For the record: I'm not a shill. I submitted this story because I think this is a kick ass piece of hardware, both from the hackability aspect and I think it's good to support hackable hardware. I have no financial interest in this device, nor does anyone that I know on a personal basis. I am familiar with the developer, but only inasmuch as I read comp.sys.cbm and lurk on the #c64friends chats every once in a while.
Sorry it took so long to reply to this accusation, I was out of town for Thanksgiving (I was able to stand using my parents dialup to order the DTV and to submit the/. story, but not for much else...)
The Commodore 64 has a sound chip called the SID (Sound Interface Device) chip. It had a few different versions, but it has a really distinctive sound. I won't go into the nitty gritty tech-specs, I'll just say it had 3 voices. Interested parties can employ google.
Emulation gets close, but audiophiles would know that the sound isn't quite the same when you compare an emulated SID to a real one.
Musicians pay BIG money these days for a MIDI device that has one or more SID chips in it so they can use it as a synthesizer. Personally, I just paid $50 for a C=64 MIDI interface so I could utilize one of my 64's in my studio. I believe that that's the retail price when it was new in 1983.
A little known fact: the engineers at MOS (later Commodore Semiconductor Group) that designed the SID chip later left Commodore and founded Ensoniq, which in its early days made bona-fide synths. Most people either love their synths or hate them (I love them, for the record.)
Back to the point: emulation can get close, very close in some cases, but it's not exactly the same thing. Especially when you're dealing with these old chips that had exploitable flaws.
You can build or buy an interface to use 9 pin joysticks on intel hardware. There are many places that have the plans, and here's one. I'll build you one if you're not addicted to solder smoke. I'll charge you a lot, but I'll do it.:)
In regards to your drive: it may be out of alignment, and proper alignment is a bitch, but you can take the cover off and see if the read/write head is dirty. You can clean it with a q-tip and alcohol. Also, make sure that the rails that the head rides on are properly lubricated. WD-40 works, but doesn't last long. Also, don't spray it.:) In all honesty though, 1541s are STILL relatively common these days and it's still easier to buy one that works than it is to fix one you've got. I would reccomend that you either buy or build an X cable (google x1541, xe1541 or xm1541) and then buy (or use the free version of) 64HDD. It allows you to use intel hardware as a hard drive for your 64. It's a really good application for us retro-nuts. I love it because you can serve up d64 and lnx images to your commie.
Another lesser problem with 1541's is spin rate. This doesn't happen often, but it's easily adjusted. You can find a printable document out there on the IntarWeb that's got a cut-out disk on it with some marks. You tape the disk to the spindle of your 1541 and then you can use a florescent light or a television (not a monitor) to view the spinning disk. When it's properly adjusted the marks will appear stationary. Think wagon wheels in old westerns.
The Poor Underpaid Intern Who thinks he Fixes All The System Administrator's Mistakes but really doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground Appreciation Day
you can get error messages and such in your native language.
This is so going to suck. If I get an error message that I'm unfamiliar with I'll plug it into google. Even if the hit is in a language I don't understand I can usually work out what a solution to my problem may be by looking at the command sequences posted in replies.
Now I'll lose that ability just because a bunch of whiners (the rest of the world) want error messages in *their* language. That's just not fair, as it doesn't benefit me.
I propose an immediate reversal of the i18n changes introduced into Bash 3.0. Who's with my jingoistic ass?
Just wanted to make a post in case others might be interested.
Well, in that case: my newest toy, a Korg Triton Extreme works too. It has a built in USB-MIDI interface and you can access the compact flash slot as usb-storage (the EX must be in usb-storage mode). I had to patch usbquirks.h in alsa to get it to work, but the changes have been added to CVS.
FWIW, I also have a Radium 61 key and a Midisport (this device is sold under many names) working just fine in Linux.
So, yeah, Linux audio isn't that pathetic. Granted, I'm no pro, but I can make sounds. I love using the Radium to control AmSynth. Sweeper madness.:)
I'm just using a Soundblaster Live for audio at this point. Sometime in the near future I'll get a M-audio 2496, but I need to pay some of this other crap off first.
I disagree. The man added a tailpipe to his charcoal grill so he can blow air into the coals from a modified hair dryer and increase the overall temperature. That's a hardware hack if I've ever seen one.
He's also cooked a roast in a clay flower pot, smoked bacon in a locker, smoked salmon in a cardboard box with a hot plate, among many other "food hacks."
I'd say that stuff pretty well embraces the "hacker ethos" -- as pretentious a term as that may be.
I'm using it. I'm pretty happy with it. I got it because my boss wanted Exchange like features to not use.
We use some of the features, but not all of them. I've got no complaints. Remember, what you're really buying is the connector component which translates the Outlook info into "regular" mail that can be stored in Cyrus IMAP -- everything else is open source.
Their version-in-the-works will integrate Spamassassin and ClamAV too. Hopefully they'll have the hooks for other AV products as well.
No, Macs aren't less afflicted by this crap because of their sleek look; but maybe their superior OS, which was designed with security in mind, has something to do with it.
You know that noise people make when they're trying to be clever and sneeze and say "bullshit" at the same time? I hate that, so I'll just say it outright:
Bullshit.
I've got nothing against OSX, and as a matter of fact, I'm seriously considering buying a Mac for my project studio, but to say it was designed with security in mind -- well, that's a load and you don't know what the hell you're talking about. I suspect you know this and I'm feeding a troll, but I really hate to see complete misinformation being spouted like this.
There are (sadly) very, very few operating systems that are designed with security in mind, and OSX isn't one of them. Unix isn't one of them. Security is just as much slap-it-on-when-we're-forced-too in the Mac world as it is in the Windows world, and to a (slightly) lesser degree the larger *nix world.
And, presumably, a permanent net connection? With a static IP address? And your own domain?
Yes on the net connection, but it doesn't have to be permanant, nor static, nor your own domain. You can retrieve your ISP mail via procmail when you're connected and have procmail dump it into the incomming queue of your MailScanner setup, which can be on your *nix workstation, if that's what you've got. Otherwise, you have to set up a frankenbox to do the procmail retrieval and spam/virus scanning. Just point your client machine at that to retrieve mail, and send mail out as you normally would.
So, technically anyone could do it, but few are likely, since it requires significant technical skill and at least one spare box (if you don't use your *nix workstation.)
Also, I'm sure that there are easily installable windows programs that you could use to achieve the same basic thing, but the advantage here is that you can scan on a box that isn't your main workstation, potentially saving yourself from unknown nasties.
(For example, you can set mailscanner to block all executables, so if you happen to get a brand-spankin new virus that isn't detected by your desktop AV scanner yet, and it relies on a security flaw, well, the executable portion won't get through -- even if it would scan clean for viruses.)
I seriously doubt he has such a simplistic view of it. He's doing a light interview and it was an offhand comment. I'm sure when we all get as old as he is we'll have little patience for rattling off the same crap over and over for a new audience of noobs.
Slashdot Mirror
For the record: I'm not a shill. I submitted this story because I think this is a kick ass piece of hardware, both from the hackability aspect and I think it's good to support hackable hardware. I have no financial interest in this device, nor does anyone that I know on a personal basis. I am familiar with the developer, but only inasmuch as I read comp.sys.cbm and lurk on the #c64friends chats every once in a while.
/. story, but not for much else...)
Sorry it took so long to reply to this accusation, I was out of town for Thanksgiving (I was able to stand using my parents dialup to order the DTV and to submit the
To add a bit to this:
The Commodore 64 has a sound chip called the SID (Sound Interface Device) chip. It had a few different versions, but it has a really distinctive sound. I won't go into the nitty gritty tech-specs, I'll just say it had 3 voices. Interested parties can employ google.
Emulation gets close, but audiophiles would know that the sound isn't quite the same when you compare an emulated SID to a real one.
Musicians pay BIG money these days for a MIDI device that has one or more SID chips in it so they can use it as a synthesizer. Personally, I just paid $50 for a C=64 MIDI interface so I could utilize one of my 64's in my studio. I believe that that's the retail price when it was new in 1983.
A little known fact: the engineers at MOS (later Commodore Semiconductor Group) that designed the SID chip later left Commodore and founded Ensoniq, which in its early days made bona-fide synths. Most people either love their synths or hate them (I love them, for the record.)
Back to the point: emulation can get close, very close in some cases, but it's not exactly the same thing. Especially when you're dealing with these old chips that had exploitable flaws.
You can build or buy an interface to use 9 pin joysticks on intel hardware. There are many places that have the plans, and here's one. I'll build you one if you're not addicted to solder smoke. I'll charge you a lot, but I'll do it. :)
:) In all honesty though, 1541s are STILL relatively common these days and it's still easier to buy one that works than it is to fix one you've got. I would reccomend that you either buy or build an X cable (google x1541, xe1541 or xm1541) and then buy (or use the free version of) 64HDD. It allows you to use intel hardware as a hard drive for your 64. It's a really good application for us retro-nuts. I love it because you can serve up d64 and lnx images to your commie.
In regards to your drive: it may be out of alignment, and proper alignment is a bitch, but you can take the cover off and see if the read/write head is dirty. You can clean it with a q-tip and alcohol. Also, make sure that the rails that the head rides on are properly lubricated. WD-40 works, but doesn't last long. Also, don't spray it.
Another lesser problem with 1541's is spin rate. This doesn't happen often, but it's easily adjusted. You can find a printable document out there on the IntarWeb that's got a cut-out disk on it with some marks. You tape the disk to the spindle of your 1541 and then you can use a florescent light or a television (not a monitor) to view the spinning disk. When it's properly adjusted the marks will appear stationary. Think wagon wheels in old westerns.
Also, sorry for being so late to the party here.
Also 2: I <3 Amiga too.
We've been using it for two years and are happy with it. If you're interested in further discussion, feel free to email.
SCO laywers(to IBM):
You're mom!
Do they pronounce the incorrect apostrophe for the full effect? Or do they expand the contraction?
"You are mom!"
This guy spent thirty seconds writing "What chair?" ?
Penmanship counts.
So did I, but I actually got a reply. I don't still have it, but it was something like this:
Me: Hey, this can't actually be Billy Idol, it's gotta be some PR flackey.
Billy Idol: No, it's really me.
A meeting of the minds, so to speak.
"I'm the Neuromancer/ And I'm trancing"
Holy crap, some of the people who replied to your post totally failed to grasp it.
I get that a lot. Maybe I should use smaller words.
Can anyone suggest a way to get them both out of the way for a few minutes that won't seem suspicious and won't involve actually destroying anything?
Porn.
The Poor Underpaid Intern Who thinks he Fixes All The System Administrator's Mistakes but really doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground Appreciation Day
You forgot some words. I fixed it for you.
you can get error messages and such in your native language.
This is so going to suck. If I get an error message that I'm unfamiliar with I'll plug it into google. Even if the hit is in a language I don't understand I can usually work out what a solution to my problem may be by looking at the command sequences posted in replies.
Now I'll lose that ability just because a bunch of whiners (the rest of the world) want error messages in *their* language. That's just not fair, as it doesn't benefit me.
I propose an immediate reversal of the i18n changes introduced into Bash 3.0. Who's with my jingoistic ass?
I haven't used it a whole lot, but Cheesetracker seems to fit the requirements you've listed.
HTH,
Just wanted to make a post in case others might be interested.
:)
Well, in that case: my newest toy, a Korg Triton Extreme works too. It has a built in USB-MIDI interface and you can access the compact flash slot as usb-storage (the EX must be in usb-storage mode). I had to patch usbquirks.h in alsa to get it to work, but the changes have been added to CVS.
FWIW, I also have a Radium 61 key and a Midisport (this device is sold under many names) working just fine in Linux.
So, yeah, Linux audio isn't that pathetic. Granted, I'm no pro, but I can make sounds. I love using the Radium to control AmSynth. Sweeper madness.
I'm just using a Soundblaster Live for audio at this point. Sometime in the near future I'll get a M-audio 2496, but I need to pay some of this other crap off first.
I owned an Atari ST and an Amiga, and now both are rusting away in the Garage
I'll buy them from you. Seriously.
A culinary hacker, never.
I disagree. The man added a tailpipe to his charcoal grill so he can blow air into the coals from a modified hair dryer and increase the overall temperature. That's a hardware hack if I've ever seen one.
He's also cooked a roast in a clay flower pot, smoked bacon in a locker, smoked salmon in a cardboard box with a hot plate, among many other "food hacks."
I'd say that stuff pretty well embraces the "hacker ethos" -- as pretentious a term as that may be.
I'm coming into this a bit late, but here's my story:
I do a lot of work for a music store, so in return I've gotten:
A Brian Moore i9p (guitar)
Korg Triton Extreme
Line 6 Vetta w/ FBX footboard
LDT Bass
Crate Bass amp
And that's the gratis stuff, I'm not going into all the discounts and whatnot I've gotten.
Plus I get lots and lots of little miscelaneous things; picks, books, cables, straps, stands, etc.
A large chunk of my studio, actually.
If you've got a hobby and you can do IT work, find a store that feeds you and make an offer, it worked for me, ymmv.
Dear moderators:
The parent is not off-topic, it is sarcasm that is directly related to the story.
Please turn off Dr. Phill or whatever and pay attention to what you're doing.
Thank you,
I'm using it. I'm pretty happy with it. I got it because my boss wanted Exchange like features to not use.
We use some of the features, but not all of them. I've got no complaints. Remember, what you're really buying is the connector component which translates the Outlook info into "regular" mail that can be stored in Cyrus IMAP -- everything else is open source.
Their version-in-the-works will integrate Spamassassin and ClamAV too. Hopefully they'll have the hooks for other AV products as well.
No, Macs aren't less afflicted by this crap because of their sleek look; but maybe their superior OS, which was designed with security in mind, has something to do with it.
You know that noise people make when they're trying to be clever and sneeze and say "bullshit" at the same time? I hate that, so I'll just say it outright:
Bullshit.
I've got nothing against OSX, and as a matter of fact, I'm seriously considering buying a Mac for my project studio, but to say it was designed with security in mind -- well, that's a load and you don't know what the hell you're talking about. I suspect you know this and I'm feeding a troll, but I really hate to see complete misinformation being spouted like this.
There are (sadly) very, very few operating systems that are designed with security in mind, and OSX isn't one of them. Unix isn't one of them. Security is just as much slap-it-on-when-we're-forced-too in the Mac world as it is in the Windows world, and to a (slightly) lesser degree the larger *nix world.
Look into it.
Yeah, you too.
Hey, fine. As long as we get to put an antenna on it and use it for wireless access.
Is that on K-tel records?
Do I get one free if I order Mr. Microphone?
And, presumably, a permanent net connection? With a static IP address? And your own domain?
Yes on the net connection, but it doesn't have to be permanant, nor static, nor your own domain. You can retrieve your ISP mail via procmail when you're connected and have procmail dump it into the incomming queue of your MailScanner setup, which can be on your *nix workstation, if that's what you've got. Otherwise, you have to set up a frankenbox to do the procmail retrieval and spam/virus scanning. Just point your client machine at that to retrieve mail, and send mail out as you normally would.
So, technically anyone could do it, but few are likely, since it requires significant technical skill and at least one spare box (if you don't use your *nix workstation.)
Also, I'm sure that there are easily installable windows programs that you could use to achieve the same basic thing, but the advantage here is that you can scan on a box that isn't your main workstation, potentially saving yourself from unknown nasties.
(For example, you can set mailscanner to block all executables, so if you happen to get a brand-spankin new virus that isn't detected by your desktop AV scanner yet, and it relies on a security flaw, well, the executable portion won't get through -- even if it would scan clean for viruses.)
Stops unwanted mail dead.
Finally be able to stop bitching about your inbox.
100% Free.
Small catch: you need your own mailserver. Answer: add procmail to your recipie. Ha, get it?
MailScanner
SpamAssassin
ClamAV
I seriously doubt he has such a simplistic view of it. He's doing a light interview and it was an offhand comment. I'm sure when we all get as old as he is we'll have little patience for rattling off the same crap over and over for a new audience of noobs.
Don't you mean:
"itth thill a good read even for thothse with no interetht in lithp?"
--Igor