Joypads designed for the Sega Genesis console will work in an Atari 2600 console.
A few years ago I wrote a game for the Atari 8-bit computer (400/800/XL/XE) which can take advantage of the two buttons the Atari can easily read off a Genesis controller.
The consumer market is pretty much covered by Palm and PocketPC.
I agree with the former. I've rarely ever SEEN PocketPC devices. (The few I have are those which the people who own them never even bother carrying around.)
[Semi-off-topic - Sharp appears, though not too officially at this point, to be planning a whole LINE of Zaurus products, including cheap low-end ones gear for teenagers.]
With Qt/Embedded, you have to develop everything again for that one toolkit
This is true. However, with Qt (in general), you can develop something ONCE for numerous platforms: Linux/Unix, Linux-PDA (Zaurus/iPAQ), Windows, MacOS.
Well, it sounds like you haven't actually USED a Zaurus (or Qtopia) yourself, yet. I don't disagree that a lot of work is needed in the realm of Linux in general, but hell, even the Agenda Linux-based PDA was easy to use, for the most part.
Trolltech's Qtopia is excellent. Their apps., while kind of akward at first (back in December) make a lot of sense. Apps. for the Zaurus from theKompany.com are great, too, and look REALLY slick.
The keyboard takes a little getting used to, but I knew I'd love it, after using a Motorola Talkabout pager at work. Although I personally found the handwriting to be VERY good (after training it a little in the quirks I got used to while using Palm's Graffiti), I honestly NEVER use it any more. The keyboard, for me, is just so much more efficient.
In fact, thanks to the Qtopia interface and the directional pad button on the Zaurus, I actually rarely need to use the stylus for much of anything. I can navigate menus with the Menu button, the arrows, the OK button, and, occasionally, the Tab key.
Actually, the SL-5500 has 64MB (16MB is read-only flash when running). ~32 is used for RAM, the other ~32 for storage (not counting any SD or CF cards you stick in the thing)
At our last meeting, a couple of cool folks from BlueMug in Berkeley came and talked about an embedded Linux prototype they built for a client (photos). Their presentation slide is also online here (2MB PDF).
Hehe - Hey, damnit! I went to Borders the other day and they didn't have Linux Format, like they usually do. What, am I going to have to SUBSCRIBE to the damned thing!?:)
(Keep up the good work, btw!)
Brought to you by lots of Coca Cola (because that's the only cola they had at Blimpies, makers of fine submarine sandwiches!)
It is a little more difficult to use the Zaurus interface with your finger than it is on a Palm. Then again, the resolution is so much higher, while the screen's physical size is the same.
I don't have too much of a problem, though.
What I really wish it had (now that I've got USB set up on my Linux box, and can sync MP3s to it to listen to at work and in the car) is the ability to control the Media Player using the directional pad (up/down for volume, left/right for seeking).:)
Yeah, the auto-word completion is pretty nice.
And the pickboard is really cool (imagine using
a phone to type in words... as you press
[ABC], [DEF], [GHI], etc., it displays all known
words that can be made of those combinations
(it's pretty much just regexp'ing for the letter
combos)).
Of course, I never use the on-screen stuff unless
my Zaurus happens to be in its cradle
(unfortunately, you can't slide open the keyboard
in that situation).
I'm hoping to see a plain USB->Sharp-I/O-port
cable, so that I can have a connection to the
desktop, but not be constrained to on-screen text
entry, and trying to tap/write on the screen while
it's sitting upright in the cradle.
(This is one thing Agenda did really smart: the
cradle has no cord coming out of it... you simply
plug the serial cord into the back of the cradle
if you want to use it... otherwise, you can just
plug it into the bottom of the PDA itself).
Of course, at this point, us SL-5000D owners can't
even get a spare charger or cradle (that I know
of), so I'm not too concerned. These kind of
niceity peripherals will come soon enough:)
I use the keyboard 99% of the time when I use my
Zaurus. For me, it's far more efficient than
anything else I've used (Grafitti on PalmOS,
Xscribble and Xmerlin recognition engines on
the Agenda, and even the really nice, trainable
handwriting recognition on the Zaurus itself).
If you really think your thumbs are too big for
the keyboard, the handwriting is up to par, in my
opinion. I haven't done any clinical studies:)
but I'm guessing I can write about as quickly on
the Palm, the Zaurus and the Agenda (running
Xmerlin).
Now, I have an entire To-do list filled with bugs, oddities, and ideas about the thing, but for only just coming out as even a developers' edition, this machine is quite mature. The community is great (although too many people ask "how do I make a pipe ('|') character?" on the lists... hint: It's Shift+Space!), and Sharp is going ALL OUT with this puppy.
I was one of the lucky few invited to the Symposium they held the day before the Internet World Wireless West conference in San Jose last week (many, was that place desserted! - and, not too surprisingly, Sharp's booth was by far the kick-ass-est). (Not doubt because of all of the random Linux development I've done, including stuff for the Agenda (another Linux-based PDA).
As for the hardware, it's quite sturdy (compared to my poor, beat up dev. edition of the Agenda), and the keyboard is a godsend. (I knew I'd love it, because I have a pager with a similar keyboard, and love it.) Now - the onscreen keyboard, pickboard, unicode and handwriting aren't to sneeze at, though. They're quite useful!
It's just, when you whip out your PDA, turn it on to show off its color screen, and then pop out the keyboard, THAT's when people's eyes bug out.;^)
Anyway.. I love it. Expect plenty of games for it from me once I get my USB, development environment, etc. set up. (Oh, and learn Qt and that damned C++ language.)
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Joypads designed for the Sega Genesis console will work in an Atari 2600 console.
:)
A few years ago I wrote a game for the Atari 8-bit computer (400/800/XL/XE) which can take advantage of the two buttons the Atari can easily read off a Genesis controller.
I actually ported it to Linux/Windows.
Atari Games was a different company than Atari Corp. They had no relation at all.
Well, not quite "not at all." I mean, STUN Runner was licensed by Atari Games and released for Atari Corp's "Atari Lynx" handheld, for example.
Songbird Productions ( http://songbird.atari.net/ ) produces NEW Atari Lynx games. :)
They should rename themselves to Helwett Compakard or something similar. ;)
I first played M.U.L.E. on my Atari in the 90s ;) :^(
Noone ever wanted to play it with me, though, so I never got into it.
One of my friends shot out one of the letters of a "MATRESS DISCOUNTERS" sign, thereby turning it into "MATRESS DISCO".
As Quagmire from Family Guy would say: "ooooh yeaaaah!"
*I* always thought the "Lost 30 Pounds" signs were just like the "Lost Black Cat" signs. ;)
:)
I always felt bad for them. I hoped they'd find their 30 pounds. Maybe it's in the pound?
Some corrections to HenryWirz's post:
The developer model (SL5000D) was selling for $399 from Sharp.
At the JavaOne conference, they sold them for $299, which included a wireless card. You could also get it without the card for $199.
The 5000D has 32MB of RAM (typically split down the middle between program space and storage, though you can change this).
The 5500 has 64MB of RAM (also split down the middle.)
-bill!
The consumer market is pretty much covered by Palm and PocketPC.
I agree with the former. I've rarely ever SEEN PocketPC devices. (The few I have are those which the people who own them never even bother carrying around.)
[Semi-off-topic - Sharp appears, though not too officially at this point, to be planning a whole LINE of Zaurus products, including cheap low-end ones gear for teenagers.]
With Qt/Embedded, you have to develop everything again for that one toolkit
This is true. However, with Qt (in general), you can develop something ONCE for numerous platforms: Linux/Unix, Linux-PDA (Zaurus/iPAQ), Windows, MacOS.
-bill!
Well, it sounds like you haven't actually USED a Zaurus (or Qtopia) yourself, yet. I don't disagree that a lot of work is needed in the realm of Linux in general, but hell, even the Agenda Linux-based PDA was easy to use, for the most part.
Trolltech's Qtopia is excellent. Their apps., while kind of akward at first (back in December) make a lot of sense. Apps. for the Zaurus from theKompany.com are great, too, and look REALLY slick.
The keyboard takes a little getting used to, but I knew I'd love it, after using a Motorola Talkabout pager at work. Although I personally found the handwriting to be VERY good (after training it a little in the quirks I got used to while using Palm's Graffiti), I honestly NEVER use it any more. The keyboard, for me, is just so much more efficient.
In fact, thanks to the Qtopia interface and the directional pad button on the Zaurus, I actually rarely need to use the stylus for much of anything. I can navigate menus with the Menu button, the arrows, the OK button, and, occasionally, the Tab key.
See? (Page 167)
BTW, for those who care, I'm working on a rather nice, comprehensive, "for the end-user" FAQ for the Zaurus:
http://www.sonic.net/~nbs/zaurus-faq/
-bill!
Linux on a 16M Atari Falcon
versus
Linux on a 16M Zaurus
Actually, the SL-5500 has 64MB (16MB is read-only flash when running). ~32 is used for RAM, the other ~32 for storage (not counting any SD or CF cards you stick in the thing)
-bill!
At our last meeting, a couple of cool folks from BlueMug in Berkeley came and talked about an embedded Linux prototype they built for a client (photos). Their presentation slide is also online here (2MB PDF).
At the meeting before that, Rob Wehrli of Arizona Cooperative Power came to talk about Clinux (photos). His presentation is online, too.
Enjoy!
Sounds like a similar premise to the excellent 70's BBC sci-fi "Survivors."
:)
Kind of a depressing theme, tho.
Oh, and it's also good for aerial photography.
... anywhere (bow chika bow wow!))
How long until someone starts selling these with some stupid pop-up ad campagin, a la X-10 cams.
(Works
Hehe - Hey, damnit! I went to Borders the other day and they didn't have Linux Format, like they usually do. What, am I going to have to SUBSCRIBE to the damned thing!? :)
(Keep up the good work, btw!)
Brought to you by lots of Coca Cola (because that's the only cola they had at Blimpies, makers of fine submarine sandwiches!)
This should be followed with:
All your file are belong to us. Make your time!
It is a little more difficult to use the Zaurus interface with your finger than it is on a Palm. Then again, the resolution is so much higher, while the screen's physical size is the same.
:)
I don't have too much of a problem, though.
What I really wish it had (now that I've got USB set up on my Linux box, and can sync MP3s to it to listen to at work and in the car) is the ability to control the Media Player using the directional pad (up/down for volume, left/right for seeking).
Yeah, the auto-word completion is pretty nice.
:)
And the pickboard is really cool (imagine using
a phone to type in words... as you press
[ABC], [DEF], [GHI], etc., it displays all known
words that can be made of those combinations
(it's pretty much just regexp'ing for the letter
combos)).
Of course, I never use the on-screen stuff unless
my Zaurus happens to be in its cradle
(unfortunately, you can't slide open the keyboard
in that situation).
I'm hoping to see a plain USB->Sharp-I/O-port
cable, so that I can have a connection to the
desktop, but not be constrained to on-screen text
entry, and trying to tap/write on the screen while
it's sitting upright in the cradle.
(This is one thing Agenda did really smart: the
cradle has no cord coming out of it... you simply
plug the serial cord into the back of the cradle
if you want to use it... otherwise, you can just
plug it into the bottom of the PDA itself).
Of course, at this point, us SL-5000D owners can't
even get a spare charger or cradle (that I know
of), so I'm not too concerned. These kind of
niceity peripherals will come soon enough
I use the keyboard 99% of the time when I use my
:)
Zaurus. For me, it's far more efficient than
anything else I've used (Grafitti on PalmOS,
Xscribble and Xmerlin recognition engines on
the Agenda, and even the really nice, trainable
handwriting recognition on the Zaurus itself).
If you really think your thumbs are too big for
the keyboard, the handwriting is up to par, in my
opinion. I haven't done any clinical studies
but I'm guessing I can write about as quickly on
the Palm, the Zaurus and the Agenda (running
Xmerlin).
I was one of the lucky few invited to the Symposium they held the day before the Internet World Wireless West conference in San Jose last week (many, was that place desserted! - and, not too surprisingly, Sharp's booth was by far the kick-ass-est). (Not doubt because of all of the random Linux development I've done, including stuff for the Agenda (another Linux-based PDA).
As for the hardware, it's quite sturdy (compared to my poor, beat up dev. edition of the Agenda), and the keyboard is a godsend. (I knew I'd love it, because I have a pager with a similar keyboard, and love it.) Now - the onscreen keyboard, pickboard, unicode and handwriting aren't to sneeze at, though. They're quite useful!
It's just, when you whip out your PDA, turn it on to show off its color screen, and then pop out the keyboard, THAT's when people's eyes bug out. ;^)
Anyway.. I love it. Expect plenty of games for it from me once I get my USB, development environment, etc. set up. (Oh, and learn Qt and that damned C++ language.)
What are you talking about? These look black-and-white to me!!!
I just learned today that FAQS.org is in financial trouble, too! More here...