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Network Clock

FujiNet provides the current date and time to your vintage computer by syncing with internet NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers. This enables any software designed to use a real-time clock to show the correct time — without a battery-backed clock cartridge.

How it works

sequenceDiagram
    participant App as Vintage App
    participant FN as FujiNet
    participant NTP as NTP Server\n(pool.ntp.org)

    FN->>NTP: Request current time (on startup)
    NTP-->>FN: UTC timestamp
    FN->>FN: Apply timezone offset
    App->>FN: Read clock (via platform clock protocol)
    FN-->>App: Current date and time

FujiNet fetches the time once at startup and maintains an accurate software clock thereafter.

Platform clock protocols

Platform Clock protocol Compatible software
Atari 8-bit RTime-8 ($D5xx), APETime Anything that reads RTime-8 or APETime
Apple II ProDOS clock driver All ProDOS applications
Commodore 64 TDOS clock / direct read Clock-aware C64 apps
Coleco ADAM SmartBASIC clock ADAM productivity software

Setting your timezone

In CONFIG → Clock:

  1. Use the arrow keys to select your UTC offset (e.g., -5 for US Eastern, -8 for US Pacific, +1 for CET).
  2. Toggle DST (Daylight Saving Time) if applicable.
  3. The clock updates immediately.

Why does this matter?

Word processors, spreadsheets, and database programs often timestamp files and documents. With FujiNet's clock, those timestamps are accurate — a small but satisfying detail.

Atari-specific: RTime-8 compatibility

The Atari 8-bit's RTime-8 clock cartridge emulation is transparent — any software that checks $D5xx for the clock will work automatically with no modification.

Check CONFIG → System Info to see the current time FujiNet is reporting.