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Interactive Raycaster For the Commodore 64 Under 256 Bytes
New submitter Wisdom writes "1bir (1 Block Interactive Raycaster) is a simple ray casting engine implemented only in 254 bytes to run on a stock, unexpanded Commodore 64. The name comes from the fact that on a C64 floppy disk, 1 block is equivalent to 254 bytes stored on a disk sector. In 254 bytes, 1bir sets up the screen for drawing, creates sine and cosine tables for 256 brads based on a simple approximation, casts rays into a 2D map that lives inside the C64 KERNAL ROM, renders the screen in coordination with KERNAL, evaluates 8-way joystick input and detects collision against walls. The ray casting core employs a brute force algorithm to determine visible walls, while the mapping portion supports both open-ended (infinitely looped) and traditional, closed maps. The source code in 6502 assembly is available, with extensive comments. A YouTube video showcases 1bir in a detailed manner with both kind of maps and more information, while a Vimeo video presents a shorter demonstration."
The printer driver itself wasn't 500 MB. [...] IMHO the real lesson from the HP printer drive fiasco is that if it's quicker and easier to find something on your website by doing a Google search for it, you need to redesign your website. HP eventually did that, and their site now lets you just type the printer's name and it'll take you directly to its download page.
...where you can download a 150MB printer driver. Progress!
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"