Symbols for Legacy Computing is a Unicode block containing graphic characters that were used for various home computers from the 1970s and 1980s and in teletext broadcasting standards. It includes characters from the Amstrad CPC, MSX, Mattel Aquarius, RISC OS, MouseText, Atari ST, TRS-80 Color Computer, Oric, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, TRS-80, Minitel, Teletext, ATASCII, PETSCII, ZX80, and ZX81 character sets. Semigraphics characters are also included in the form of new block-shaped characters, line-drawing characters, and 60 "sextant" characters (semigraphic character made up of six smaller blocks, also known as alpha-mosaic characters). Additional characters were added to this block in Unicode 16.0 as well.

A supplemental block (Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement) was added with Unicode 16.0.

Block

Symbols for Legacy Computing[1][2] (PDF)
0123456789ABCDEF
U+1FB0x🬀🬁🬂🬃🬄🬅🬆🬇🬈🬉🬊🬋🬌🬍🬎🬏
U+1FB1x🬐🬑🬒🬓🬔🬕🬖🬗🬘🬙🬚🬛🬜🬝🬞🬟
U+1FB2x🬠🬡🬢🬣🬤🬥🬦🬧🬨🬩🬪🬫🬬🬭🬮🬯
U+1FB3x🬰🬱🬲🬳🬴🬵🬶🬷🬸🬹🬺🬻🬼🬽🬾🬿
U+1FB4x🭀🭁🭂🭃🭄🭅🭆🭇🭈🭉🭊🭋🭌🭍🭎🭏
U+1FB5x🭐🭑🭒🭓🭔🭕🭖🭗🭘🭙🭚🭛🭜🭝🭞🭟
U+1FB6x🭠🭡🭢🭣🭤🭥🭦🭧🭨🭩🭪🭫🭬🭭🭮🭯
U+1FB7x🭰🭱🭲🭳🭴🭵🭶🭷🭸🭹🭺🭻🭼🭽🭾🭿
U+1FB8x🮀🮁🮂🮃🮄🮅🮆🮇🮈🮉🮊🮋🮌🮍🮎🮏
U+1FB9x🮐🮑🮒🮔🮕🮖🮗🮘🮙🮚🮛🮜🮝🮞🮟
U+1FBAx🮠🮡🮢🮣🮤🮥🮦🮧🮨🮩🮪🮫🮬🮭🮮🮯
U+1FBBx🮰🮱🮲🮳🮴🮵🮶🮷🮸🮹🮺🮻🮼🮽🮾🮿
U+1FBCx🯀🯁🯂🯃🯄🯅🯆🯇🯈🯉🯊🯋🯌🯍🯎🯏
U+1FBDx🯐🯑🯒🯓🯔🯕🯖🯗🯘🯙🯚🯛🯜🯝🯞🯟
U+1FBEx🯠🯡🯢🯣🯤🯥🯦🯧🯨🯩🯪🯫🯬🯭🯮🯯
U+1FBFx🯰🯱🯲🯳🯴🯵🯶🯷🯸🯹🯺
Notes 1.^ As of Unicode version 17.0 2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

The image below is provided as quick reference for these symbols on systems that are unable to display them directly:

History

The following Unicode-related documents record the purpose and process of defining specific characters in the Symbols for Legacy Computing block:

VersionFinal code pointsCountL2 IDWG2 IDDocument
13.0U+1FB00..1FB92, 1FB94..1FBCA, 1FBF0..1FBF9212Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-04-23), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Anderson, Deborah; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Moore, Lisa; Liang, Hai; Cook, Richard (2018-01-19), "26", Recommendations to UTC #154 January 2018 on Script Proposals
, , , )Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-07-20), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-07-20), "19", Recommendations to UTC # 156 July 2018 on Script Proposals
, , , )Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2018-09-06), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-09-14), "11", Recommendations to UTC #157 on Script Proposals
, , , )Ewell, Doug; Bettencourt, Rebecca; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2019-01-04), Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2019-01-13), "24", Recommendations to UTC #158 January 2019 on Script Proposals
Moore, Lisa (2019-02-08), "E.2", UTC #158 Minutes
Moore, Lisa (2020-05-14), "B.10.17.2", Draft Minutes of UTC Meeting 162
16.0U+1FBCB..1FBEF37, , , )Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Hietaniemi, Jarkko; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2021-12-20), Proposal to add further characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Anderson, Deborah; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Constable, Peter (2022-01-22), "17 Legacy Computing Symbols", Recommendations to UTC #170 January 2022 on Script Proposals
, )Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug; Bánffy, Ricardo; Everson, Michael; Hietaniemi, Jarkko; Silva, Eduardo Marín; Mårtenson, Elias; Shoulson, Mark; Steele, Shawn; Turner, Rebecca (2022-01-26), Proposal to add further characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS
Constable, Peter (2022-04-21), "D.1 17 Legacy Computing Symbols", UTC #170 Minutes
17.0U+1FBFA1Buff, Charlotte (2023-06-26), Proposal to Define Variation Sequences for Emoji Mapped to Legacy Computing Symbols
Constable, Peter (2023-07-31), "G.3", UTC #176 Minutes
Bettencourt, Rebecca; Ewell, Doug (2023-10-14), Proposal to disunify Symbols for Legacy Computing from emoji
Anderson, Deborah; Kučera, Jan; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Constable, Peter (2023-11-01), "14 Symbols", Recommendations to UTC #177 November 2023 on Script Proposals
Constable, Peter (2023-12-08), "Consensus 177-C35", UTC #177 Minutes

See also

External links

  • – release notes for Cascadia Code, which shows the rendering of Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement characters