The Real Pandora Niche

[God Ginrai]

This is because the other method of making nubs work is patented. Yes I'm sure plenty of companies ignore the patent and just use someone elses tech, but we didn't.

Just curious, what is this other method?

-God Ginrai

 

[puppydee]

The Pandora grows on you, at first I thought wtf have I done buying this, everything felt completely alien. The screen bothered me at first because it wouldn't stay up like a ds or a laptop but I know now it's not ment to, it's ment to be flat and once you get used to it, it's perfectly normal. I did struggle at first getting the emulators worked out and finding out where to put stuff but I'm getting there slowly. My favourite emulator of the moment is picodrive, the games look really sweet on the pandoras screen. I've not tried any sega cd games yet but I know already they are gonna look and play awesome and I can't wait for the sms and 32x support which notaz will sort out eventually.

I'm loving uae4all aswell which was my main reason for me buying the pandora and I can't wait for it to be improved upon but it already runs well and I've played a load of games with it so far. The pandora is just amazing, it may not have the quality of say the iphone but we all new it wouldn't be that way anyway. This little matte black machine is more fun than a ds trust me. I've not even touched my dslite or ds-xl since my pandora arrived.

When you get your pandora don't make any judgement on it the first day, get to know it first. Find out how to setup the nubs and touchscreen, learn about it, READ THE ONLINE MANUAL, look through the "I need help section" to see what people are getting stuck with because you'll probably get stuck where they did so skill up on it. Don't compare it to Windows because it's not. Remember it's only early days and there ARE some bugs here and there but we all new there would be, we're the first batchers so we're gonna have bugs but they'll be worked out.

It's been a love and hate relationship with this little bundle of fun and the needles been pointing to the hate for the first week or so but it's now pointing off the chart towards the love again and I wouldn't even dream of selling it even though I know I could probably make a few quid on ebay so that has to say something. Right must go my taxis here and yes my pandora is coming with me

 

[SomeGuy99]

^ +1

This has been my experience too, although a little accelerated (it only took two days for me to start loving it).

And this is coming from someone who followed the project since day 1 (and knows his way around Linux) and thought he knew what to expect.

Once you get used to it, the Pandora begins to rock. As general purpose Linux portable, it rocks, especially when you start using the nubs for the mouse. It's also the most fun and satisfying handheld emulation machine yet, and I own... a lot of handhelds!

 

[bce23w]

If that method is patented, that wouldn't keep an individual from implementing it, would it?

It would make implementing it a violation of the state granted monopoly on the process, and therefore actionable. I'm not sure what you mean.

 

[renwils]

If that method is patented, that wouldn't keep an individual from implementing it, would it?

It would make implementing it a violation of the state granted monopoly on the process, and therefore actionable. I'm not sure what you mean.

Patents don't apply to individuals. Only selling a patented technology is actionable under patent law. Now it may be covered by the DMCA or something, but I'm pretty sure a patent can't keep someone from building (or in this case writing) a patented machine.

 

[cosurgi]

Just curious, what is this other method?

I don't care about the patented method. I just want the software to save the nub setting on shutdown, and load it from /etc/nubs and setting on power on. that's it.

That method of saving/loading on poweroff/poweron has prior art for at least 20 to 30 years. I doubt that the "nub patent" is THAT old.

 

[craigix]

If that method is patented, that wouldn't keep an individual from implementing it, would it?

It would make implementing it a violation of the state granted monopoly on the process, and therefore actionable. I'm not sure what you mean.

Patents don't apply to individuals. Only selling a patented technology is actionable under patent law. Now it may be covered by the DMCA or something, but I'm pretty sure a patent can't keep someone from building (or in this case writing) a patented machine.

It's your machine, you can do what you like with it... but patents... let's just not go there!

 

[Drack]

Couldn't there be a shutdown/startup script that saves the nub calibration data then restores it next boot? Something similar to how ALSA stores its mixer levels.

 

[MDave]

I think what Craig wants to say is, they (the company) can't include that feature with the Pandora. It's up to users to do what they want Same situation as the codec pack.

 

[bce23w]

Patents don't apply to individuals. Only selling a patented technology is actionable under patent law. Now it may be covered by the DMCA or something, but I'm pretty sure a patent can't keep someone from building (or in this case writing) a patented machine.

Really? So if duplicated a patented technology and then, say, gave it away for free, or only used it internally for my own business or website, any suits against me would be rapidly thrown out?

I'd be happy to learn that you're right.

 

[renwils]

Really? So if duplicated a patented technology and then, say, gave it away for free, or only used it internally for my own business or website, any suits against me would be rapidly thrown out?

I'd be happy to learn that you're right.

Sorry, I didn't mean to derail this topic, so I'll stop with this post.

I guess I should have said you can't use a patented technology for profit.

 

[WizardStan]

It's your machine, you can do what you like with it... but patents... let's just not go there!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't someone from OPT have to finish the nubs firmware? That means you guys own the source code, correct? Would it be possible to take a look at that source? If so, an unofficial software hack may be possible, assuming there's anything useful in the source code that could be used.

 

[VRAndy]

I thought that the nubs couldn't be reflashed once they were installed into a Pandora.

 

[Tom`]

Really? So if duplicated a patented technology and then, say, gave it away for free, or only used it internally for my own business or website, any suits against me would be rapidly thrown out?

I'd be happy to learn that you're right.

Sorry, I didn't mean to derail this topic, so I'll stop with this post.

I guess I should have said you can't use a patented technology for profit.

This appears to be incorrect. From the WTO's website on patents:

1. A patent shall confer on its owner the following exclusive rights:

(a) where the subject matter of a patent is a product, to prevent third parties not having the owner's consent from the acts of: making, using, offering for sale, selling, or importing (6) for these purposes that product;

(b) where the subject matter of a patent is a process, to prevent third parties not having the owner's consent from the act of using the process, and from the acts of: using, offering for sale, selling, or importing for these purposes at least the product obtained directly by that process.

As I understand it, this applies to all WTO member states. So you couldn't make use of a patented invention even privately. (I think this is really stupid, of course, but it probably means Craig is justified in avoiding patented technology to the greatest degree possible.)

 

[WizardStan]

Maybe, maybe not.
They're controllable by I2C, which is basically a command/response protocol. I'm hoping there may be a "install new firmware" command. Probably not.
More likely there's a chance there's a "dump/read calibration data" command. If not a direct dump/read, there may be something else we can hack around with in there. You never know what might be useful until you've taken a look at it.
Unless whomever was working on it comes out and says "there's no extra commands available, just status" (or location, or whatever it was decided to be called).

 

[renwils]

This appears to be incorrect.

Wow. Pardon my ignorance. I'd like to see an example of a patent infringement suit against private use.

 

[mali]

^ The value in dispute would be near zero, so no court would accept it, I suppose.

 

[Lingman]

If that method is patented, that wouldn't keep an individual from implementing it, would it?

It would make implementing it a violation of the state granted monopoly on the process, and therefore actionable. I'm not sure what you mean.

Patents don't apply to individuals. Only selling a patented technology is actionable under patent law. Now it may be covered by the DMCA or something, but I'm pretty sure a patent can't keep someone from building (or in this case writing) a patented machine.

Um, actually they do. A patent provides the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention for the term of the patent.
(and yes, while I am not a patent attorney, or even a patent agent, I do work in the field of patents)

Dan.

 

[WizardStan]

Wow. Pardon my ignorance. I'd like to see an example of a patent infringement suit against private use.

Unenforceable != legal

 

[renwils]

Wow. Pardon my ignorance. I'd like to see an example of a patent infringement suit against private use.

Unenforceable != legal

I didn't mean for that to sound like sarcasm.