Our New Machine, Pandora

[javaJake]

Not singling you out, but it seems like people on this forum have forgotten that snail mail does not arrive the moment the sender mails it out. A bit different from e-mail, as much as it might have spoiled us all. :rolleyes: I'll expect something in the mail in January...

Ah, correct. My mistake.

At any rate Craig only said he'd say why there was such a delay this weekend and not necessarily anything else... don't get your hopes up. And we've heard "this weekend" claims for a couple months now.....

Yep. I won't be freaking out if there is no information or package - this whole patience thing is sort of a joke (although there is a hint of truth to it).

Once this thing has a NAME maybe there can be a damn dedicated forum like XGP had and this whole carnival of idiocy can end. So when a topic spirals out of control into discussion of the migratory habits of arctic seals it can be isolated and removed not like this monstrosity.

Hear hear!
I fully agree that this topic is just insane. That's what the wiki is for - it's more or less a temporary fix (though we may keep it for a while since it's got so much stuff conveniently in one location).

 

[fusion_power]

Fingers crossed for the Saturday post... maybe

If not, Monday'll do, I suppose

We have a snowstorm around here (New England, USA). I just hope it doesn't affect the USPS.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

The US Postal Service totally rocks.

I have no clue, WHAT Craigix will send the donators, but if it's "only" a flyer, he could use E-Mail, ways faster.

At any rate Craig only said he'd say why there was such a delay this weekend and not necessarily anything else... don't get your hopes up. And we've heard "this weekend" claims for a couple months now.....

I wanted to count and post all of Craigix "this weekend" and "next week" posts but this wouldn't be fair. :lol:

 

[Vimacs]

but way less exciting!

 

[imec]

It's sort of like a dog scratching at the door, hours after the owner has left. Although he knows that no one will open the door, his shrunken doggsicles naggingly beg him to get inside.

 

[supaimposter]

People in the games industry shouldnt say this or that is gonna be released next week as the inevitable happens (no matter how good the inentions are) and everything gets delayed.
Just gets peoples backs up.
Just release info when the info's there to release , if that makes sence

 

[___]

well yeah... but you need to get people interested aswell. if you don't release anything they will be nagging for info and whine about you being a meany and not giving them any candy. So to not risk losing their anticipation you need to promise to release photos or whatever at some time. still waiting really does suck. I feel like a little boy just before christmas... oh wait, it is almost christmas ^^.

 

[goobers]

Yeah, but wasn't the announcement that it was getting made kinda forced out before they planned anyway?

 

[javaJake]

Yeah, but wasn't the announcement that it was getting made kinda forced out before they planned anyway?

Maybe, maybe not. No one can say for sure. Personally, I don't think so. The (good) attitude of "it's ready when it's ready" that they've been giving us wouldn't suggest they were forced to release information by our pleading.

 

[goobers]

Out of interest, what is the state of Java for arm linux? Specifically running stuff written with processing? Would there be a possibility for this with the new machine at all?

 

[icurafu]

They were going to go with another Chip. And then they switched twice, so they had to start again with a lot of stuff. That's why it was delayed until next year and they weren't ready to announce it when everyone got bored and started spamming.

 

[DeadlyDad]

@DeadlyDad: It was ignored because we have discussed lit buttons to length before. We have come to the conclusion that it is mostly unnecessary and too expensive as the production of translucent buttons really is a bit complicated. Also the keyboard would be more fragile this way... there is pages of information buried somewhere in this thread but I am too lazy to have a look for them right now. Essentially your ideas are great but we prefer to waste our intellectual talent with mindless chatter and flaming... SO GET USED TO IT!!! Nah... just kidding. God I am sooo drunk right now.

EDIT: Corrected spelling for the sake of my reputation ^^.

Ah. I see. I had read the first eight pages or so and was fascinated by the technical discussions, but got tired of the flaming/bickering/politics/etc. (i.e. Usenet-in-a-box <G>), so just skipped to the end and presented my ideas. I figured that anyone who took them seriously would either discuss them in more depth or refer back to previous posts about an associated topic. (Maybe when you sober up.....<GBEG>)

I feel that I should point out that lighting up the buttons would be a byproduct of the technology, not the main thrust. As for the complication of making the buttons, they don't have to be anything special; simple opaque plastic with painted indents on the top and chrome/silver/etc. paint on the reflector on the bottom would do fine. I also would not recommend using this technology for regular keyboard use, just controls where there are a few buttons that are used a lot.

One interesting option would be to completely move the gaming buttons off the main unit and create another peripheral like the Ainol Gamepad for the Ainol V2000. As the PSX Dual Shock in analogue mode has four analog axes & sixteen buttons, and the XBox adds two more, having them all on the main system might things a little crowded. <G>

I'm not up-to-date on the peripheral interface(s) available on the C32X, but if it has USB, then by making the gamepad addon a HID device would make programming dead easy. Heck, an addon that offers multiple PSX/XBox/PC-USB-Gamepad input & TV output would make it a serious console competitor. I also like the way that the AG adds better speakers, additional battery life, and a built-in carrying case.

 

[javaJake]

Heck, an addon that offers multiple PSX/XBox/PC-USB-Gamepad input & TV output would make it a serious console competitor.

Just as long as you realize it won't be running XBox or PC games (at least, the Windows ones) any time soon.

 

[DeadlyDad]

<SIGH> Ah, the burden of being a genius of my caliber. There are so many projects for my corpulent cranium to attend to that I simply don't have the time to rescue all of them from their self-induced deficiencies. Their unwillingness to immediately put their paltry projects on hold to implement my vision demonstrates decisively how limited their vision blah blah blah...

Hey, is that guy trying to impersonate me??


Good LORD, no! Coming out with Ponderously Pompous Posts like that every day would probably give me an ulcer. I find that people tend to listen to you more when you don't patronize them, no matter how much they deserve it.

BTW, try looking up the actual definitions of 'corpulent' & 'cranium', then read that passage again, substituting more common, single-syllable words. Just don't have a mouthful of coffee when you do. <GBG>

 

[DeadlyDad]

Heck, an addon that offers multiple PSX/XBox/PC-USB-Gamepad input & TV output would make it a serious console competitor.

Just as long as you realize it won't be running XBox or PC games (at least, the Windows ones) any time soon.

True, dat! It's simply in the interest of making it more attractive to potential buyers. That way, they don't have to buy special controllers - they either have them already, or can easily and cheaply buy them locally. (Retailers also like the idea of not having to carry specialty products for a new line that might end up, unsold, in their bargain bin.) Another nice thing is that you don't have to have it available before you release the C32X; it can follow after the main unit's marketability is established. (Though announcing gaming I/O interface research at release time certainly couldn't hurt sales.) Huh. I just realized that, if you make it a HID device, you could market it for PC's, as well. (hehehe In many cases, people might buy the C32X after getting the interface, so they could take their games on the road.)

It also occurs to me that USB+HID would make it easy to allow things like using your C32X as a full-blown computer much more comfortably with a regular keyboard, mouse, & TV. You could even use WIFI to (transparently) control a 800x480 window on your PC's monitor with its keyboard & mouse.

 

[Squidge]

You could even use WIFI to (transparently) control a 800x480 window on your PC's monitor with its keyboard & mouse.

That's one of the apps that will be ported first I think. Remote desktop

 

[A_SN]

You could even use WIFI to (transparently) control a 800x480 window on your PC's monitor with its keyboard & mouse.

That's one of the apps that will be ported first I think. Remote desktop

Remote desktop?? Why not the superior Ultra VNC? Plus it won't have to be ported, as VNC viewers are already in the Debian ARM repo.

 

[___]

I think Squidge was making sort of a joke. Remote Desktop obviously is a part of windows so that will not be available to be ported but VNC is a given! I am sure this is one of the first apps to be played with. I am also curious if people will use it as sort of a remote for their mp3 collections as that's what I plan to do. There is a few sql driven medialibraries out there that actually have a slick webinterface. This would be awesome over wireless. Just setting up a playlist in the kitchen while talking to your mate on a party and have your computer play the files you queued.

 

[Squidge]

Remote desktop is built-in to WinXP, VNC isn't

Besides, like you said, "VNC viewers are already in the Debian ARM repo", so why port them?

I think Squidge was making sort of a joke. Remote Desktop obviously is a part of windows so that will not be available to be ported

Remote desktop is open source, and the protocol is documented, so considering a large number of people here use Windows, it's practical to have Remote desktop for it.

 

[A_SN]

Remote desktop is built-in to WinXP, VNC isn't

Considered how utterly simple it is to install a VNC server on Windows XP I wonder why one would even begin to consider considering bothering with Remote Desktop.

Anyways I for one think a port of the VNC client of your choice will be necessary for the Craiginator, in order to take advantage of its controls and such (for example, you might like to scroll around with an analog control, and zoom in and out with the other, or something of this kind, and assign buttons to various functions)

 

[javaJake]

Remote desktop is open source, and the protocol is documented, so considering a large number of people here use Windows, it's practical to have Remote desktop for it.

I agree, people will want Remote Desktop, but I'm not sure it's as big as you think it is. You still have to configure it, get your firewall to recognize it, and make sure you have XP Professional - same hassle with installing a VNC server.