Download cool-retro-term 1.2.0 (Mac) – Download Free

I don’t think many of us would switch to a CRT monitor nowadays, but there’s a certain nostalgia attached to them. If you’re a fan of the retro aesthetic and would like to bring some of that to your terminal as well, look no further.

cool-retro-term is certainly retro, but it’s up to you to decide how cool it is. It’s a vintage terminal emulator that takes you back to the old days of console commands, with a few different visual styles and customization options on offer.

Get it for the looks

While it’s a perfectly functional terminal that uses a QML port of qtermwidget, which was originally based on the KDE Konsole, it’s not the most powerful or efficient alternative to your built-in Terminal. Its functionality is relatively limited, lacking features such as multiple tab support, among others.

As far as visuals go, however, cool-retro-term is pretty unique. It models the look of old (very old) cathode-ray tube monitors excellently, down to the curvature of the screen. It’s also extensively customizable.

Lots of profiles and fine-tuning

To get a better idea of ​​how it looks, you can check out the screenshots. It’s safe to say that there’s a lot of variety, from a Fallout-like terminal to a futuristic-looking one that does away with the CRT styling in favor of a more sci-fi look.

The great thing is that just about every visual parameter is customizable. Brightness and contrast, text color and scaling, bloom, static noise, jitter, screen curvature, ambient light, flickering, and more. Even the render quality and FPS can be changed if you’re worried about performance.

Cool-looking terminal for users who need something different

If you’re after the best performance and multitasking efficiency, cool-retro-term probably isn’t the best choice. But if looks do matter, or if you just need a visually appealing terminal for some other project, it’s definitely worth a shot .