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Game Boy Zelda Comes With Source, Sort Of

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the hate-when-that-happens dept.

Jamie found a fun story about a 90s Zelda Game Boy ROM that shipped with the source code- not so much on purpose, but more because the linker padded out the last meg of ROM with random memory contents, which happened to include game source code.

20 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Deja Vu by hlomas · · Score: 5, Funny

    News Post Comes With Article, Sort Of

  2. Whoops... by foldingstock · · Score: 3, Funny

    Awesome. :) This must be why they always say not to code whilst drunk.

    1. Re:Whoops... by mouse_8b · · Score: 5, Funny

      Awesome. :) This must be why they always say not to code whilst drunk. Who says that? They should be shot.
    2. Re:Whoops... by JensenDied · · Score: 4, Funny

      Someone has never heard of the Ballmer Peak.
      Windows ME is why they say not to code the entire project smashed though.

      --

      09:F9:11:02 - 9D:74:E3:5B - D8:41:56:C5 - 63:56:88:C0

  3. It happens by Diomidis+Spinellis · · Score: 5, Funny
    This used to happen more often than one would expect. In the 1980s I found portions of Ashton Tate's Framework II source code in "blank" sectors of floppy disks containing printer drivers. Those were the days where:
    • each application came with its own display and printer drivers,
    • people were using floppy disks to move around source code, and, worse,
    • other people had enough free time to trawl "blank" sectors for interesting tidbits.
    1. Re:It happens by urcreepyneighbor · · Score: 4, Funny

      other people had enough free time to trawl "blank" sectors for interesting tidbits. Eh? I still do that.... Then again, I am urcreepyneighbor....
      --
      "The fight for freedom has only just begun." - Geert Wilders
    2. Re:It happens by PCM2 · · Score: 5, Funny

      A company I worked for once participated in the beta test program for Adobe Illustrator ... I think it was version 7. We were primarily a Mac shop, so we were using the Mac versions of the CD-ROMs they sent us. One build they sent us had a funny property... when you put the CD-ROM in the drive, the Trash can would turn full. Oh but wait -- before you old Mac people start going "ho ho ho," there wasn't actually anything important in the Trash can. But that's when I noticed that a couple of extra folders would appear on the desktop, too. ;-) In one of those was about 340MB of source code for Adobe Illustrator, Dimensions, Streamline and some other stuff.

      About four days after we received this particular build (and I had noticed its interesting attributes) I got a call from Adobe:

      Adobe: There are problems with the latest build of Illustrator. We need to recall those CD-ROMs immediately.

      Me: Gosh ... sounds bad. Problems?

      Adobe: Yes. We will be sending you a prepaid FedEx return envelope. It's extremely important that you return those discs to us right away.

      Me: I see. Oh, my. Look ... can you tell me what the problem is? It's not a virus, is it?

      Adobe: I can't really say. It's a technical issue. But if you've installed Build 378468434 on any of your equipment, you should un-install it right away.

      Me: Oh, dear. Oh, dear oh dear. I will do so, ma'am, immediately. It ... it wouldn't damage any of our systems, would it?

      Adobe: Um... you should be OK. But, just to be on the safe side you should be sure to uninstall it from any of your machines and make sure you send those CDs back to us right away.

      Me: Yes ma'am, will do.

      Adobe: Thanks, have a nice day.

      Me: (pushes eject button on CD-R burner, grabs a Sharpie)

      --
      Breakfast served all day!
  4. Re:Not true by Kjella · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now the site is Wordpressed (like Slashdotting, only the other way around) and you can't get to it, Uhh, the wordpress site is down and slashdot is up - that's a classic slashdotting. A "wordpressing" would be if the wordpress blog linked to slashdot, and enough people came to slashdot to bring slashdot down (good luck on that).
    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  5. Re:Not true by stoolpigeon · · Score: 5, Funny

    well he did say it was from digg- no need to be redundant.

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
  6. Re:Avoiding the malloc() by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 2, Funny

    In my first experience with IT, our technology teacher (who was also the metalwork guru) tried to show us the source code to the program.
    He spent about 30 minutes loading the (BBC micro) computer and flicking the power switch to try to see under the hood.
    "If you do it really fast it comes up and shows you the code"

    Incidentally he was also the teacher who taught us about the wankel engine, I am not sure which caused a bigger laugh.

    --
    liqbase :: faster than paper
  7. Re:Giving up. by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Stuff that matters" is sarcastic.

    Actually, I've noticed that lately it says something about going outside. Also sarcastic.

  8. Does anyone else... by achenaar · · Score: 5, Funny

    find it amusing that this happened because of the Link-er.
    I can't be the only one...
    Can I?

    I'll get me coat.

  9. Re:Not too uncommon by rucs_hack · · Score: 2, Funny

    I bought a bbc model B just to play elite when both where pretty new, and found a text record of a conversation in the BBCs CMOS (think it was there, that was what I was playing with when I found it).

    It was two guys sending text back and forth talking about the legs on a woman who'd just entered the office. It was pretty well buried. I'm guessing they just forgot they'd been clowning around and it got left in when the BBC was put into production. I did write it down at the time, but this was in the eighties...

    I can't recall how I found it exactly. It was late, I was hacking about trying to find something I could alter as a joke on a friend, and there it was. It made I chuckle.

    I gave the BBC away eight years ago, along with Elite (still had it, and it still worked:). Didn't take me long to regret it. For one thing I'd be able to go find that conversation again now.

  10. Re:Partially Not Not true by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now the site is Wordpressed

    When slashdot brings down a site running Apache, we call it slashdotting, not Apache-ing. When slashdot brings down a site running wordpress, we call it slashdotting, not wordpressing.

    Except Wordpress comes pre-Slashdotted for your convenience.

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
  11. Re:Avoiding the malloc() by arashi+no+garou · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm pretty sure the laughing was due to the name of the engine and not the question of its efficiency or practicality. Personally I am a fan of rotary engine technology.

  12. opensource by Paul_Hindt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dude, get this...I downloaded this game, I think it was called Quake 3...well, I started poking around on their website and found all the source code! Crazy huh?

  13. Re:Avoiding the malloc() by kcbanner · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is DOS we're talking about ;P

    --
    Obligatory blog plug: http://www.caseybanner.ca/
  14. Re:"sparky" by El_Oscuro · · Score: 2, Funny

    To convert the Win95 upgrade CD to the full version, just type:

    C:\>dir > NTLDR

    Now, install your "full" version of Win95 as usual. I got this little tip from Microsoft support.

    --
    "Be grateful for what you have. You may never know when you may lose it."
  15. Re:Did someone forget to show up for work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    After all the mistakes in today's stories, the editors must have committed ritualistic suicide to end their shame.

  16. Re:The Bible by Tweekster · · Score: 3, Funny

    I want those 2 minutes of my life back.

    --
    The phrase "more better" is acceptable English. suck it grammar Nazis