An update of the waiting game

[ashdjones]

But that's all history now. History (good or bad) make us better now...

One can't just live his whole life based upon bad experiences in the past, and worse, use the past as excuse for stuff in the present

Learn, forget, and move on

Did you never play Top Trumps? I'll see your scumbag level 8 and counter it with a 9. Also it's a good idea to have blackmail leverage on people. I don't mean really manipulative stuff but when the social wheels get stuck, remind IBM they have a bad human rights record. But on the whole corruption is relatively down.

In regard to Linux, you would want to know why certain vendors are binary blobbies. Now... It's probable they stole some military tech and will get into trouble. So Nvidia for instance always bullying penguins? Well it might be a good idea to motivate them into making again whatever they possibly hijacked, then they save face by looking more legit. That's in their interest. But by default corps serve shareholders by route of least effort. Sometimes they want a guilt trip.

 

[levi]

In my experience most companies who own closed source codebases don't want to open source it because its apparent cost. They'd have to actually read it to make sure there's not anything too offensive in the source code comments, and they'd probably have to fund engineers at least to begin with to seed the community and answer questions and they'd almost certainly want someone internal to check submissions. The value of the open source community pushing patches and doing better unit test and things aren't known at the start, so can't be relied on.

 

[error]

In my personal experience, proprietary codebases are about a thousand times more likely to be rats' nests of ugly kludges and hacks.

Like the Lovecraftian monstrosity that I inherited last year, which haunts my nightmares.

 

[ashdjones]

In my experience most companies who own closed source codebases don't want to open source it because its apparent cost. They'd have to actually read it to make sure there's not anything too offensive in the source code comments, and they'd probably have to fund engineers at least to begin with to seed the community and answer questions and they'd almost certainly want someone internal to check submissions. The value of the open source community pushing patches and doing better unit test and things aren't known at the start, so can't be relied on.

So you've never read compiled code in a hex editor huh?

The XBE for Halo has some racist violent threats left in the ascii, but it's planted or a double karma troll. In other words the scumbags think Microsoft are secretly on their side. Or it's a double double troll and they actually are. Such is moral espionage.

 

[levi]

I don't tend to load binaries into hex editors since the old days of floppy discs - files are just too big these days. I did run two copies of the same mp4 video file through xxd the other day and it was a right pain splitting those up so I could detect that the only difference was a 32 bit number in the first 256 bytes of each file, but I don't know what that was, and when I ran both through ffmpeg -i the two instances spat out another two 32 bit numbers but these were both different to each other and to the original two differing 32-bit numbers. I didn't investigate this any further, just noting there seems to be some kind of timestamp involved or something.

But I remember from days of old Nick Pelling's games (specifically Frak! in this case I think) had a message for hackers in the BASIC loader script. I don't recall it being racist but I recall it being slightly pointy, shall we say.
[doublepost=1526507000,1526495518][/doublepost]Back on the subject of the Pyra, Samsung are apparently talking to third parties to sell their exynos chips to: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...obile-processor-chips-executive-idUSKCN1IG1HB

No idea how suitable if at all any of these would be for a second generation CPU board, and whether they'd even talk to ED at the moment, and how many they're looking to sell, but it might be the start of these private manufacturers opening up.

 

[Dark Pulse]

They are almost certainly talking about volume OEM purchases.

A guy who only wants a few thousand chips isn't that worth it to them, and that's assuming ED could even afford whatever they charge him - not to mention he then needs to mark that up if he'd ever like a profit from it.

 

[WizardStan]

In my experience most companies who own closed source codebases don't want to open source it because its apparent cost.

Every company I've worked for that had an inkling towards open sourcing it's code has decided not to because of third party licensing: it would've cost a lot in lawyer fees and developer time to make sure everything is safe and compatible. My current company managed to weed through it and open source our IoT certificate code at least, but I doubt management wants to go through that again unless there's a good reason.
So yeah, in my first hand experience it's exactly like you say.

 

[ashdjones]

I don't tend to load binaries into hex editors since the old days of floppy discs - files are just too big these days. I did run two copies of the same mp4 video file through xxd the other day and it was a right pain splitting those up so I could detect that the only difference was a 32 bit number in the first 256 bytes of each file, but I don't know what that was, and when I ran both through ffmpeg -i the two instances spat out another two 32 bit numbers but these were both different to each other and to the original two differing 32-bit numbers. I didn't investigate this any further, just noting there seems to be some kind of timestamp involved or something.

But I remember from days of old Nick Pelling's games (specifically Frak! in this case I think) had a message for hackers in the BASIC loader script. I don't recall it being racist but I recall it being slightly pointy, shall we say.
[doublepost=1526507000,1526495518][/doublepost]Back on the subject of the Pyra, Samsung are apparently talking to third parties to sell their exynos chips to: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...obile-processor-chips-executive-idUSKCN1IG1HB

No idea how suitable if at all any of these would be for a second generation CPU board, and whether they'd even talk to ED at the moment, and how many they're looking to sell, but it might be the start of these private manufacturers opening up.

XXD is teh awesome. I literally felt like Skeletor and ruled the universe when i used it to manually write a bitmap file including the header. And then used it to auto export GBA assembled roms in hex code. I felt like Gandalf as the star of Jurassic Park, uh uh uh... You didn't say the magic wordz. Uh uh uh. Screw you velociraptor, i know this... It's a Unix system... Woah. (Magical haxxor moments) oh yeah I just opened like every door in Wales.

That's what life is about. Being able to open the most doors. It isn't a metaphor for gangsta rap or anything, unless it was? They should have cooked the velociraptors for lunch yeah. Like, it probably tastes of primitive turkey.

In regard to open source my question is, doesn't the Lionel Hutz lawyer magic start to crumble into cursed treasure chests since Java or Python are not compiled anyway?

Ergo you need a liability licsence, like insurance. Java code random example is free to snoop on and remove like entrails from your raptor snout, but the legal liability of this working needs to be bought from the crews. Like, it looks robust but are you willing to bet my life on this at one million dollaz if you lose? I think that's how the law works.

 

[directive0]

Oh well, what did I miss here...?

I guess it's time I give an answer as well...

Its this kind of dialogue that keeps me interested in Pyra. I just want to add my unsolicited opinion to all this because this is the internet and its all about commenting on things even though no one really asked you.


Listen, if you -like me- have lost a bunch of money to crowdfunding projects then you know this whole spiel. The waiting game feels interminable, the delays seem constant. Its terrible. Nobody is disagreeing with that. And the odds are almost even if you ask me that this thing will ever get built at all.

I get the negativity. Waiting sucks. But I will say its a breath of fresh air to be able to watch the process, add my voice to it, and be treated with honest frank answers. Minimal marketing BS, minimal spin. Just; here's what happened, here's what we're doing, here's what's left. Yeah in a world of infinite possibilities I have to accept that this could all just be a big money pit scam, but it really doesn't seem that way from where I'm sitting.

I want my Pyra tho dammit. Also clear case is best case.

 

[ashdjones]

Its this kind of dialogue that keeps me interested in Pyra. I just want to add my unsolicited opinion to all this because this is the internet and its all about commenting on things even though no one really asked you.


Listen, if you -like me- have lost a bunch of money to crowdfunding projects then you know this whole spiel. The waiting game feels interminable, the delays seem constant. Its terrible. Nobody is disagreeing with that. And the odds are almost even if you ask me that this thing will ever get built at all.

I get the negativity. Waiting sucks. But I will say its a breath of fresh air to be able to watch the process, add my voice to it, and be treated with honest frank answers. Minimal marketing BS, minimal spin. Just; here's what happened, here's what we're doing, here's what's left. Yeah in a world of infinite possibilities I have to accept that this could all just be a big money pit scam, but it really doesn't seem that way from where I'm sitting.

I want my Pyra tho dammit. Also clear case is best case.

Your expectations have been warped by a technology called... lies.

I was studying the various Sega architectures and code libraries going from the Xbox port of Shenmue 2 back to Goldenaxe audio loops. They use prototyping in C or C++, which is fair enough. You port some Jamma or Dreamcast games quicker in time for Christmas when sales are high?

Yeah well turns out this stuff was written on a mainframe, in COBOL I believe, in the 1970's and then slowly ported in bigger more complex chunks. Which is to say the engine for ummm, Sonic Adventure is the same as Burning Rangers minus spoof wonkiness of the look, which is the same as... Industrial sim X from year 197x on high end mainframe thing.

Recycling is good but the codebase was 30 years long in the tooth when Dreamcast appeared.

If Pyra takes 30 years that's the same as Sega but... not lying about it to seem cooler or more mighty.
[doublepost=1526572159,1526569929][/doublepost]If you wnat an explanation for why Sega has a COBOL supercomputer, it likely related to the 1960's gambling industry.

Las Vegas casinos were a brain drain on the maths industry, and the only place you could make ultrasexy videogames on a high end computer in this decade would be to work for a casino boss and mess around during spare hours running 'test code'.

This industry being highly unregulated and non-official means you can end up with cool toys simply by blackmailing the correct people, and certain data or equipment being incriminating. So basically, I would guess very strongly Sega have a loose history relating to mobsters. Someone backstabbed someone, certain people ended up shooting others before the feds found out too much, certain billion dollar toys needed to be stashed somewhere. Then nobody existed to collect it again.

Dark stuff. Consequently there's enough guilt to make nice stuff for kids to make this 'nightmare' legacy better.

All fine, until one day the kid toy matches the old gangland mainframe. Then you run out of wizard to give away as Santa and have to make up excuses.

Fairly sure that's the story. And Pyra has a clean record, so Sega would be very impressed at the clean break.

 

[Razy]

The good and the bad news is there's almost always a volcano somewhere going off right now. Here's a map where you can hide earthquakes and get just the list of active erupting volcanos and there's still quite a few (although a significant proportion of them are underwater, so not an issue in terms of plumes unless they breach the surface).

http://ww2.volcanodiscovery.com/eruptingvolcanoes.php?title=Map%20of%20erupting%20volcanoes

Really, in our lifetimes we've been quite lucky, compared to our relatives from the 19C. There was 1815, the year without a summer and that time Krakatoa went up in 1883. If we'd had an aircraft industry then it'd have caused havoc, instead merely crops failed and significant numbers of people starved. Some time in the next millennium it seems likely to me that yellowstone park's going to go up in a major way, and the last time that happened a few million years ago it covered the whole of the US in ash meters thick. But the odds of that happening before ED can deliver the Pyra are really quite low indeed.

A volcano in Hawaii has just errupted. Seeing that this thread has derailed by now, you have my full blessing to expand on this even further

 

[ashdjones]

A volcano in Hawaii has just errupted. Seeing that this thread has derailed by now, you have my full blessing to expand on this even further

Isn't that where Sega are based? Or did they fully relocate to Tokyo?

Perhaps Sammy can fund Volcano relief efforts in Hawaii from all their pachinko billions.

 

[spud42]

A volcano in Hawaii has just errupted. Seeing that this thread has derailed by now, you have my full blessing to expand on this even further

its been errupting for 30 years!! Hawaii is over a hotspot. as the plate drifts north and west new islands in the chain grow... the main island hasnt stopped growing yet and we moved in too early..lol

 

[ashdjones]

its been errupting for 30 years!! Hawaii is over a hotspot. as the plate drifts north and west new islands in the chain grow... the main island hasnt stopped growing yet and we moved in too early..lol

You need that old mainframe from Lost where you put the special numbers in every hour to prevent disaster. No wait that's probably what happened to Sega's machine. We probably shouldn't upset them if we want a nice happy Yellowstone. All it takes is a quick up right left down abc start.

 

[spud42]

no hope for yellowstone, its not a matter of if as more when... plus there has been some serious shenanigans going on with the geysers recently............

 

[ashdjones]

no hope for yellowstone, its not a matter of if as more when... plus there has been some serious shenanigans going on with the geysers recently............

So they all move to Mexico? Should be fun watching them climb their own security wall... I mean the Mexican wall. I mean, walls are kind of confusing having two sides like that. But should be like American Gladiators, so remember your massive foam padded helmets.

Come on people, Americans love immigrating themselves. I wanna watch Mexican remake of Little House on the Prairie, where they struggle to reschool everyone in erm, pancake cooking and oil divination. Aye curumba.

 

[Dark Pulse]

I keep looking in this thread, and I expect that sooner or later I'll see another failed Doomsday prediction.

 

[ashdjones]

I keep looking in this thread, and I expect that sooner or later I'll see another failed Doomsday prediction.

Oooh random memory jog. But have you ever heard of the Domesday project? Think this is the correct spelling, but the BBC teamed up with their pal Acorn (ARM) to make a public data archive, which weirdly enough is dependant on a BBC Micro as the terminal/server but everything is stored on supposedly immortal laserdisc.

In retrospect we call it data privacy scandal? Zuckerberg gets a lawsuit for Cambridge bods messing with voluntary behaviour data, similar Cambridge bods don't because it's the television corp who loves you? Sounds like double standards to me. Or Mom from Futurama.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Global Components have populated 24 of the new CPU boards yesterday.
They're still fully untested (GC can't test them), but they're finished and Nikolaus should receive them soon and test them.

Been away from the boards a while, any news relating to the above from a couple of weeks ago? I've no real idea how long the testing process should take but my gut feel is a couple of weeks should be enough....

 

[levi]

In retrospect we call it data privacy scandal? Zuckerberg gets a lawsuit for Cambridge bods messing with voluntary behaviour data, similar Cambridge bods don't because it's the television corp who loves you? Sounds like double standards to me. Or Mom from Futurama.

The domesday discs mainly consisted of junior school projects (think that's years 3-4 to 6 or 7 in modern parlance, or the run up to your 11-plus in oldey-days speak). There are people committed to keeping the old machines running, but it's the laserdisc machines connecting over 50-pin SCSI that are the main problem I think. You can't just rip the discs to digital because I think most of the info on there is actually analogue video, probably all in 576-line PAL format for extra spookiness. But I suspect the main barrier to getting the data onto something worldwide accessible is that if you did everyone would realise what pants it actually is, and it'd destroy the warm rose-tinted fuzzies someone of my generation gets when talking about it.

Also you got the Konami code all kinds of wrong. For Genesis/MD I suspect it's actually:
⇈⇊←→←→ABC[Start]