yeow, a programming enthusiast with a penchant for vintage technology, has accomplished an extraordinary feat by demonstrating that the ChatGPT AI language model can run on the DOS operating system. He achieved this remarkable feat using an IBM 5155 portable PC, which was first released nearly four decades ago.
The Challenge
Yeoh Keong Yeow uploaded a video on YouTube that showcases a conversation with ChatGPT on the ancient IBM 5155 computer, which, by all accounts, was never designed to support modern-day internet technology. In order to overcome this challenging task, Yeoh Keong Yeow wrote special code that he uploaded to GitHub, allowing others to test the chatbot on their old computers.
The Technical Details
Yeoh Keong Yeow’s achievement is nothing short of remarkable, given that DOS did not come with network code, and solutions have existed for a long time. To achieve this, he used the Open Watcom C/C++ compiler when coding for this platform. Yeoh clarified that he used MTCP, a scalable network stack designed specifically for DOS-based machines.
Encrypting the API interfaces for ChatGPT was an even more daunting task, as HTTPS processes them, and modern libraries that can handle this on DOS do not exist. However, Yeoh Keong Yeow had a solution, as he had previously solved a similar problem when using Slack on Windows 3.1.
“I used my own http-to-https proxy in Golang. Working on a modern PC as an intermediary, the proxy checks the HTTP request host field and forwards the raw socket bytes as HTTPS to OpenAI servers. Then, byte by byte, the result is passed back to the application without any modification,” he explained.
The Conclusion
Yeoh Keong Yeow’s achievement is nothing short of remarkable, and it highlights the possibilities of what can be accomplished with determination and creativity. Even old computers with outdated operating systems can still run modern software, as demonstrated by Yeoh Keong Yeow’s achievement. This incredible feat shows that a programmer can overcome any challenge with the right mindset and approach.
