>10 Mb MFM Hard Disk for your PC-XT.... $2500 bucks!
Oh yeah? I have the first issue ($1.50, September 1975)... No hard drives in there:-p
On the cover: - Byte Small Systems Journal - Which Microprocessor for you? - Cassette Interface -- Your key to inexpensive bulk memory - Assembling your assembler - Can YOU use the SURPLUS [ASCII] KEYBOARDS? (You bet you can!) - COMPUTERS -- the World's Greatest Toy!
Back page:
- Generated by man - [Picture of MITS ALTAIR 8800 Computer] - The Affordable Computer.
There is an interesting read from editor Carl Helmers, discussing "what is BYTE?". References to EBCDIC, IBM system 360, life, and "bootstrap off tape" are there.
And, the first time I've EVER seen this mistake. A direct quote from the column - "...making things that quote ``work'' unquote."
Another article describes how to make the game of life. And, there are circuit board patterns you can etch.
A full page contest challenges you to name the name of the manufacturer of a 16-bit microcomputer chip. Prizes: 16 bit microcomputer chip, 8080 CPU, 8008 CPU.
And, just as any REAL computer magazine should have, there are ads for REAL computer repair/testing hardware. Like curve tracers, oscilloscopes, and waveform generators.:-)
1k SRAM, just $3 (some things never change...). 8008, $30.95. 8080, $135. Core memory (350 ns), 8k, $275. ASCII keyboard, $35. Amazingly, some things have gone UP in price over the years. A 7400 NAND gate, just $0.23 back then (single quantity), now: $0.83 at DigiKey.
There's an ad for something I've never heard of: The Association for Computing Machinery (acm).
I didn't start reading Byte until a year or two before it went out of print (it was still a good magazine then). I got a bunch of byte issues free from someone, #1 happened to be with them.
>You know, of course, that Orcad will give you, or me, or anyone who asks, a free demo copy of their entire suite, right? There's a 30-component-per-schematic limit, but that shouldn't be a problem for educational/hobby purposes. All of the schematics on my website were drawn with it.
Yeah, I found out about that "too late" (It would have been great for first and some of second year). They (Orcad) don't seem to want anybody to know they have a demo version. Either way, they _say_ 30 components, but what they say and what their software does are separate issues (sometimes it is more, sometimes less. Their latest, Orcad 9, seems to go by chip complexity... strange...). We're building 8051 microcontroller boards, needing RAM, buffers, 8255, MAX232, various headers, power supply components, etc... and this is only a second year project.
I'm up to about 25 parts just saying that. Yeah, I suppose I could wimp out and make two separate boards, but that isn't going to get me the best marks (trust me...:-). And OrCad is going to completely crap out on me in third year with all the parts that are going to go into that project (I plan to build an XT - from "raw" materials, so to speak).
So I suppose here's my beefs with OrCad demo:
- Can't get real College level work done without using piles of separate boards (and that isn't going to work properly for a computer motherboard). Using two boards (or more) is going to cost me twice (or more) the cost of getting them professionally etched (our College is SO lame, that we etch there using a plotter with a Sharpie marker!), which is already going to be $100... That sucks.:-(
- And still, technically, I feel like I am violating the reason for them releasing the demo software. I figure by demo they mean "try before you buy", or shareware. Well, in that case, once you have tried it, isn't it your responsibility to delete it or buy it when you are done?;-)
Not that this all matters since OrCad makes (or at least once made) their demo really hard to get ahold of [Heck, my _professor_ only got his first copy last month!], well, I found other avenues to "use" the software. >;-)
BTW: I'm going to have to show the people in the analog section of my course your homepage... seems interesting (Sorry, I have no clue what half of the stuff is [although I do get the ethernet bit]... I'm in the digital side).
It is too bad there aren't more Amateur radio operators out there [I own a satellite so I don't have to care about ruined TV reception:-) ] (then it wouldn't be such a pain in the ass to get parts - electronics stores don't carry much nowadays, and I wouldn't be caught dead bying parts at RadioShack). I can honestly say I've only met two in my entire life.
>If you believe the homogeny is good, shop walmart. If you don't care about the growing gap between the lower and upper classes, shop walmart. If you don't want to support the people in your neighborhood, shop walmart.
Hey, look, I don't disagree - but I look at it differently. I figure my not shopping there isn't going to make a difference. The only way that not shopping there is going to make a difference is if everybody does it. Where I live, that ain't gonna happen. The people treat each other so coldly here. So I don't bother... Things like this have a tendancy to work themselves out.
>Competition does not include doing such things as lowering your prices until neighborhood businesses go under, then slowly raising them back to normal again.
Ok - I have never seen this happen. I thought Walmart prices were set for each state and that individual stores had no real control over them. Am I wrong? The Walmart in my area hasn't raised prices on the products I buy for the last 2 or 3 years. Maybe they are still working on killing off the competition?
>Suddenly the variety has gone downhill and we're being homogonized.
Funny you say that - the Walmart in my area has MUCH more selection and different goods than the local stores. But I suppose this is Canada, and since Walmart provides a lot of American goods, there is bound to be more selection there. I suppose if Walmart was Canadian, I'd be thinking the same way.
Why are mom-and-pop stores still trying to compete in a market where everyone wants it cheap?
Ok, so your mini-mart isn't doing well because walmart is next door. Solution: Offer something Walmart doesn't. Faster service is one thing that Walmart cannot improve upon. Make your mini-mart into a "walk thru" type service. Or sell mostly expensive cigars, and specialized candies and unusual newspapers. Walmart isn't going to do any of these.
The fact is, Walmart is doing EXACTLY the right thing. They are providing a better service to the customer than the small stores can provide - lower price, good (enough) service. Small stores simply can't keep their prices so low. Too bad, but it is capitolism at work.
To say that Walmart shouldn't exist becasuse it is big and takes money from the local economy, would be like saying Ford shouldn't exist for EXACTLY the same reasons. If I buy a Ford car, most of the money goes to Ford motors, not the local economy. But I don't see anyone rushing to build "homegrown" vehicles - simply because the people don't want them. They are happy with the Ford product (or similar) and aren't going to pay more for something that has no improvements.
What the public wants, they get. If the public wants good enough service, and cheap prices, then that is what they will get. It doesn't matter to them if they get that from Walmart or "Hick's Clothes" - it is the same old stuff to most people.
It is time for the mini-marts and such of this world to move on to other things, if you ask me. Business skills are business skills - apply them as you like. But bad business skills are to compete against a big company that keeps customers happy. Either compete against a big company that is failing to keep customers happy, or enter a new market. Just because Walmart moves in doesn't mean life is over.
[Quite offtopic...] Here's a market that has NO competition (other than Direc[FA]PC) that a small business could quickly move into: Fast Rural internet access. I want it myself, and am willing to pay $100 US per month to the first person that gives it to me. I know others that are in the same boat.:-)
I have both the Rainbow Runner G, and the TV-out module for the G200 (which, I beleive, is the same as what is "glued" directly to the G400 board).
While the Rainbow Runner G uses a PCI slot, the TV-out only requires a dummy bracket.
The TV-out from the Matrox card is simply the best. It beats what crap comes out from the TNT2, or most any other consumer level card. I have compared personally the TNT2 card and the Matrox card on a 50" TV. The Matrox card had somewhat readable text at 800x600. The TNT2 card was unreadable at even its lowest resolution (640x480). I remember reading a comparitive review between many video out supporting cards, but have forgotten where the site was. It doesn't matter much, because I do remember the Matrox card beat all the others, hands down.
Not only that, but there is more than enough info to get you started with video in/out at www.matroxusers.com. I bet you won't find a similar site for other cards...:-)
Oh, and BTW: The TV-Out works at even 1024x768 (although this is only good for games and movies...).
The TV-in Card, for a G200/G400, is technically separate. It is a separate PCI card that links onto the G200/G400 with a set of cables. Sure you are stuck with only buying Matrox cards forever as long as you want to use that TV card, but is this bad? (no) Matrox has long supported even old Rainbow Runner G cards, and I don't see why that will stop.
As a side note, the Happauge card is missing a LOT of features:
- Filtering/Anti-Aliasing (truse me, watching full screen TV on a BT848 card is a nightmare on a 20" monitor. My head still hurts, and I sold the card 6 months ago!:-)
- Decent capturing. (The Rainbow Runner cards have a MJPEG hardware compressor built in that works REALLY well, especially at 704x480 @ 30 fps.)
- Compatibility. (Yes, the BT848 cards are compatible with lots of videocards, just you better hope you don't buy S3 products. Matrox TELLS you what their card works with, ON THE BOX).
I'd buy a motherboard with integrated sound and video, if the sound was a SoundBlaster Live! and the video was a Matrox G400. It just so happens that motherboard manufacturers are obsessed with cheap, and that is what you get. Cheap, nasty, video, and cheap, nasty, sound.
>Did I say anything about children having guns? Exactly. You didn't say anything to exclude them. So therefore they should have them (according to you).
>You do that, buddy... I'll be waiting for him with my.45 SW.
When did you become a better shot than anyone else? Being psycho doesn't exclude you from being a sharpshooter. In fact, a lot of people in the military (who have learned very well how to shoot) carry guns.
>That's why I support your right to keep and bear arms to protect yourself from that "NUTCASE BASTARD." Shoot him and clean up the gene pool.
Wow, is that the BEST trolls can do nowadays? Again, are you the world's best shot? If not, what if the nutcase is?
>>>Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy
>>Ok, so now you are saying an instrument of death has something to do with f**king someone? Maybe f**king them up...
>You know damn good and well what I'm saying... sober up and stay on topic.
You first.
>If it wasn't for you damn hippies and your self-indulgence in the sixties, we wouldn't have any psychos. And if we did, we wouldn't have your liberal whining keeping us from taking them out back and disposing of them properly.
I think differently - if it weren't for you trolls, then there wouldn't be any psychos around (because most trolls are psychos, you see...)
>>Get a life. Get a gun. Someone gets shot. Another one bites the dust, is that what you are saying?
>Pretty much... with one minor modification: someone WHO DESERVES TO DIE gets shot.
Sure... I mean, like you are the world's best shot ever, huh?
>By engaging in "community" (read communism) development for free you are deliberately damaging the economy to the detriment of all.
[sarcasm]Yeah, I mean, like Mother Teresa must have killed hundreds of doctors by depriving them of their rightful pay.[/sarcasm]
And who said we want to be bound by such rules? Remember - some of the biggest businesses that are out there today broke the rules to make it.
To keep it ontopic:
intel - Made the first microprocessor. Microsoft - Two guys, working from their garage sell software to multimillion dollar company.
Now someone is coming along and changing the rules. Companies don't like it. I wouldn't if I were them either. I'd be worried. Real worried. Once the trend starts, software will be free for everyone, forever. Companies will have to go back to the "old ways" and pay for customizations to software, instead of the whole package.
The economic tables are being turned back into the direction of the freelance individual and away from the corporations. This scares you? You want the Standard Oil's, AT&T's and Microsoft's of this world to rule you? Not for me. I rule myself. That's what we call freedom - the ability to do what YOU want to do when YOU want to.
Of course, if you want to be a dictator (which has NOTHING to do with communism!), perhaps you could make a nice home in Cuba or China?
>Yep... thank you for proving my point, you bleeding heart fuck. The only gun control we need in this country is controlling the price of guns. Make them cheaper and more accessable to everyone, the way the founding fathers wanted it.
Yeah - EVERYBODY in EVERY Psycho ward deserves a weapon.
I think I'll be neighbourly and give the Psycho living just down from you a weapon and lets just see how responsible he is with it.
You see, you never said you would limit the distribution. You want every psycho on the street getting handguns like they are candy? You want every 3 year old to have a gun? You want them to have ammo? You want them to play cops and robbers with YOUR kids with that gun?
>If you're to goddamn lazy to take care of your own fucking children and make sure they don't have access to your guns, drugs and Playboys, then don't fucking have any. Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy.
It wouldn't be MY KIDS I'm worried about (if I had any), it would be the 10 year old PSYCHO NUTCASE BASTARDS out there that can get guns at the corner store.
>Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy.
Ok, so now you are saying an instrument of death has something to do with f**king someone? Maybe f**king them up...
>Get a life.
Get a life. Get a gun. Someone gets shot. Another one bites the dust, is that what you are saying?
Stop listening to that DMX/Jay-Z/Juvenile gangsta rap crap. Sure the beats are good, but the lyrics are downright wrong.
Yeah, I guess I am just sore because I can't get high speed net access where I am, so I couldn't care less if FTP install was in slackware or not.:-)
Buuut, thinking about it, if you want to install it that way (though the net), you could always ask someone else you know on cable modem/fast net conneciton to export via NFS a slackware CD for you. Of course, that means you have to be lucky enough to find someone who would be willing to do that (might be a pinch).
Oh well... Too bad. Time to go to the store and get that awesome Walnut Creek distro/w metalab and tsx archives (as well as Slackware 7).:-)
I have installed RedHat and Corel Linux. Both installers were just as smooth as Slackware's, but still, Slackware's menus just seem more "user freindly" to me. Maybe that is just because the menu system is so similar to the one you get with "make menuconfig" for the kernel (probably they both use the same libraries? I'm no master programmer, either).
>The region ID is just stored in the clear on the DVD, it's up to players to enforce it.
Yes and no (mostly no). While yes, they could technically ignore it; Sony would not have been granted the $10,000 license to decrypt DVD in that case (a requirement of licensing to decrypt/play DVDs is that you implemet region coding). So no, if they didn't do this, then there would be no DVD Movie playing for Playstation. Unencypted playing, though, would be legal. But how many DVDs do you own that aren't encrypted? Probably not many...
>All the warez pups rush to buy/download & burn Final Fantasy XII only to have it rewrite the BIOS with a boot up message of 'This unit has been rendered inoperable by Sony's Antipiracy division - have a nice day'.
Yeah, I just wish my TV would do that as well every time I tape a show to watch it 2 hours later.;-) As far as the law goes, there is no difference - you have copied a copywritten show (unless you watch Public Access TV...)
Besides, if Sony even ATTEMPTED to do this, they would ruin all the market for their machine. Look at it like this - Windows 98, expensive, but you see it on almost all home computers. Why? Because "everyone else" runs it (pirated). Eventually some poor schmuck actually buys the crap. If I learned that my Sony playstation would be ruined by using a copied disc, that would be it for me. I wouldn't buy one, my neighbours wouldn't see me buy one, and I'd tell 10 other people not to buy them because they self destruct. Instant death to the PS2. Just imagine if Sony VCRs were to destroy themselves if you attempted to tape something from TV? Would Sony EVER sell another VCR again? No way man!
You could compare this to macrovision, in fact. If movie companies could have gotten away with it, I bet they would have had VCR manufacturers install a special chip. Not just an AGC (VCR), but a chip that would self destruct if any attempt to copy something macrovision protected was made. If the VCR was turned on, and that chip didn't pass its tests, then the VCR wouldn't work. But that wouldn't happen because there would be not only too many returns on the VCRs, but also because you are purposely destroying some elses equipment (illegal). Destroying equipment is much different than limiting the useability of copy protected material. One is permanent, the other only happens once, and is non-damaging.
The "We cannot be held responsible if this software destroys your computer" shrinkwrap line isn't going to hold up in court if the damage is done with malicious intent. Not all copies are made illegally you know... Many playstations are bought for children. Children, being somewhat less responsible than adults, throw the CDs around like the toys they are. Parents can most certainly make a backup copy of the original, store the originals out of the way, and allow their kids to play with the backups legally.
Personally, if Sony _did_ do this, I might purposely buy one and screw it up constantly with burned CDs, and get free service on it, over and over. Especially after the warranty is over (Sony would still be liable for their malicious acts). >:-)
>ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! PEOPLE WHO MISUSE THE WORD GROW SHOULD BE PETRIFIED IN HOT GRITS!
The "New Webster's Expanded Dictionary - 1991 Edition" doesn't agree:
grow, gro, (verb intransitive, pretense grew, past pretense grown): To be augmented by natural process; to increase; to make progress; to become; to accrue; to swell. -- (verb trasitive): To raise from the soil; to produce.
transitive - Taking an object after it, as a verb.
intransitive - Designating a verb which expresses an action or state limited to the subject.
Seems like grow can be used either way, active or passive...
So grow this into your memory for future reference...:-)
>Of course, the crux of the matter is that those systems won't run GameOS which all these wankers want so they can play their 31337 g4m3zzz!!!!@@!!$$!!!#!!!. Idiots.
(I'll assume GameOS = Windows 98)
Yeah, but there are a lot of people running GameOS. And it is hungry for more power, all the time. So don't expect there to be a mad rush for workstations anytime soon, unless all the GameOS games work with a real OS all of a sudden. I don't see that happening, so the push for more processor power to run those games will continue.
Gamers don't care if it takes a few more seconds to load a Q3 level because their hard drive sucks. They care that the game runs fast. And that is it. Once it is loaded, as long as there is no swapping, 64 Mb RAM, and a 5400 RPM drive will do, as long as there is a fast 3D card and a fast processor under the hood.
The fact is that the performance increases found by going to SCSI/etc... are wasted on most people. Games only want a fast processor and fast graphics board. Business apps run well on even slow systems (by today's standards, eg. 300 Mhz). So the market for SCSI, etc... is only of importance to people building servers. And while the server market is large, so is the game and business market.
And let me tell you, there is a lot of purchasing power from the Gamers... So companies listen. Expect faster video and processors to keep on coming.
>I can assure you that most of them observe SBEs as a BSOD in their GameOS, because they spent all their cash on a higher-clocked processor and then bought Joe's Factory Thirds "PC92-1/2" Memory from the guy on the corner wearing a trench coat.
Wow, that guy seems much more trustworth than the people I usually buy memory from...:-)
And besides, I have a PC-66 DIMM that lasted over a year at 100 Mhz (:-P Mine is bigger than yours [jj]).
And I'm about to get another 5400 RPM drive for my uberc00l Ultra66 which is now a Fasttrack controller.
And lets not forget the extra cooling system - Nothing beats running your computer inside a refigerator for that ultimate speed.
:-)
I figure there must be a limit to how far I can push my machine, that's why I've abstained from putting my computer in a fridge. Maybe sometime I'll have to try, though. I'm getting tired of only 1 hour uptimes...:-)
>Exactly. Until you run out of IRQs. I have never heard of more then 4 IDE controllers in a box, and even that is kind of a stretch.
Well - a server isn't going to have a sound card, or have serial ports enabled, or have the parallel port enabled, or any other "bonus" stuff, except for network cards. So lets see:
Hey, hey! It would work with even EIGHT controllers. That should be enough for any server...
>Well, DMA does offload CPU somewhat, but it's still not SCSI. SCSI offloads *all* the I/O work from the CPU. The UDMA HDs sure will work at peak performance (since the 33MB/s the UDMA33 can provide is usually at least twice as fast as HDs can sustain), provided that they have CPU's attention.
Ok, I can't argue with that. SCSI is a faster interface all around - but sometimes a Corvette will do, when the Ferrari costs 3x as much...:-)
>IANAL but you've got it a little backwards. The copyright is automatically granted to the creator on creation of the IP.
That's what I said:
"Copyright, which technically applies to everything under today's law"
Ok, so I didn't say by default. But I did say that it applies to everything - which is basically the same thing (I am wrong though - you are allowed to place stuff into the public domain if you say so specifically).
Copyright only governs the fact you aren't allowed to make copies of the work. It works the same for software by default as for books. ie. You _are_ technically even allowed to modify it by default (just as you are allowed to write in a book). That is why the license agreement denies you those rights.
I don't see a license agreement within ten miles of this software.
>Also, they didn't give you a copy. They put it in a public place. You still had to download a copy. Without them putting up a license agreement you don't have the right to do anything with their code. The default ownership including use rights is still theirs unless they say otherwise.
Yeah - I'm not allowed to modify the code. But I'm not doing that. I'm going to let it run as usual, without modifications.
>The ease of theft argument is kind of like saying it isn't robbery if I rob your house when you don't lock the door.
That argument would be different if it applied to this website:
It is more like Promise leaves the door open, puts a sign above it saying "Free stuff inside for your fasttrack controller, come and take some. Just open the door." Is that stealing? It says the stuff is only for a Fasttrack controller, but it doesn't say "You may not get any of this free stuff unless you have a Fasttrack controller". That's what both the website and the software are missing.
>So your going to spend 2+ hours trying to rig up this *IDE* RAID controller to save $40? Sounds like a story for www.overclockerlamerz.com, not slashdot.
What a boring person - I guess you have no hobbies at all then, because they are all a waste of time, and for overclockerlamerz, huh?
Plain old Boring. I'd rather talk to a tree than talk to someone who thinks hobbies are a waste of time. Electronics is a hobby to most people into computer hardware...
Clip out the plastic support on the socket that would cover that resistor first.
The socket will still work. I'd suggest machined, they only cost a buck more, and fit like a glove.
>Honestly, did you read the article? >Nice suggestion...
Did you look at the pictures in the article? Guess what is on either side of the resistor (and the blank pads) that this guy has installed as a "aftermarket" upgrade...:-)
>You want to void your warranty and render tech support useless so you can save $40-100? How valuable is your data? Hopefully more than that.
Hahaha...
Sorry, but I have dealt with an RMA department personally (I keep getting to drop stuff off). (No, not the Promise RMA department...) They cry in despair when another AcerView monitor comes in. Why? Because getting the warranty service is like pulling teeth. And suing the company is going to cost YOU money for a $40 card. So if Promise says "No, we don't feel like.", what are you going to do? Spend $100 and 4 hours to take them to small claims court to extract $40 from them? Nope...
And, not only would I not value my data to another company's tech support (the people on the other end of the phone are nothing but very large baked potatoes - I know, I get to be one of them sometimes in my job.), but I wouldn't even value my trash to tech support. They'd find a way to spread it all over my house... (note: I'm talking about tech support in general - if you work there full time, and have a higher IQ than a baked potato, well, you are one of the lucky ones:-).
My favourite phone tech support story revolves around me phoning iOmega about (yes, another) a click of death drive back in 96/97 (or so). After waiting 1 hour on hold, LONG DISTANCE from Canada to Utah, I finally got through. When I was all said and done, I had spent $100 on my phone bill. Let me tell you - I was VERY pleased to hear iOmega lost the class action lawsuits against them. They deserved all the beating they got for that. And now I have $5 in FREE tech support. That leaves me with only another $95 in charges waiting for me next time my (thank God I sold it) iOmega drive breaks.
And if you data is super precious, it should be backed up. And if it is that precious, why are you going the cheap route and using IDE RAID anyways?:-)
I'd say that there isn't any reason at all not to hack up the Ultra66 card, IMHO.:-)
You don't have to agree to any agreements/licenses to download the software (BIOS and drivers) to use it. They don't even include a copyright notice (that I've seen yet, but I haven't run the BIOS exe yet). So that makes it bound by default copyright laws - ie. You can't copy your freshly downloaded BIOS/driver files to someone else. I don't beleive there are any other rules/regulations bounding the use of implicitly copyrighted software...
If you want to sell IP, then you need to protect it, not give it away without any rules. Just like you don't give away a car and come back crying the next day saying "But I want it back... I didn't mean to give it away. It was an accident, honest."
Yeah, I'd agree too - flashing the new Fasttrak BIOS over the Ultra BIOS is _possibly_ piracy.
But for it to _really_ be piracy Promise has to do one of these things:
- Not provide the software free of charge to anyone (I downloaded the BIOS just a minute) without even asking for them to click away their rights.
This means I'm not stealing the BIOS at all.
- Add a license agreement to their software (I don't see one). Copyright, which technically applies to everything under today's law, only means that you can't give a copy of this software to someone else, by default. If the company that makes it gives you it, well, then that is legal. This is in the same vein that if an author photocopies their book for you, then that is legal. If you photocopy your copy for someone else, that isn't legal.
This means I'm not breaking any copying rules by using the BIOS, because I don't plan to give anybody else these drivers/BIOS files.
They are missing both Acceptable Use Policies and Copyright Licenses on the BIOS and on their drivers. Too bad for Promise, looks like they scrwed up.
I have their software now (which I downloaded, fair and square, and legally), and I'm going to buy one of the Ultra66 controllers tomorrow and hack it up.
We'll see if there are any AUPs or License Agreements I've missed. If so, well, I'll abide by them. Otherwise, I'm going to have a nice new, legal, fasttrack card!
Slashdot Mirror
>10 Mb MFM Hard Disk for your PC-XT.... $2500 bucks!
:-p
:-)
:-)
Oh yeah? I have the first issue ($1.50, September 1975)... No hard drives in there
On the cover:
- Byte Small Systems Journal
- Which Microprocessor for you?
- Cassette Interface -- Your key to inexpensive bulk memory
- Assembling your assembler
- Can YOU use the SURPLUS [ASCII] KEYBOARDS? (You bet you can!)
- COMPUTERS -- the World's Greatest Toy!
Back page:
- Generated by man
- [Picture of MITS ALTAIR 8800 Computer]
- The Affordable Computer.
There is an interesting read from editor Carl Helmers, discussing "what is BYTE?". References to EBCDIC, IBM system 360, life, and "bootstrap off tape" are there.
And, the first time I've EVER seen this mistake. A direct quote from the column - "...making things that quote ``work'' unquote."
Another article describes how to make the game of life. And, there are circuit board patterns you can etch.
A full page contest challenges you to name the name of the manufacturer of a 16-bit microcomputer chip. Prizes: 16 bit microcomputer chip, 8080 CPU, 8008 CPU.
And, just as any REAL computer magazine should have, there are ads for REAL computer repair/testing hardware. Like curve tracers, oscilloscopes, and waveform generators.
1k SRAM, just $3 (some things never change...). 8008, $30.95. 8080, $135. Core memory (350 ns), 8k, $275. ASCII keyboard, $35. Amazingly, some things have gone UP in price over the years. A 7400 NAND gate, just $0.23 back then (single quantity), now: $0.83 at DigiKey.
There's an ad for something I've never heard of: The Association for Computing Machinery (acm).
I didn't start reading Byte until a year or two before it went out of print (it was still a good magazine then). I got a bunch of byte issues free from someone, #1 happened to be with them.
I'll have to sort through them someday...
>You know, of course, that Orcad will give you, or me, or anyone who asks, a free demo copy of their entire suite, right? There's a 30-component-per-schematic limit, but that shouldn't be a problem for educational/hobby purposes. All of the schematics on my website were drawn with it.
:-). And OrCad is going to completely crap out on me in third year with all the parts that are going to go into that project (I plan to build an XT - from "raw" materials, so to speak).
:-(
;-)
:-) ] (then it wouldn't be such a pain in the ass to get parts - electronics stores don't carry much nowadays, and I wouldn't be caught dead bying parts at RadioShack). I can honestly say I've only met two in my entire life.
Yeah, I found out about that "too late" (It would have been great for first and some of second year). They (Orcad) don't seem to want anybody to know they have a demo version. Either way, they _say_ 30 components, but what they say and what their software does are separate issues (sometimes it is more, sometimes less. Their latest, Orcad 9, seems to go by chip complexity... strange...). We're building 8051 microcontroller boards, needing RAM, buffers, 8255, MAX232, various headers, power supply components, etc... and this is only a second year project.
I'm up to about 25 parts just saying that. Yeah, I suppose I could wimp out and make two separate boards, but that isn't going to get me the best marks (trust me...
So I suppose here's my beefs with OrCad demo:
- Can't get real College level work done without using piles of separate boards (and that isn't going to work properly for a computer motherboard). Using two boards (or more) is going to cost me twice (or more) the cost of getting them professionally etched (our College is SO lame, that we etch there using a plotter with a Sharpie marker!), which is already going to be $100... That sucks.
- And still, technically, I feel like I am violating the reason for them releasing the demo software. I figure by demo they mean "try before you buy", or shareware. Well, in that case, once you have tried it, isn't it your responsibility to delete it or buy it when you are done?
Not that this all matters since OrCad makes (or at least once made) their demo really hard to get ahold of [Heck, my _professor_ only got his first copy last month!], well, I found other avenues to "use" the software. >;-)
BTW: I'm going to have to show the people in the analog section of my course your homepage... seems interesting (Sorry, I have no clue what half of the stuff is [although I do get the ethernet bit]... I'm in the digital side).
It is too bad there aren't more Amateur radio operators out there [I own a satellite so I don't have to care about ruined TV reception
>If you believe the homogeny is good, shop walmart. If you don't care about the growing gap between the lower and upper classes, shop walmart. If you don't want to support the people in your neighborhood, shop walmart.
Hey, look, I don't disagree - but I look at it differently. I figure my not shopping there isn't going to make a difference. The only way that not shopping there is going to make a difference is if everybody does it. Where I live, that ain't gonna happen. The people treat each other so coldly here. So I don't bother... Things like this have a tendancy to work themselves out.
>Competition does not include doing such things as lowering your prices until neighborhood businesses go under, then slowly raising them back to normal again.
Ok - I have never seen this happen. I thought Walmart prices were set for each state and that individual stores had no real control over them. Am I wrong? The Walmart in my area hasn't raised prices on the products I buy for the last 2 or 3 years. Maybe they are still working on killing off the competition?
>Suddenly the variety has gone downhill and we're being homogonized.
Funny you say that - the Walmart in my area has MUCH more selection and different goods than the local stores. But I suppose this is Canada, and since Walmart provides a lot of American goods, there is bound to be more selection there. I suppose if Walmart was Canadian, I'd be thinking the same way.
Why are mom-and-pop stores still trying to compete in a market where everyone wants it cheap?
:-)
Ok, so your mini-mart isn't doing well because walmart is next door. Solution: Offer something Walmart doesn't. Faster service is one thing that Walmart cannot improve upon. Make your mini-mart into a "walk thru" type service. Or sell mostly expensive cigars, and specialized candies and unusual newspapers. Walmart isn't going to do any of these.
The fact is, Walmart is doing EXACTLY the right thing. They are providing a better service to the customer than the small stores can provide - lower price, good (enough) service. Small stores simply can't keep their prices so low. Too bad, but it is capitolism at work.
To say that Walmart shouldn't exist becasuse it is big and takes money from the local economy, would be like saying Ford shouldn't exist for EXACTLY the same reasons. If I buy a Ford car, most of the money goes to Ford motors, not the local economy. But I don't see anyone rushing to build "homegrown" vehicles - simply because the people don't want them. They are happy with the Ford product (or similar) and aren't going to pay more for something that has no improvements.
What the public wants, they get. If the public wants good enough service, and cheap prices, then that is what they will get. It doesn't matter to them if they get that from Walmart or "Hick's Clothes" - it is the same old stuff to most people.
It is time for the mini-marts and such of this world to move on to other things, if you ask me. Business skills are business skills - apply them as you like. But bad business skills are to compete against a big company that keeps customers happy. Either compete against a big company that is failing to keep customers happy, or enter a new market. Just because Walmart moves in doesn't mean life is over.
[Quite offtopic...]
Here's a market that has NO competition (other than Direc[FA]PC) that a small business could quickly move into: Fast Rural internet access. I want it myself, and am willing to pay $100 US per month to the first person that gives it to me. I know others that are in the same boat.
I have both the Rainbow Runner G, and the TV-out module for the G200 (which, I beleive, is the same as what is "glued" directly to the G400 board).
:-)
While the Rainbow Runner G uses a PCI slot, the TV-out only requires a dummy bracket.
The TV-out from the Matrox card is simply the best. It beats what crap comes out from the TNT2, or most any other consumer level card. I have compared personally the TNT2 card and the Matrox card on a 50" TV. The Matrox card had somewhat readable text at 800x600. The TNT2 card was unreadable at even its lowest resolution (640x480). I remember reading a comparitive review between many video out supporting cards, but have forgotten where the site was. It doesn't matter much, because I do remember the Matrox card beat all the others, hands down.
Not only that, but there is more than enough info to get you started with video in/out at www.matroxusers.com. I bet you won't find a similar site for other cards...
Oh, and BTW: The TV-Out works at even 1024x768 (although this is only good for games and movies...).
The TV-in Card, for a G200/G400, is technically separate. It is a separate PCI card that links onto the G200/G400 with a set of cables. Sure you are stuck with only buying Matrox cards forever as long as you want to use that TV card, but is this bad? (no) Matrox has long supported even old Rainbow Runner G cards, and I don't see why that will stop.
:-)
As a side note, the Happauge card is missing a LOT of features:
- Filtering/Anti-Aliasing (truse me, watching full screen TV on a BT848 card is a nightmare on a 20" monitor. My head still hurts, and I sold the card 6 months ago!
- Decent capturing. (The Rainbow Runner cards have a MJPEG hardware compressor built in that works REALLY well, especially at 704x480 @ 30 fps.)
- Compatibility. (Yes, the BT848 cards are compatible with lots of videocards, just you better hope you don't buy S3 products. Matrox TELLS you what their card works with, ON THE BOX).
I'd buy a motherboard with integrated sound and video, if the sound was a SoundBlaster Live! and the video was a Matrox G400. It just so happens that motherboard manufacturers are obsessed with cheap, and that is what you get. Cheap, nasty, video, and cheap, nasty, sound.
Ok, well, good move Microsoft. You just cut out 75% of your market. That's (at least) how many people use a modem to get on the internet right now.
I know I won't be buying one.
>>You want every 3 year old to have a gun?
.45 SW.
>Did I say anything about children having guns?
Exactly. You didn't say anything to exclude them. So therefore they should have them (according to you).
>You do that, buddy... I'll be waiting for him with my
When did you become a better shot than anyone else? Being psycho doesn't exclude you from being a sharpshooter. In fact, a lot of people in the military (who have learned very well how to shoot) carry guns.
>That's why I support your right to keep and bear arms to protect yourself from that "NUTCASE BASTARD." Shoot him and clean up the gene pool.
Wow, is that the BEST trolls can do nowadays? Again, are you the world's best shot? If not, what if the nutcase is?
>>>Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy
>>Ok, so now you are saying an instrument of death has something to do with f**king someone? Maybe f**king them up...
>You know damn good and well what I'm saying... sober up and stay on topic.
You first.
>If it wasn't for you damn hippies and your self-indulgence in the sixties, we wouldn't have any psychos. And if we did, we wouldn't have your liberal whining keeping us from taking them out back and disposing of them properly.
I think differently - if it weren't for you trolls, then there wouldn't be any psychos around (because most trolls are psychos, you see...)
>>Get a life. Get a gun. Someone gets shot. Another one bites the dust, is that what you are saying?
>Pretty much... with one minor modification: someone WHO DESERVES TO DIE gets shot.
Sure... I mean, like you are the world's best shot ever, huh?
Now this is starting to sound like a western...
Put that in your brain and think on it.
>By engaging in "community" (read communism) development for free you are deliberately damaging the economy to the detriment of all.
[sarcasm]Yeah, I mean, like Mother Teresa must have killed hundreds of doctors by depriving them of their rightful pay.[/sarcasm]
And who said we want to be bound by such rules? Remember - some of the biggest businesses that are out there today broke the rules to make it.
To keep it ontopic:
intel - Made the first microprocessor.
Microsoft - Two guys, working from their garage sell software to multimillion dollar company.
Now someone is coming along and changing the rules. Companies don't like it. I wouldn't if I were them either. I'd be worried. Real worried. Once the trend starts, software will be free for everyone, forever. Companies will have to go back to the "old ways" and pay for customizations to software, instead of the whole package.
The economic tables are being turned back into the direction of the freelance individual and away from the corporations. This scares you? You want the Standard Oil's, AT&T's and Microsoft's of this world to rule you? Not for me. I rule myself. That's what we call freedom - the ability to do what YOU want to do when YOU want to.
Of course, if you want to be a dictator (which has NOTHING to do with communism!), perhaps you could make a nice home in Cuba or China?
>Yep... thank you for proving my point, you bleeding heart fuck. The only gun control we need in this country is controlling the price of guns. Make them cheaper and more accessable to everyone, the way the founding fathers wanted it.
Yeah - EVERYBODY in EVERY Psycho ward deserves a weapon.
I think I'll be neighbourly and give the Psycho living just down from you a weapon and lets just see how responsible he is with it.
You see, you never said you would limit the distribution. You want every psycho on the street getting handguns like they are candy? You want every 3 year old to have a gun? You want them to have ammo? You want them to play cops and robbers with YOUR kids with that gun?
>If you're to goddamn lazy to take care of your own fucking children and make sure they don't have access to your guns, drugs and Playboys, then don't fucking have any. Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy.
It wouldn't be MY KIDS I'm worried about (if I had any), it would be the 10 year old PSYCHO NUTCASE BASTARDS out there that can get guns at the corner store.
>Of course, this goes completely against your dead-head free-love philosophy.
Ok, so now you are saying an instrument of death has something to do with f**king someone? Maybe f**king them up...
>Get a life.
Get a life. Get a gun. Someone gets shot. Another one bites the dust, is that what you are saying?
Stop listening to that DMX/Jay-Z/Juvenile gangsta rap crap. Sure the beats are good, but the lyrics are downright wrong.
(I posted the AC post - wasn't logged in)
:-)
/w metalab and tsx archives (as well as Slackware 7). :-)
Yeah, I guess I am just sore because I can't get high speed net access where I am, so I couldn't care less if FTP install was in slackware or not.
Buuut, thinking about it, if you want to install it that way (though the net), you could always ask someone else you know on cable modem/fast net conneciton to export via NFS a slackware CD for you. Of course, that means you have to be lucky enough to find someone who would be willing to do that (might be a pinch).
Oh well... Too bad. Time to go to the store and get that awesome Walnut Creek distro
I have installed RedHat and Corel Linux. Both installers were just as smooth as Slackware's, but still, Slackware's menus just seem more "user freindly" to me. Maybe that is just because the menu system is so similar to the one you get with "make menuconfig" for the kernel (probably they both use the same libraries? I'm no master programmer, either).
>The region ID is just stored in the clear on the DVD, it's up to players to enforce it.
Yes and no (mostly no). While yes, they could technically ignore it; Sony would not have been granted the $10,000 license to decrypt DVD in that case (a requirement of licensing to decrypt/play DVDs is that you implemet region coding). So no, if they didn't do this, then there would be no DVD Movie playing for Playstation. Unencypted playing, though, would be legal. But how many DVDs do you own that aren't encrypted? Probably not many...
>All the warez pups rush to buy/download & burn Final Fantasy XII only to have it rewrite the BIOS with a boot up message of 'This unit has been rendered inoperable by Sony's Antipiracy division - have a nice day'.
;-) As far as the law goes, there is no difference - you have copied a copywritten show (unless you watch Public Access TV...)
Yeah, I just wish my TV would do that as well every time I tape a show to watch it 2 hours later.
Besides, if Sony even ATTEMPTED to do this, they would ruin all the market for their machine. Look at it like this - Windows 98, expensive, but you see it on almost all home computers. Why? Because "everyone else" runs it (pirated). Eventually some poor schmuck actually buys the crap. If I learned that my Sony playstation would be ruined by using a copied disc, that would be it for me. I wouldn't buy one, my neighbours wouldn't see me buy one, and I'd tell 10 other people not to buy them because they self destruct. Instant death to the PS2. Just imagine if Sony VCRs were to destroy themselves if you attempted to tape something from TV? Would Sony EVER sell another VCR again? No way man!
You could compare this to macrovision, in fact. If movie companies could have gotten away with it, I bet they would have had VCR manufacturers install a special chip. Not just an AGC (VCR), but a chip that would self destruct if any attempt to copy something macrovision protected was made. If the VCR was turned on, and that chip didn't pass its tests, then the VCR wouldn't work. But that wouldn't happen because there would be not only too many returns on the VCRs, but also because you are purposely destroying some elses equipment (illegal). Destroying equipment is much different than limiting the useability of copy protected material. One is permanent, the other only happens once, and is non-damaging.
The "We cannot be held responsible if this software destroys your computer" shrinkwrap line isn't going to hold up in court if the damage is done with malicious intent. Not all copies are made illegally you know... Many playstations are bought for children. Children, being somewhat less responsible than adults, throw the CDs around like the toys they are. Parents can most certainly make a backup copy of the original, store the originals out of the way, and allow their kids to play with the backups legally.
Personally, if Sony _did_ do this, I might purposely buy one and screw it up constantly with burned CDs, and get free service on it, over and over. Especially after the warranty is over (Sony would still be liable for their malicious acts). >:-)
>There is a moral to this story, I just can't remember what it is.
The moral is: Always have spare parts handy.
>ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! PEOPLE WHO MISUSE THE WORD GROW SHOULD BE PETRIFIED IN HOT GRITS!
:-)
The "New Webster's Expanded Dictionary - 1991 Edition" doesn't agree:
grow, gro, (verb intransitive, pretense grew, past pretense grown): To be augmented by natural process; to increase; to make progress; to become; to accrue; to swell. -- (verb trasitive): To raise from the soil; to produce.
transitive - Taking an object after it, as a verb.
intransitive - Designating a verb which expresses an action or state limited to the subject.
Seems like grow can be used either way, active or passive...
So grow this into your memory for future reference...
>Of course, the crux of the matter is that those systems won't run GameOS which all these wankers want so they can play their 31337 g4m3zzz!!!!@@!!$$!!!#!!!. Idiots.
(I'll assume GameOS = Windows 98)
Yeah, but there are a lot of people running GameOS. And it is hungry for more power, all the time. So don't expect there to be a mad rush for workstations anytime soon, unless all the GameOS games work with a real OS all of a sudden. I don't see that happening, so the push for more processor power to run those games will continue.
Gamers don't care if it takes a few more seconds to load a Q3 level because their hard drive sucks. They care that the game runs fast. And that is it. Once it is loaded, as long as there is no swapping, 64 Mb RAM, and a 5400 RPM drive will do, as long as there is a fast 3D card and a fast processor under the hood.
The fact is that the performance increases found by going to SCSI/etc... are wasted on most people. Games only want a fast processor and fast graphics board. Business apps run well on even slow systems (by today's standards, eg. 300 Mhz). So the market for SCSI, etc... is only of importance to people building servers. And while the server market is large, so is the game and business market.
And let me tell you, there is a lot of purchasing power from the Gamers... So companies listen. Expect faster video and processors to keep on coming.
Just my 2 cents...
>I can assure you that most of them observe SBEs as a BSOD in their GameOS, because they spent all their cash on a higher-clocked processor and then bought Joe's Factory Thirds "PC92-1/2" Memory from the guy on the corner wearing a trench coat.
:-)
:-P Mine is bigger than yours [jj]).
:-)
Wow, that guy seems much more trustworth than the people I usually buy memory from...
And besides, I have a PC-66 DIMM that lasted over a year at 100 Mhz (
And I'm about to get another 5400 RPM drive for my uberc00l Ultra66 which is now a Fasttrack controller.
And lets not forget the extra cooling system - Nothing beats running your computer inside a refigerator for that ultimate speed.
:-)
I figure there must be a limit to how far I can push my machine, that's why I've abstained from putting my computer in a fridge. Maybe sometime I'll have to try, though. I'm getting tired of only 1 hour uptimes...
>It would work with even EIGHT controllers.
Ooops, I meant EIGHT ports, or FOUR controllers.
>Exactly. Until you run out of IRQs. I have never heard of more then 4 IDE controllers in a box, and even that is kind of a stretch.
:-)
Well - a server isn't going to have a sound card, or have serial ports enabled, or have the parallel port enabled, or any other "bonus" stuff, except for network cards. So lets see:
2 network cards - IRQ 2,3
4 Fasttrack controllers (8 ports) - IRQ 4,5,7,10,11,12,14,15
Hey, hey! It would work with even EIGHT controllers. That should be enough for any server...
>Well, DMA does offload CPU somewhat, but it's still not SCSI. SCSI offloads *all* the I/O work from the CPU. The UDMA HDs sure will work at peak performance (since the 33MB/s the UDMA33 can provide is usually at least twice as fast as HDs can sustain), provided that they have CPU's attention.
Ok, I can't argue with that. SCSI is a faster interface all around - but sometimes a Corvette will do, when the Ferrari costs 3x as much...
>IANAL but you've got it a little backwards. The copyright is automatically granted to the creator on creation of the IP.
That's what I said:
"Copyright, which technically applies to everything under today's law"
Ok, so I didn't say by default. But I did say that it applies to everything - which is basically the same thing (I am wrong though - you are allowed to place stuff into the public domain if you say so specifically).
Copyright only governs the fact you aren't allowed to make copies of the work. It works the same for software by default as for books. ie. You _are_ technically even allowed to modify it by default (just as you are allowed to write in a book). That is why the license agreement denies you those rights.
I don't see a license agreement within ten miles of this software.
>Also, they didn't give you a copy. They put it in a public place. You still had to download a copy. Without them putting up a license agreement you don't have the right to do anything with their code. The default ownership including use rights is still theirs unless they say otherwise.
Yeah - I'm not allowed to modify the code. But I'm not doing that. I'm going to let it run as usual, without modifications.
>The ease of theft argument is kind of like saying it isn't robbery if I rob your house when you don't lock the door.
That argument would be different if it applied to this website:
It is more like Promise leaves the door open, puts a sign above it saying "Free stuff inside for your fasttrack controller, come and take some. Just open the door." Is that stealing? It says the stuff is only for a Fasttrack controller, but it doesn't say "You may not get any of this free stuff unless you have a Fasttrack controller". That's what both the website and the software are missing.
>So your going to spend 2+ hours trying to rig up this *IDE* RAID controller to save $40? Sounds like a story for www.overclockerlamerz.com, not slashdot.
What a boring person - I guess you have no hobbies at all then, because they are all a waste of time, and for overclockerlamerz, huh?
Plain old Boring. I'd rather talk to a tree than talk to someone who thinks hobbies are a waste of time. Electronics is a hobby to most people into computer hardware...
Clip out the plastic support on the socket that would cover that resistor first.
:-)
The socket will still work. I'd suggest machined, they only cost a buck more, and fit like a glove.
>Honestly, did you read the article?
>Nice suggestion...
Did you look at the pictures in the article? Guess what is on either side of the resistor (and the blank pads) that this guy has installed as a "aftermarket" upgrade...
>You want to void your warranty and render tech support useless so you can save $40-100? How valuable is your data? Hopefully more than that.
:-).
:-)
:-)
Hahaha...
Sorry, but I have dealt with an RMA department personally (I keep getting to drop stuff off). (No, not the Promise RMA department...) They cry in despair when another AcerView monitor comes in. Why? Because getting the warranty service is like pulling teeth. And suing the company is going to cost YOU money for a $40 card. So if Promise says "No, we don't feel like.", what are you going to do? Spend $100 and 4 hours to take them to small claims court to extract $40 from them? Nope...
And, not only would I not value my data to another company's tech support (the people on the other end of the phone are nothing but very large baked potatoes - I know, I get to be one of them sometimes in my job.), but I wouldn't even value my trash to tech support. They'd find a way to spread it all over my house... (note: I'm talking about tech support in general - if you work there full time, and have a higher IQ than a baked potato, well, you are one of the lucky ones
My favourite phone tech support story revolves around me phoning iOmega about (yes, another) a click of death drive back in 96/97 (or so). After waiting 1 hour on hold, LONG DISTANCE from Canada to Utah, I finally got through. When I was all said and done, I had spent $100 on my phone bill. Let me tell you - I was VERY pleased to hear iOmega lost the class action lawsuits against them. They deserved all the beating they got for that. And now I have $5 in FREE tech support. That leaves me with only another $95 in charges waiting for me next time my (thank God I sold it) iOmega drive breaks.
And if you data is super precious, it should be backed up. And if it is that precious, why are you going the cheap route and using IDE RAID anyways?
I'd say that there isn't any reason at all not to hack up the Ultra66 card, IMHO.
>The product vendor is selling their IP.
:-)
Interesting argument - but I've said this before:
You don't have to agree to any agreements/licenses to download the software (BIOS and drivers) to use it. They don't even include a copyright notice (that I've seen yet, but I haven't run the BIOS exe yet). So that makes it bound by default copyright laws - ie. You can't copy your freshly downloaded BIOS/driver files to someone else. I don't beleive there are any other rules/regulations bounding the use of implicitly copyrighted software...
If you want to sell IP, then you need to protect it, not give it away without any rules. Just like you don't give away a car and come back crying the next day saying "But I want it back... I didn't mean to give it away. It was an accident, honest."
Protect the family jewels I say...
Yeah, I'd agree too - flashing the new Fasttrak BIOS over the Ultra BIOS is _possibly_ piracy.
But for it to _really_ be piracy Promise has to do one of these things:
- Not provide the software free of charge to anyone (I downloaded the BIOS just a minute) without even asking for them to click away their rights.
This means I'm not stealing the BIOS at all.
- Add a license agreement to their software (I don't see one). Copyright, which technically applies to everything under today's law, only means that you can't give a copy of this software to someone else, by default. If the company that makes it gives you it, well, then that is legal. This is in the same vein that if an author photocopies their book for you, then that is legal. If you photocopy your copy for someone else, that isn't legal.
This means I'm not breaking any copying rules by using the BIOS, because I don't plan to give anybody else these drivers/BIOS files.
They are missing both Acceptable Use Policies and Copyright Licenses on the BIOS and on their drivers. Too bad for Promise, looks like they scrwed up.
I have their software now (which I downloaded, fair and square, and legally), and I'm going to buy one of the Ultra66 controllers tomorrow and hack it up.
We'll see if there are any AUPs or License Agreements I've missed. If so, well, I'll abide by them. Otherwise, I'm going to have a nice new, legal, fasttrack card!