User: atam

Re:Non-Volatile Memory

On: When PC Still Means 'Punch Card'

But what current data storage format can survive a fire by itself? So punch card is at no disvantage against the other format.

Re:SAS (the program) still has this legacy

On: When PC Still Means 'Punch Card'

You need the CARDS; or DATALINES; statement only if the data are inline, i.e. embedded with the program. SAS could easily read external dataset with the INFILE statement. It supports just about any popular data format, sequential fixed length, variable length, VSAM file, delimited data, SAS library data, and with proper add-in module, Database tables.

Re:Non-troll question

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

The problem is the GP32 has no touch sensitive screen. So you would have a hard time entering any info on the device or navigator the application software.

Does The Display Has Backlight?

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

The GP32 site does not mention whether the display has backlight. If it has backlight, it would have a huge advantage over the GBA. The display on GBA without BL is so difficult to see under non-optimal lighting condition. It is a waste of all the extra colours avalible on screen. It is also spinning out a new industry for accessories to provide front or backlight on the display for the unhappy GBA owners.

Re:GBA Compatability?

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

Actually it has 'L' and 'R' buttons at the top side of the machine. So altogether, it has 4 action buttons.

Re:I haven't lusted after a device in a while

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

Also, if the games are on smart media, how is it that they can cost only 34 dollars?

You can a 16 MB Smart Media for $10 at retails (according to pricewatch). So I would assume that if you OEM cards bulk at local Korean suppliers, it would probably cost only a couple of buck each.

Re:GBA has the same issues

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

Yes, I know you can already copy GB or GBA with some accessories. However, the situation here is a bit different. Nintendo is a established company. Most develepors expected tens of million GBA sold in a few years. So even with some piracy, they figured they could still recover their develpment cost and earn a decent probit from legit sales (same for Windows platform). On the other hand, Game Park is a virtual no-name. No one knows how well it would sell for this unproven platform. So developers would be already reluctant to enter the platform. And with the possible preceived image of pirate paradise, it would be even harder to attract the potential developers.

BTW, the devices you have pointed out for GBA is rather pricy. A copy devices costs $120 and additional 64 MBit cartridge case $99. So it would only attract dedicated hobbists. On the hand, GP32 use SMC card. You can find a 8 MByte SMC for $10 and you could easily read it with a cheap adaptor on your PC. So even an average user can join the pirate rank.

How Can They Stop Piracy

On: Game Park Handheld Encourages Open Development

Considering the GP32 uses the easy-to-copy Smart-Media card to store games, how can they stop freeloading software pirates from copying the games? Commercial game develepors would probably stay away from it if it becomes (or even is preceived) as a pirates' platform.

Re:They include media player software on the CDs?

On: Universal Music Prepares for Copy-Protection Complaints

3) You can't - at least not without reverse-engineering the player, getting the Blowfish key, and decrypting the MP3s encoded on the disc, or by breaking the protection to rip the .WAVs to your hard drive. Either option would be in violation of the DMCA, should you be so unfortunate as to live in a jurisdiction where that craptacular piece of law applies.

Considering that the player must send the decrypted sound data in raw or WAV format to the Windows sound output APIs and then to the sound card driver, is it possible we could create a dummy sound driver or low level VXD program to intercept the API calls and write the raw sound data to the disk? Since I am not doing any of the decryption or breaking the copy-protection directly, I wonder whether I am still violating the DMCA.

Re:yes, unfortunate misuse of terminology

On: Build Your Own Mini-Computer

Why on earth would a supposedly tech-savvy site misuse a term like that? I seriously thought they were referring to wardrobe-sized computers.

It is called Jargon-Overloading(TM,patent-pending), a concept borrowed from the industrial-accepted Object-Oriented concept of Method-Overloading.

Re:Only one PCI slot??

On: Build Your Own Mini-Computer

A radio or TV card?

You can plug in a radio or TV adaptor to the USB ports.

More USB ports?

That is what a 4-port USB hub is for.

SCSCI card?

Well, you can use it on the only 1 PCI slot. Besides, it has Firewire ports so you could possibly plug in external Firewire harddisk, tape drive, etc instead of using equivalent SCSI devices. OK, I concede that this Mini-PC is not as expandable as regular PC, but the expandability is not as bad as you think.

Re:FAKE !! FAKE !! FAKE !!

On: X-Box Emulated (Not)

A good analogy would be this: the PSX has a 33 mhz processor in it. Somehow, I really doubt that old 386, one of similar power to the ancient PSX, lying in the basement would be a good platform to run PSX roms on. The Xbox is of equivalent power to modern PC's. Traditionally, one must have far greater power than the original console to emulate its games with decent speed.

This is general true for emulating a console game machine based on a different processor than your native machine. So to emulate a PSX you have to emulate a MIPS R4400 processor on your x86 PC. And it could be very slow. However in the case of XBOX, it uses X86 processor just like a PC. So there is a potential huge saving for not needng to emulating the foreign CPU. In addition, it is likely that the XBOX uses a bastarded version Windows/DirectX (MS is preaching Windows Everywhere (TM), don't they?). So once the difference could be configured out, it is possible to write a layer to map the XBOX calls directly to the PC Windows/DirectX environment.

I am not saying that it could be easy. But there is a hugh pool of knowledgable people who are very proficient in low level details of Windows API. So I am pretty sure that eventually we would have an XBOX emulator that runs at decent, maybe even native speed.

Re:Links?

On: AT&T Caps Bandwidth On Former @Home Users

@home has already imposed download limit on newsgroup download. It is something like 3GB within a 3-day window. If you exceed the 3GB limit, you have to wait until the 3-day window is over before you can download anything again in any newsgroup. See here

1.5 Mb/s is Not That Bad

On: AT&T Caps Bandwidth On Former @Home Users

As a suffering Rogers@Home customer, I would love to be able to reach that kind of throughput. Unfortunately, during most of the evening hour, i.e. 7pm to midnight, we are seldom able to see speed exceeding 300 kbps. Give me AT&T please.

Re: Canadian @Home

On: Some People @Home, Some Not @Home

Which news servers are you using? The one I used in Toronto area still does not carry those banned binaries news group :-(

Re:Forced to use windows?

On: KDE 2.2.1, On Win32/Cygwin

However, after that I got involved in a project with Tcl, and as there is (fortunately) no Visual Tcl, ...

Well, Visual Tcl does exist, check here. However, it is an open source project, not another M$ Visual Studio addin.

Re:Why didn't they use it earlier?

On: FEMA To Use Cell Phone Signals To Find Survivors

Check this story. It described the FEMA used the Radio Frquency Sniffers and that there are over 50 open cases where we have had signals detected at ground zero since the attack.

Why didn't they use it earlier?

On: FEMA To Use Cell Phone Signals To Find Survivors

According to news reports earlier in the week, there were indeed quite a few cell phone calls from those people trapped under the rubble. But right now after 4 days, those people would have died due to injuries and lack of water and food. I just wonder, if they have this kind of technology, why didn't they use it earlier?

Reverse Engineering The Tape Format

On: Viking Soil Data Points to Life on Mars?

Considering that they now have the print-out of the actual data to cross reference, is it too hard to reverse engineer the format of the tape now?

Re:*US* customers only?!? WTF?

On: Iomega Settles Zip Drive Suit (With Rebates)

I too am very upset that the rebate is for US customers only. What happens to those victims like me just north of the border (in Canada)? I have a "Click of death" Zip drive eating dust for more than 2 years, about 18 months after the purchase (after warranty expired, of course). I promised myself I would think twice before I buy anything from Iomega. Now, I would never buy and recommend my friends buy anything from Iomega.

Re:MP3 to Sony Minidisc

On: MP3 Player Released For Handspring Visor

But consider this, a MD disc costs less than $5 while a 64MB CF or Smartmedia memory module costs at least $50. So with MP3 compatible MD Player, it is reasonable to get a dozen MD discs to carry a whole library of MP3 songs. To do that with CF memory will cost a fortune. A MP3 compatbile CD player could be the answer, but its form factor is much bigger than the MD player. I think Sony does not convert the MD format to play MP3 because they are trying to force you to buy their MP3 player using the much more expensive and hence more profitable memeory sticks.

Hard To Believe

On: Why Dr. Tom Dislikes Rambus, Inc.

This conspiracy theory is hard to believe. 158 million may seem a lot to most of us (i.e. if you are not B. Gate) but considering that Intel's annual profit is measured in billions, it is really a drop in the bucket. The more likely scenario is that Intel uses the Rambus propriety technology in an effort to dictate the motherboard market. Since Intel holds Rambus stocks and obviously has great influnece on Rambus's operation, so if Rambus technology becomes predominant, they would be in the position to set the rules of game in the motherboard industry. Eventually, they would squeeze out other chipset makers, in particular VIA. However, it looks this game plan does not work out that well (at least for now).

Re:Winzip

On: Phillip W. Katz, Creator Of PKZIP, Dead At 37

FYI, Winzip actually does not use PK's code for compression or decompression. Instead, it uses the open source Info-Zip implementation of the inflat and deflat algorithm. As a matter, most of the freeware/shareware/commercial Zipper or Unzipper (other than the real PKZIP) uses or bases on the Info-Zip codes. I think it is remarkable that Phillip W. Katz was that he had never tried to enforce his patent(s) on the compression algorithm behide zip file formats.

Re:Lets not be to hasty

On: Build Your Own StrongARM Linux Computer

What are you talking about?

Here is a quote from the LART FAQ,

Do you sell LARTs?
We are very sorry, but we don't sell LARTs. We are a university, and the LART is just a research tool. We have no plans (read: no time) to make the LART commercially available ourselves. However, all CAD files are available, so if you would like to produce LARTs yourself (and possibly sell them), feel free. If you do decide to produce LARTs commercially, drop us a line so we can link to you.

What are the licensing conditions for LART?

All CAD files required for building LART are available under the closest we could get to an Open/Free Hardware License (see the LICENSE file). All software and kernel patches are released under the GNU GPL.

So you are definitely allowed to build your own.

Re:BCC55, first try (disappointment)

On: Borland C++ Now Free-as-in-Beer

FYI, the deafult library and the include paths should be put in the file BCC32.CFG in the BIN directory of the BCC compiler, e.g.
-IC:\BC55\INCLUDE
-LC:\BC55\LIB

The following table is an alphabetical listing of the C++Builder compiler options from the C++Builder 3.0:

Option Description

@ Read compiler options from the response file filename
+ Use alternate compiler configuration file filename
-3 Generate 80386 protected-mode compatible instructions (Default)
-4 Generate 80386/80486 protected-mode compatible instructions
-5 Generate Pentium instructions

-6 Generate Pentium Pro instructions
-A Use ANSI keywords and extensions
-AK Use Kernighan and Ritchie keywords and extensions
-AT Use Borland C++ keywords and extensions (also -A-)
-AU Use UNIX V keywords and extensions
-a Default (-a4) data alignment; -a- is byte alignment (-a1)
-an Align data on "n" boundaries, where 1=byte, 2=word (2 bytes), 4=double word (4 bytes), 8=quad word (8 bytes), 16=paragraph (16 bytes) (Default: -a4)

-B Compile to .ASM (-S), then assemble to .OBJ
-b Make enums always integer-sized (Default: -b makes enums integer size)
-b- Makes enums byte-sized when possible
-C Turn nested comments on (Default: -C- turn nested comments off)
-CP Enable code paging (for MBCS)
-c Compile to .OBJ, no link
-D Define "name" to the null string
-D Define "name" to "string"

-d Merge duplicate strings
-d- Does not merge duplicate strings (Option is on by default)
-E Specify assembler
-e Specify executable file name
-f Emulate floating point
-f- No floating point
-ff Fast floating point
-fp Correct Pentium FDIV flaw
-gn Warnings: stop after n messages (Default = 255)

-Gn Don't generate state files

-H Generate and use precompiled headers
-H- Does not generate or use precompiled headers (Option is on by default)
-H= Set the name of the file for precompiled headers
-H"xxx" Stop precompiling after header file xxx
-Hc Cache precompiled header (Must be used with -H or -H"xxx"
-He Enable precompiled headers with external type files
-Hh=xxx Stop precompiling after header file xxx

-Hs Enable smart cached precompiled headers
-Hu Use but do not generate precompiled headers
-I Include file search path
-in Make significant identifier length to be n (Default = 250)
-Ja Expand all template members (including unused members)
-Jg Generate definitions for all template instances and merge duplicates (Default)
-Jgd Generate public definitions for all template instances; duplicates result in redefinition errors

-Jgx Generate external references for all template instances
-jn Errors: stop after n messages (Default = 25)
-K Default character type unsigned (Default: -K- default character type signed)
-k Turn on standard stack frame (Default)
-L Library file search path
-lx Pass option x to linker
-l-x Disables option x for the linker

-M Create a Map file
-n Sets output directory to path
-O Optimize jumps
-O1 Generate smallest possible code
-O2 Generate fastest possible code
-Oc Eliminate duplicate expressions within basic blocks and functions
-Od Disable all optimizations
-Oi Expand common intrinsic functions
-OS Pentium instruction scheduling

-O-S Disables instruction scheduling
-Ov Enable loop induction variable and strength reduction
-o Compile .OBJ to filename
-P Perform C++ compile regardless of source extension
-P- Perform C++ compile depending on source file extension
-P Perform C++ compile, set output to extension to .ext
-p Use Pascal calling convention
-p- Use C calling convention

-pc Use C calling convention (Default: -pc, -p-)
-po Use fastthis calling convention for passing this parameter in registers
-pr Use fastcall calling convention for passing parameters in registers
-ps Use stdcall calling convention
-R Include browser information in generated .OBJ files
-RT Enable runtime type information (Default)
-r Use register variables (Default)
-r- Disable the use of register variables

-rd Use register variables only when register keyword is employed
-S Compile to assembler
-s Link using TLINK instead of ILINK
-T- Removes all assembler options
-Tx Specify assembler option x
-tWC Target is a console application
-tWD Generate a .DLL executable
-tWM Generate a 32-bit multi-threaded target
-tWP Target is a package

-tWR Target uses the dynamic RTL
-tWV Target uses the VCL
-U Undefine any previous definitions of name
-u Generate underscores (Default)
-V Use smart C++ virtual tables (Default)
-V0 External C++ virtual tables
-V1 Public C++ virtual tables
-VC Calling convention mangling compatibility
-Vd for loop variable scoping
-Ve Zero-length empty base classes

-VF MFC compatibility
-Vl Use old-style Borland C++ structure layout (for compatibility with older versions of BCC32.EXE)
-Vmd Use the smallest possible representation for member pointers
-Vmm Support multiple inheritance for member pointers
-Vmp Honor declared precision of member pointers
-Vms Support single inheritance for member pointers
-Vmv Place no restrictions on where member pointers can point (Default)

-Vx Zero-length empty class member functions
-v Turn on source debugging
-vi Control expansion of inline functions
-WU Generates Unicode application
-w Display warnings on
-w! Returns non-zero from compiler on warnings
-wxxx Enable xxx warning message
-w-xxx Disable xxx warning message
-wmsg User-defined warnings

-X Disable compiler autodependency output (Default: -X- use compiler autodependency output)
-x Enable exception handling (Default)
-xc Enable compatible exception handling
-xd Enable destructor cleanup (Default)
-xdg Use global destructor count (for compatibility with older versions of BCC32.EXE)
-xf Enable fast exception prologs
-xp Enable exception location information

-xs Enable slow exception epilogues
-y Debug line numbers on

Message options (alphabetical listing)

-wamb Ambiguous operators need parentheses (Default OFF)
-wamp Superfluous & with function (Default OFF)
-w-asc Restarting compile using assembly (Default ON)
-wasm Unknown assembler instruction (Default OFF)
-w-aus 'identifier' is assigned a value that is never used (Default ON)
-wbbf Bit fields must be signed or unsigned int (Default OFF)
-w-bei Initializing 'identifier' with 'identifier' (Default ON)
-w-big Hexadecimal value contains more than three digits (Default ON)

-w-ccc Condition is always true OR Condition is always false (Default ON)
-wcln Constant is long (Default OFF)
-w-com Continuation character \ found in // comment (Default OFF)
-w-cpt Nonportable pointer comparison (Default ON)
-w-csu Comparing signed and unsigned values (Default ON)
-wdef Possible use of 'identifier' before definition (Default OFF)
-w-dig Declaration ignored (Default ON)
-w-dpu Declare 'type' prior to use in prototype (Default ON)

-w-dsz Array size for 'delete' ignored (Default ON)
-w-dup Redefinition of 'macro' is not identical (Default ON)
-w-eas Assigning 'type' to 'enum' (Default ON)
-w-eff Code has no effect (Default ON)
-w-ext 'identifier' is declared as both external and static (Default ON)
-w-hch Handler for 'type1' Hidden by Previous Handler for 'type2' (Default ON)
-w-hid 'function1' hides virtual function 'function2' (Default ON)

-w-ias Array variable 'identifier' is near (Default ON)
-w-ibc Base class 'base1' is inaccessible because also in 'base2' (Default ON)
-w-ill Ill-formed pragma (Default ON)
-w-inl Functions containing reserved words are not expanded inline (Default ON)
-w-lin Temporary used to initialize 'identifier' (Default ON)
-w-lvc Temporary used for parameter 'parameter' in call to 'function' (Default ON)
-w-mpc Conversion to 'type' fails for members of virtual base 'base' (Default ON)

-w-mpd Maximum precision used for member pointer type 'type' (Default ON)
-wmsg User-defined warnings (Default OFF)
-wnak Non-ANSI Keyword Used: 'keyword' (Default OFF)
(Note: Use of this option is required for ANSI conformance)
-w-ncf Non-const function 'function' called for const object (Default ON)
-w-nci Constant member 'identifier' is not initialized (Default ON)
-w-ncl Constructor initializer list ignored (Default ON)

-w-nfd Function body ignored (Default ON)
-w-ngu Negating unsigned value (Default ON)
-w-nin Initializer for object 'identifier' ignored (Default ON)
-w-nma Macro definition ignored (Default ON)
-w-nmu #undef directive ignored (Default ON)
-wnod No declaration for function 'function' (Default OFF)
-w-nop Pragma option pop with no matching option push (Default ON)
-w-nsf Declaration of static function 'function(...)' ignored (Default ON)

-w-nst Use qualified name to access nested type 'type' (Default ON)
-w-ntd Use '> >' for nested templates instead of '>>' (Default ON)
-w-nto No type OBJ file present. Disabling external types option. (Default ON)
-w-nvf Non-volatile function 'function' called for volatile object (Default ON)
-w-obi Base initialization without a class name is now obsolete (Default ON)
-w-obs 'identifier' is obsolete (Default ON)
-w-ofp Style of function definition is now obsolete (Default ON)

-w-osh Possible overflow in shift operation (Default ON)
-w-ovf Integer arithmetic overflow (Default ON)
-w-par Parameter 'parameter' is never used (Default ON)
-w-pch Cannot create pre-compiled header: 'header' (Default ON)
-w-pck Structure packing size has changed (Default ON)
-w-pia Possibly incorrect assignment (Default ON)
-wpin Initialization is only partially bracketed (Default OFF)
-w-pow Previous options and warnings not restored (Default ON)

-w-pre Overloaded prefix operator 'operator' used as a postfix operator (Default ON)
-w-pro Call to function with no prototype (Default ON)
-w-rch Unreachable code (Default ON)
-w-ret Both return and return of a value used (Default ON)
-w-rng Constant out of range in comparison (Default ON)
-w-rpt Nonportable pointer conversion (Default ON)
-w-rvl Function should return a value (Default ON)
-wsig Conversion may lose significant digits (Default OFF)

-w-spa Suspicious pointer arithmetic (Default ON)
-wstu Undefined structure 'structure' (Default OFF)
-wstv Structure passed by value (Default OFF)
-w-sus Suspicious pointer conversion (Default ON)
-w-thr Throw expression violates exception specification (Default ON)
-wucp Mixing pointers to different 'char' types (Default OFF)
-wuse 'identifier' declared but never used (Default OFF)
-w-voi Void functions may not return a value (Default ON)

-w-zdi Division by zero (Default ON)