swordfish90/cool-retro-term

Analysis updated 2026-06-21

★ 25,525QMLAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((cool-retro-term))
    What it does
      CRT monitor emulator
      Visual retro effects
      Fully functional terminal
    Tech stack
      QML
      Qt6 framework
      Konsole terminal widget
    Visual effects
      Scan lines
      Phosphor glow
      Flicker simulation
    Customization
      Color themes
      Font selection
      Effect intensity
    Platforms
      Linux AppImage
      macOS dmg
      Distribution packages

mindmap root((cool-retro-term)) What it does CRT monitor emulator Visual retro effects Fully functional terminal Tech stack QML Qt6 framework Konsole terminal widget Visual effects Scan lines Phosphor glow Flicker simulation Customization Color themes Font selection Effect intensity Platforms Linux AppImage macOS dmg Distribution packages

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Use as your daily terminal with a visually distinctive retro CRT look while running all normal shell commands.

USE CASE 2

Record screencasts or demos with a retro terminal aesthetic that makes presentations visually memorable.

USE CASE 3

Customize colors, fonts, and CRT effects through the context menu to dial in your preferred retro style.

What is it built with?

QMLQt6C++

How does it compare?

	swordfish90/cool-retro-term	end-4/dots-hyprland	alicevision/meshroom
Stars	25,525	14,416	12,728
Language	QML	QML	QML
Setup difficulty	easy	moderate	hard
Complexity	2/5	3/5	4/5
Audience	developer	developer	designer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires Qt6 framework, available as AppImage for Linux or dmg for macOS, no compilation needed.

In plain English

cool-retro-term is a terminal emulator, a program where you type commands into your computer, but styled to look like the glowing cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors from the 1970s and 80s. Instead of a plain modern terminal window, you get a convincing simulation of an old amber or green phosphor screen, complete with scan lines, glow, and flicker effects. It is purely a visual style choice layered on top of a fully functional terminal, so all your normal shell commands work exactly as they would in any other terminal. The appearance is highly customizable: colors, fonts, and various retro effects can be adjusted through a context menu. Under the hood it uses a QML port of the Konsole terminal widget, meaning the actual terminal functionality is solid and tested. It runs on Linux and macOS and requires the Qt6 framework. You would use cool-retro-term if you want a visually distinctive terminal for screencasts, presentations, or just personal enjoyment of the retro aesthetic. It is available as a pre-built AppImage for Linux or dmg for macOS, and is also packaged in many distributions such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I want to install cool-retro-term on Ubuntu. Should I use the AppImage or install from a package manager, and what is the command?

Prompt 2

How do I change the color theme in cool-retro-term to use a green phosphor screen instead of the default amber?

Prompt 3

The glow and flicker effects in cool-retro-term are making my GPU usage spike. How do I reduce or disable specific visual effects through the settings menu?

Prompt 4

I want to set a custom monospace font in cool-retro-term. How do I add and select it in the appearance settings?

Frequently asked questions

What is cool-retro-term?

A fully functional terminal emulator styled to look like vintage CRT monitors from the 1970s and 80s, with scan lines, phosphor glow, and flicker effects, purely cosmetic over a normal shell.

What language is cool-retro-term written in?

Mainly QML. The stack also includes QML, Qt6, C++.

How hard is cool-retro-term to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is cool-retro-term for?

Mainly developer.

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