Retrochallenge, 2005

The 150 points (most protocols) vs. 300 points (HTTP/gopher) is an artifact of the competition being designed for run-of-the-mill personal computer users. The idea was that HTTP is difficult because some machines don't have web browsers available, while most people won't even know what gopher is. Yes, I know that most of the people around here can fire up a telnet client and make HTTP requests and some of you used to use gopher daily, but you're special! There are no restrictions on software. Of course most Linux distributions and software will require an 80386 or better (or a 68020 plus MMU or better), so that doesn't earn you many points. Same idea with getting the machine online: sure it is easy with a 68000 or better, but you simply aren't pushing the challenge to its full potential: try getting online with a lesser machine. Anyhow, my 1/2 hour of research leads me to believe that PDP/11 based machines deserve a multiplier of 2, while PDP/8 based machines deserve a multiplier of 3. Am I facing a lynch mob here?