Symbols for Legacy Computing

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).^[3][4]

Symbols for Legacy Computing
Range	U+1FB00..U+1FBFF (256 code points)
Plane	SMP
Scripts	Common
Assigned	249 code points
Unused	7 reserved code points
Unicode version history
13.0 (2020)	212 (+212)
16.0 (2024)	249 (+37)
Unicode documentation
Code chart ∣ Web page
Note: [1][2]

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

Block

Symbols for Legacy Computing[1][2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A

B

C

D

E

F

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+1FBFx

🯰

🯱

🯲

🯳

🯴

🯵

🯶

🯷

🯸

🯹

Notes 1.^ As of Unicode version 16.0 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:

Version	Final code points[lower-alpha 1]	Count	L2 ID	WG2 ID	Document
13.0	U+1FB00..1FB92, 1FB94..1FBCA, 1FBF0..1FBF9	212	L2/17-435R		Ewell, 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
			L2/18-039		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
			L2/18-235 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)		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
			L2/18-241		Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-07-20), "19", Recommendations to UTC # 156 July 2018 on Script Proposals
			L2/18-275R (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)		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
			L2/18-300		Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2018-09-14), "11", Recommendations to UTC #157 on Script Proposals
			L2/19-025 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)	N5028	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
			L2/19-047		Anderson, Deborah; et al. (2019-01-13), "24", Recommendations to UTC #158 January 2019 on Script Proposals
			L2/19-008		Moore, Lisa (2019-02-08), "E.2", UTC #158 Minutes
			L2/20-015R		Moore, Lisa (2020-05-14), "B.10.17.2", Draft Minutes of UTC Meeting 162
16.0	U+1FBCB..1FBEF	37	L2/21-235 (full, no_attach, sources, mappings_zip)		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
			L2/22-023		Anderson, Deborah; Whistler, Ken; Pournader, Roozbeh; Constable, Peter (2022-01-22), "17 Legacy Computing Symbols", Recommendations to UTC #170 January 2022 on Script Proposals
			L2/21-235R (full, no_attach)		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
			L2/22-016		Constable, Peter (2022-04-21), "D.1 17 Legacy Computing Symbols", UTC #170 Minutes
Proposed code points and characters names may differ from final code points and names

See also

• Box-drawing characters
• Dingbat
• other Unicode blocks
  • Box Drawing
  • Block Elements
  • Geometric Shapes
  • Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
  • Supplemental Arrows-C
  • Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement

References

1. "Unicode character database". The Unicode Standard. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
2. "Enumerated Versions of The Unicode Standard". The Unicode Standard. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
3. "Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-11.
4. "Legacy Computing Sources" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-03-11.

External links

• Cascadia Code 2404.23 – release notes for Cascadia Code, which shows the rendering of Symbols for Legacy Computing Supplement characters