Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Umm ... not the tick tock ... :-) Strange. Maybe your message too the long way around :o) I suspect there's some data in the message headers we can use to find out - but I'm not all that clued up on that part of emailing CD's / DVD's / Downloads / Magazines, etc ... all add to the total cost of ownership. Although it may not seem so obvious to the user. Of course they do - you should see my QL software collection, and all the magazines I have had or still do have (every issue of QL Toady). My wife dearly wants me to 'get rid of that mess' - aspecially as we will soon be moving house. On the other hand, I work as an Oracle DBA in my 'real life' - you should see how much 'stuff' I have for that ! Still, all a part of the fun ! Of course :o) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Where has Demon been hiding your email for the last month? It seems you need a new ISP! Nothing wrong with Demon, I've been using them for years and years and years. I suspect Malcolm's clock is wrong as a number of his posts have ended up in the 'ages ago' category. I had a similar problem myself when my laptop's clock was running about two years slow. I think it was Geoff who pointed out the problem to me. Umm ... not the tick tock ... :-) Just one of those mysteries . I use the Fedora distribution of Linux. Clip CD's / DVD's / Downloads / Magazines, etc ... all add to the total cost of ownership. Although it may not seem so obvious to the user. Still, all a part of the fun ! -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], David McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes On Fri, 2007-02-16 at 17:47 +, Malcolm Cadman wrote: David, you should raise more issues about the Q60 on this list. No need to wait 2 years again ... :-(. I don't have any Q60 issues any more. When no one could tell me how to get Text87 to run, I got a PC and ran OpenOffice instead. This low-specification, home-built machine runs at 20 time the speed of the Q60, and, apart from a few QL legacy programs, linux gives me everything I want -- for free. As for the Q60, that lives in storage, since no one wanted to buy it. You mean getting Text87 to run on a Q60 ... We have inherited a copy of Text87 at the London Quanta Group, and it works fine on a QL + Gold Card. Sure, the PC hardware has sped along so speak. I am not sure how free Linux really is ... all those downloads from the internet, all the compiling time if you are in to that side of it, all the magazines to buy, all the applications to acquire ... I guess it all adds up to time is money too ... :-) May be your Q60 will see the light of day again ? -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], Daniele Terdina [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes It is, in this respect just the same as LINUX. Peter can be a reseller and give it away for free if he wants. We will not stop hi, If I understand the licence correctly, resellers have to pay 10 euros to TT, and I'm not sure whether there's also a fee for GD2 or other components, so reseller can't give binaries away for free. The 10 Euro fee to TT ended a while ago and we reduced the price accordingly. There are no other fees payable and the money we would charge, if we ever sold any, is purely costs of materials, administration of the manuals, postage costs and future support. No ever comes to SMSQ/E for the first time and does not get back in touch with a few questions. So, yes, if he abides by the rules of the licence, supplies a manual and a master disk,, is willing to offer support, only distributes the current authorised code, he can become a reseller and give it away for free. This is correct is it not Wolfgang? -- Roy Wood Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex.BN41 2LB Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 skype : royqbranch web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Wolfgang Lenerz wrote: pgraf at q40.de wrote: The registrar can at any time accept changes/additions/modifications which are not distributed in source, but which may be essential. So the SMSQ/E license does of course NOT provide this liberty. Instead, a developer would depend on the mood of the registrar. [...] Whch is, of course, true for ALL additions to the official version since, as said earlier, I do vet them. With one exception, there is, if course, no example of a file not distibuted as source. Of course? So passages that keep SMSQ/E from being open-source compliant are persistently kept, even though there are not intended to be used. And that file is, ... wait for it one of the system sprites. Which shows the importance of keeping SMSQ/E a proprietary OS. Nobody talked about myriads. For one example, a practical offer was even published on this list a few years ago: Working native TCP/IP plus native Ethernet plus graphical mail client plus native webserver + browser. Waiting until developers have lost interest and then saying they wouldn't have done anything anyway is even cheaper talk. Ok, so maybe there was one project where the author said that he could do something (compared to all those that have really seen the light) - but he didn't. Probably because he pretended the licence wouldn't let him? Talk is cheap, indeed. Quite informative to see the SMSQ/E registrar shed some light on his attitude regarding the importance of native OS support for TCP/IP and ethernet. And a confirmation that I'd only get reasonable opportunities for major QL hardware again, if the slow and painful route of a free QL OS is taken first. To those who asked: Small things like SD/MCC might be realistic, as long as no OS-level driver is expected, and folks can live with a user program to access the card. If there are news, they'll be posted here. Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Quite informative to see the SMSQ/E registrar shed some light on his attitude regarding the importance of native OS support for TCP/IP and ethernet. And a confirmation that I'd only get reasonable opportunities for major QL hardware again, if the slow and painful route of a free QL OS is taken first. Steady Peter, steady :o) I didn't read it that way. Talking (typing?) from not a lot of experience on the matter, the way I see it is this : There has been much talk of TCP running natively on the QL (of whichever variant) but after a flurry of initial development, silence! At present I have absolutely no idea what the current status of said project is - is it still viable, defunct, abandoned, or what - do you know ? Now, before any accusations/flames come flying in about those comments, I am not starting any flame wars here. I've developed software, commercial and otherwise, for the QL for many years (ok, not as much recently) and written articles for QL Review, QL Toady and IQLR magazines for more years that I care to remember and I *know* how disheartening it can be when you either lose interest or motivation in a project, or worse, cannot find the time. I have a number of projects on my hard drive that have stalled - Printermaster 2 (although Dilwyn has the source somewhere and I've given permission to distribute it if wanted) a PE version of Dilwyn's Printer Master software, ARSE (!) the ARchive Syntax Evaluator whihc was a 'compiler' project to read in Archive PRO and PRG(?) files, and screens, and convert them to something that DBAS could use (or it might have been Data Design - I forget!). I've even got a blank repository on SourceForge for my cross platform QStripper app, I just have not had the time to upload the current version. Plus my QDOS Internals web site is way behind on updates - need I go on. It's not easy enjoying writing software for a 'hobby' computer :o( Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
The 10 Euro fee to TT ended a while ago and we reduced the price If that's the case, the licence on the official SMSQ/E web site should be updated to current version. Daniele ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
So when are you going to include George Gwilt's changes which enable SMSQE to be assembled with QMAC or Gwass? This will open up SMQE to other improvements which are needed. On Tuesday 20 February 2007 09:00, Wolfgang Lenerz wrote: On 20 Feb 2007 at 8:02, Roy wood wrote: SMSQ/E is an open O/S. Anyone can have the code and anyone can make changes to it so long as they a) submit them to Wolfgang for vetting b) ensure that the changes do not adversely affect other parts of the O/S c) can be made compatible with all other versions of SMSQ/E (if they are hardware specific code must run on other systems to ensure that software based on the changes will not completely crash just return a message stating why it does not run) Actually, the licence is a bit different: In a nutshell, and without this affecting the licence at all: Liberties : You can get the source code, I mean, heck it's on the website... You may make ANY change you wish to it. You may distribute the source code with your changes to whom you want (with a restriction of how, physically, the distribution is made, i.e. only via direct email or via CDROM). You do not have to submit your code to me at all if you don't want to. Restrictions: ONLY I may distribute binaries, and I only give them to the resellers. The version I distribute is the official version, any other source code version is unofficial. If you want your code included in the official version, then, true, I do try to vet it, to weed out code that would be incompatible with all machines bar one (unless justified by the specific capailities of the machine), code that seems to be buggy etc. (As an aside - this has never happened, all code submitted to me has been accepted). I do recommend to the resellers that they only support official versions, but they do what they want. AFAIK since the time I became registrar, all resellers have made the updates available completely free of charge to all those who had bought a version of smsq/e! As for the rest, all those myriad programmers who would have done things if the licence were different and all those projects that would exist but for the licence, as a very personal note, all I can say it - talk is cheap. On the other hand, SMSQ/E HAS progressed, thanks to Marcel, of course, but not only him: Bruno Coativy Fabrizio Diversi Phoebus Dokos George Gwilt Jerome Grimbert John Hall Marcel Kilgus Mark Swift Thierry Godefroy Per Witte have all contributed Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Norman at Dunbar-it.co.uk wrote: Steady Peter, steady :o) Shouldn't your reminder better go to the one who started this myriad programmers, personal note and talk is cheap stuff? o:-) Actually, I meant to put 'steady everyone'. Apologies for 'picking' on you. That was not my intention, sorry. I was hopefully trying to steer the list clear of another 'discussion' of the kind endured some time back. Shouldn't this question have been asked by Wolfgang before he tells the public that I didn't do something? Well, I wasn't aware that he has referring to you actually, I thought that someone else (Jon Dent perhaps, but if not, apologies in advance!) was developing the TCP stuff - that's the only one I knew about. SNIP INFORMATION Time to grow silent for a while. I hadn't planned to get drawn into another debate anyway. No worries, apologies again for referring to you personally. Thanks for the information. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes Duncan wrote: Do you have any othe projects else up your sleeve? Not absolutely impossible. But nothing major can happen until there's a decent free QL OS. All reasonable ways I have to implement OS level code for new hardware involve re-using free software and getting help from persons that won't be motivated by a proprietary OS. SMSQ/E is an open O/S. Anyone can have the code and anyone can make changes to it so long as they a) submit them to Wolfgang for vetting b) ensure that the changes do not adversely affect other parts of the O/S c) can be made compatible with all other versions of SMSQ/E (if they are hardware specific code must run on other systems to ensure that software based on the changes will not completely crash just return a message stating why it does not run) It is, in this respect just the same as LINUX. Peter can be a reseller and give it away for free if he wants. We will not stop hi, I realise that he thinks Jochen and I have been raking in thousands for our sales of SMSQ/E. There is a bus to the real world at the end of his street. (They do charge a fare though). I saddens me that he rakes all this up again. Q Branch posted a 2000+ loss in the previous tax year and a 1000+ loss this year. We keep going and I devote hours of my time to writing for the magazine because we have a loyalty to the users that dates back over twelve years. All updates to SMSQ/E are free to anyone who has a copy and I have not sold a new copy in ages. I do not want to start the argument up again but the licence exists to protect the end user from unsupervised tinkering and the only reason I write this now is that there are new users on this list and they need to know. -- Roy Wood Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex.BN41 2LB Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 skype : royqbranch web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
On 20 Feb 2007 at 8:02, Roy wood wrote: SMSQ/E is an open O/S. Anyone can have the code and anyone can make changes to it so long as they a) submit them to Wolfgang for vetting b) ensure that the changes do not adversely affect other parts of the O/S c) can be made compatible with all other versions of SMSQ/E (if they are hardware specific code must run on other systems to ensure that software based on the changes will not completely crash just return a message stating why it does not run) Actually, the licence is a bit different: In a nutshell, and without this affecting the licence at all: Liberties : You can get the source code, I mean, heck it's on the website... You may make ANY change you wish to it. You may distribute the source code with your changes to whom you want (with a restriction of how, physically, the distribution is made, i.e. only via direct email or via CDROM). You do not have to submit your code to me at all if you don't want to. Restrictions: ONLY I may distribute binaries, and I only give them to the resellers. The version I distribute is the official version, any other source code version is unofficial. If you want your code included in the official version, then, true, I do try to vet it, to weed out code that would be incompatible with all machines bar one (unless justified by the specific capailities of the machine), code that seems to be buggy etc. (As an aside - this has never happened, all code submitted to me has been accepted). I do recommend to the resellers that they only support official versions, but they do what they want. AFAIK since the time I became registrar, all resellers have made the updates available completely free of charge to all those who had bought a version of smsq/e! As for the rest, all those myriad programmers who would have done things if the licence were different and all those projects that would exist but for the licence, as a very personal note, all I can say it - talk is cheap. On the other hand, SMSQ/E HAS progressed, thanks to Marcel, of course, but not only him: Bruno Coativy Fabrizio Diversi Phoebus Dokos George Gwilt Jerome Grimbert John Hall Marcel Kilgus Mark Swift Thierry Godefroy Per Witte have all contributed Wolfgang -- W. H. Lenerz www.scp-paulet-lenerz.com -- ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 Wolfgang Lenerz wrote: On the other hand, SMSQ/E HAS progressed, thanks to Marcel, of course, but not only him: Bruno Coativy Fabrizio Diversi Phoebus Dokos George Gwilt Jerome Grimbert John Hall Marcel Kilgus Mark Swift That is interesting. Isn't he the QDOS Classic man? Thierry Godefroy Per Witte have all contributed Tony - -- QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:252/67) +44(0)1442-828255 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFF2r0KM3RzOs8+btoRAvlqAJ9ZDx7KX8d/INzfYfIlD07ktz+DoQCfVOVw Qb/Rae1HbdQU/3jwywhdOfI= =WTjG -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
On 20 Feb 2007 at 9:19, Tony Firshman wrote: Mark Swift That is interesting. Isn't he the QDOS Classic man? Idon't know - he gave persimsion to use his code to re/set the Qx0 cachemodes in SMSQ/E Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The registrar can at any time accept changes/additions/modifications which are not distributed in source, but which may be essential. So the SMSQ/E license does of course NOT provide this liberty. Instead, a developer would depend on the mood of the registrar. [...] Whch is, of course, true for ALL additions to the official version since, as said earlier, I do vet them. With one exception, there is, if course, no example of a file not distibuted as source. And that file is, ... wait for it one of the system sprites. Nobody talked about myriads. For one example, a practical offer was even published on this list a few years ago: Working native TCP/IP plus native Ethernet plus graphical mail client plus native webserver + browser. Waiting until developers have lost interest and then saying they wouldn't have done anything anyway is even cheaper talk. Ok, so maybe there was one project where the author said that he could do something (compared to all those that have really seen the light) - but he didn't. Probably because he pretended the licence wouldn't let him? Talk is cheap, indeed. Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
It is, in this respect just the same as LINUX. Peter can be a reseller and give it away for free if he wants. We will not stop hi, If I understand the licence correctly, resellers have to pay 10 euros to TT, and I'm not sure whether there's also a fee for GD2 or other components, so reseller can't give binaries away for free. Daniele ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Where do i sign ? [EMAIL PROTECTED] 16 February 2007 09:28 Neil Riley wrote: GoMMC, a RomDisq on steroids but with the opportunity to remove the mem card, excellent. Once again, Id buy one if developed for the QL. How would it sound if a SD/MMC device for SuperGoldCard, Q40 and Q60 had already been prototyped and a free software to access it was already written? Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm *** The contents of this email are confidential to the intended recipient. It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please contact the company on 01793-715380, then delete it from your system. Please note neither the company nor the sender accepts any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any) for viruses. No contract may be concluded on behalf of the company by means of email communications. BC Services (UK) Limited (trading as Boxclever), Technology House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9QQ. Registered No. 5290544 England www.boxclever.co.uk *** ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
On Sat, 2007-02-17 at 15:24 +0100, Bob Spelten wrote: When I searched for the latest version of DBAS I got version 2.13 from the Quanta librarian (Dec 2002) who told me YOU were the one that last tinkered with it. Does this mean you lost your own commented source code? Not guilty! I never had the source-code and wouldn't be able to do much with it if I had. On Fri, 2007-02-16 at 17:47 +, Malcolm Cadman wrote: David, you should raise more issues about the Q60 on this list. No need to wait 2 years again ... :-(. I don't have any Q60 issues any more. When no one could tell me how to get Text87 to run, I got a PC and ran OpenOffice instead. This low-specification, home-built machine runs at 20 time the speed of the Q60, and, apart from a few QL legacy programs, linux gives me everything I want -- for free. As for the Q60, that lives in storage, since no one wanted to buy it. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
At 23:01 18/02/2007 -0500, you wrote: David Tubbs wrote: NO I DID NOT ! ! ! ! ! ! At 19:30 15/02/2007 +, you wrote: Then there's the lack of USB and printer support. But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, EBAY can get you the answer to this problem :-) Had to go this route for the wife's new lappy, it was cheep reminded me of the Miracle interface for the QL. -- Paul Holmgren 2 57 300-C's in Indy Hoosier Corps L#6 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.441 / Virus Database: 268.18.2/692 - Release Date: 18/02/2007 16:35 ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
David Tubbs wrote: At 19:30 15/02/2007 +, you wrote: Then there's the lack of USB and printer support. But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, EBAY can get you the answer to this problem :-) Had to go this route for the wife's new lappy, it was cheep reminded me of the Miracle interface for the QL. -- Paul Holmgren 2 57 300-C's in Indy Hoosier Corps L#6 ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Op Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:58:22 +0100 schreef David McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED]: One of the many reasons I have for preferring SuperBasic to XBasic is the availability of dbas. But this is another project which got abandoned. I may be out of date, but the last time I looked the version supplied with the commercial front end for it (can't remember the name) was older than the one I'm using (2.13). Quanta had a copy of the commented source code, not for inclusion in the library (why?), but they lost it ... I am a bit confused here. When I searched for the latest version of DBAS I got version 2.13 from the Quanta librarian (Dec 2002) who told me YOU were the one that last tinkered with it. Does this mean you lost your own commented source code? I haven't seen any mention of a later version anywhere. The only commercial DBAS front-end program I know of is Suqcess and I have included DBAS_sys 2.13 in the package since v1.15. In fact I have modified it to avoid a clash between its RESET command and the SMSQ/E RESET keyword. But the current version 2.04 can work with v2.13 or v2.13mod and will not reset SMSQ/E! Bob -- Gemaakt met Opera's revolutionaire e-mailprogramma: http://www.opera.com/mail/ ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
I know that Dilwyn Jones has put most of the available documentation on his web site, which is easy to access. http://homepages.tersco.net/dilwyn.jones/index.html Errr, slight typo: http://homepages.tesco.net/dilwyn.jones/index.html The documentation is actually on the third of my 3 sites though :-) http://dilwynjones.topcities.com/index.htm The main site is www.dilwyn.uk6.net/index.html All 3 sites link to each other...one of these days I'll get the time to put the whole lot onto one site (the UK6 one, since that's the only one with space for everything,t hanks to those nice UK6 people at Freeola). And what didn't fit there is on the QL Documentation CD which you can get from Q-Celt Computing and other traders if you ask nicely enough. Little known fact: Quanta members can get it cheaply through Quanta too. Most of the Documentation CD was on a QL Today cover CD not so long ago. It's been updated a few times since then, though. It's actually quite interesting to realise that people often ask if I have info on xyz, not realising it's either on my website or my CDs. As Rich Mellor pointed out not so long ago, there's so much material that even I forget I have some files sometimes! -- Dilwyn Jones ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes I know that Dilwyn Jones has put most of the available documentation on his web site, which is easy to access. http://homepages.tersco.net/dilwyn.jones/index.html Errr, slight typo: http://homepages.tesco.net/dilwyn.jones/index.html The documentation is actually on the third of my 3 sites though :-) http://dilwynjones.topcities.com/index.htm The main site is www.dilwyn.uk6.net/index.html All 3 sites link to each other...one of these days I'll get the time to put the whole lot onto one site (the UK6 one, since that's the only one with space for everything,t hanks to those nice UK6 people at Freeola). And what didn't fit there is on the QL Documentation CD which you can get from Q-Celt Computing and other traders if you ask nicely enough. Little known fact: Quanta members can get it cheaply through Quanta too. Most of the Documentation CD was on a QL Today cover CD not so long ago. It's been updated a few times since then, though. It's actually quite interesting to realise that people often ask if I have info on xyz, not realising it's either on my website or my CDs. As Rich Mellor pointed out not so long ago, there's so much material that even I forget I have some files sometimes! Yes, we all need reminding, every now and again ... :-) I have just come across this quotation : http://www.quotationsbook.com/quote/13336/ -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Neil Riley wrote: GoMMC, a RomDisq on steroids but with the opportunity to remove the mem card, excellent. Once again, Id buy one if developed for the QL. How would it sound if a SD/MMC device for SuperGoldCard, Q40 and Q60 had already been prototyped and a free software to access it was already written? Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:28:51 -, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Neil Riley wrote: GoMMC, a RomDisq on steroids but with the opportunity to remove the mem card, excellent. Once again, Id buy one if developed for the QL. How would it sound if a SD/MMC device for SuperGoldCard, Q40 and Q60 had already been prototyped and a free software to access it was already written? That would sound brilliant - I for one would want to offer it for sale !! -- Rich Mellor RWAP Services URL:http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk URL:http://www.rwapservices.co.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In a message dated 16/02/2007 09:49:30 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: That would sound brilliant - I for one would want to offer it for sale !! I would want to buy one Duncan ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In a message dated 16/02/2007 09:29:17 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: How would it sound if a SD/MMC device for SuperGoldCard, Q40 and Q60 had already been prototyped and a free software to access it was already written? Peter Do you have any othe projects else up your sleeve? Duncan ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Duncan wrote: Do you have any othe projects else up your sleeve? Not absolutely impossible. But nothing major can happen until there's a decent free QL OS. All reasonable ways I have to implement OS level code for new hardware involve re-using free software and getting help from persons that won't be motivated by a proprietary OS. For peace sake the SMS license issue must rest, so the only way forward can be to re-invent the wheel and work on a free QL OS. This is of course a quite unsatisfactory task and the work on it crawls slowly. Some of my own work was done years ago, e.g. on native TCP/IP, and on a major hardware project I gave up during the license war. I started to forget, so things become increasingly difficult and unlikely. But I still have a little interest in major QL projects. All the best Peter ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes Neil Riley wrote: GoMMC, a RomDisq on steroids but with the opportunity to remove the mem card, excellent. Once again, Id buy one if developed for the QL. How would it sound if a SD/MMC device for SuperGoldCard, Q40 and Q60 had already been prototyped and a free software to access it was already written? Peter I would say get it on the market ! -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], Roy wood [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], gwicks [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes Those of us who went to the Sinclair show in Norwich a couple of years ago had a very strong impression that the Spectrum has not moved on to the same extent as the QL. We saw stall after stall selling Spectrum hardware and software that we remembered using in our Spectrum days. The only QL stall selling similar vintage QL software was Simon Goodwins. I was about to write the same thing. The Spectrum has not 'moved on' or got 'up to date'. The scene is only stronger than the QL because people like playing the retro games (maybe because, given the age of the users, the modern ones are too hard for them to take in). It was obvious at that show that the QL was light years ahead of the Spectrum and equally obvious that we had no software to offer. There is not one piece of software for the QL that would tempt someone to get into the QL scene. Probably the only exception is QWord, which can be installed on a native QL system that has a QXL capacity, or a foreign system like a PC. It is also well packaged on a CD, and is easy to install. Not that I am a word game fan, really. The QL has moved on much further than the Spectrum with hardware. We have some exceptional QL emulators, and good range of technical utilities - like Launchpad and QDT. Unfortunately the applications are not being newly written to take full advantage; and the updates to older software are only partial. Usually done a good will basis. -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], Peter Graf [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes David McCann wrote: The QL no longer has enough users to make commercial products viable, nor to produce enough programmers to support open-source products. True, but why does nobody seem to see that it's possible to get help from friendly open source folks outside the QL scene? There is good, nearly QL style code out there, it just needs to be discovered and adapted. Open source doesn't necessarily mean *nix. Some time ago I had a good degree of success in a few QL software projects, that could mean a decade of sparetime work, if done without help. That I didn't release them, was mostly because there was no decent open source OS covering the major QL targets. (I mean open source in the definition of the real world, so it is possible to link code from the real world, and to involve persons who just can't be motivated by a proprietary system.) Some collaborative and cross-over projects like that would be great to see on the QL. Like you I remain optimistic. -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
On Thu, 2007-02-15 at 23:02 +0100, Peter Graf wrote: I don't think Richard gave up UQLX. Some other QL wheels also need to be turned, so there may be different priorities. Usually, if you email him, he sends you more recent code. Then why is the old, uncompilable version still on his website, a site which hasn't been updated since 2002? This ties in with the problem that other people raised last night about the availability of documentation. There is too much work which has been done but which is inaccessible for others to build on. One of the many reasons I have for preferring SuperBasic to XBasic is the availability of dbas. But this is another project which got abandoned. I may be out of date, but the last time I looked the version supplied with the commercial front end for it (can't remember the name) was older than the one I'm using (2.13). Quanta had a copy of the commented source code, not for inclusion in the library (why?), but they lost it ... I even bought a Q60 to stay in the QL world (a step further than most of those reading this rant!), but my experiences (recounted in QL Today) were hardly encouraging. Bad documentation and lack of help. For example, my query about how to run Text87 on it was circulated on the internet and in Quanta, yet it took two years to find the answer: by accident. By that time, I'd naturally switched to OpenOffice. I liked the QL and its operating system (rather Unix-like in a way), but I fear the QL community are their own worse enemies. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
- Original Message - From: Roy wood To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 11:56 PM Subject: Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, but I do mainly because of my QL experience of looking for solutions to problems, That is easy - there is a specific bale to do it or a USB port replicator. I have both even though my laptop has a parallel port. I mentioned this to raise the point that it is not only in the QL world that you sometimes have unusable hardware. The largest PC company in the country is not interested in solving problems like that as they would rather sell you a new printer. More usable products being dumped in landfill. At least we QL-ers have been good recyclers. I just reasoned that if SH could produce a serial to parallel interface with all the electronics in the cable, then some bright spark could do something similar for a potentially bigger market. On the specific point of USB to parallel interfaces, Maplin's are currently selling these as a special offer. They are obviously old stock as the installation information is for Windows98, but they work perfectly with XP once you have figured out how to install, Best Wishes, Geoff. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
Malcolm Cadman wrote: SNIP Both old and new users are stimulated by something new. Repeating a list that I gave earlier - probably 3 item ranges will be suited : 1 - £50 to £100 a card of some type, probably modular too, that most people would have an interest in to add to their existing system 2 - £100 to £200+ a card of some type, probably again modular too, that would significantly change the system - discarding the existing GC's and SGC's 3 - £300 to £400 an entirely, or almost entirely, new system of a small size, or even portable, using standard available parts as far as possible I think if any or all of these projects could get off the ground then the availability would itself generate further interest. Or maybe I am living in QL dreamland again . . . who knows Rich Mellor recently gave me this link to an interesting hardware development for the BBC model B computer, that had 32K RAM. The GoMMC which allows the BBC to use a multi-media card (MMC) - see http://web.inter.nl.net/users/J.Kortink/home/hardware/gommc/what.htm Cost is around 74 euros plus postage and the MMC. I have two of these on my BBC B and my BBC Master and can't rate them highly enough. They have really given my Beebs are new lease of life, not to mention stimulated interest from the younger generation - my nephews - who would never have sat by waiting for programs to load from tape! ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
- Original Message - From: David McCann [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 4:53 PM Subject: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons To keep an old computer going you need a reasonable user-base and a perceived function. The Spectrum gets continued support because it had masses of users to start with and it's easy and fun to write games for it. Indeed. The Spectrum was a success right from the start, but the QL was seen by the experts as a failed computer practically from day one. It was the peripherals industry that turned it into a practical computer. In other words the QL has only survived for 23 years because people developed new hardware at an early stage in its life. Those of us who went to the Sinclair show in Norwich a couple of years ago had a very strong impression that the Spectrum has not moved on to the same extent as the QL. We saw stall after stall selling Spectrum hardware and software that we remembered using in our Spectrum days. The only QL stall selling similar vintage QL software was Simon Goodwins. The QL no longer has enough users to make commercial products viable, Just as Quanta has to change if it wants to survive, so too have the traders. Then there's the lack of USB and printer support. But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, but I do mainly because of my QL experience of looking for solutions to problems, Best Wishes, Geoff ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 gwicks wrote: Then there's the lack of USB and printer support. But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, but I do mainly because of my QL experience of looking for solutions to problems, USB to serial interface and one of the QL serial to parallel converters - - with a QL to 9D converter. ... but there are commercial 9D serial to parallel converters as well. Tony - -- QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:252/67) +44(0)1442-828255 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.2 (MingW32) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFF1O6TM3RzOs8+btoRAonUAJ9ki+94GxhAxuw5jj/soNaw4vCdiwCff8CD vHv33hkBqWETTog+hxbjxUc= =BwHN -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Hardware and software - new horizons
In message [EMAIL PROTECTED], gwicks [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes Those of us who went to the Sinclair show in Norwich a couple of years ago had a very strong impression that the Spectrum has not moved on to the same extent as the QL. We saw stall after stall selling Spectrum hardware and software that we remembered using in our Spectrum days. The only QL stall selling similar vintage QL software was Simon Goodwins. I was about to write the same thing. The Spectrum has not 'moved on' or got 'up to date'. The scene is only stronger than the QL because people like playing the retro games (maybe because, given the age of the users, the modern ones are too hard for them to take in). It was obvious at that show that the QL was light years ahead of the Spectrum and equally obvious that we had no software to offer. There is not one piece of software for the QL that would tempt someone to get into the QL scene. The QL no longer has enough users to make commercial products viable, Just as Quanta has to change if it wants to survive, so too have the traders. There is little a trader can do these days. Since I do not write software myself, and I am offered little new software, I am stuck. Take away the cash flow and I will have to fold at some point. I keep going because I still enjoy it and I want to support the people who have been my customers for 10 years or so. Then there's the lack of USB and printer support. But just a provocative thought. Have you ever tried to connect a USB only laptop to a parallel printer? PC World don't know the answer to that one, but I do mainly because of my QL experience of looking for solutions to problems, That is easy - there is a specific bale to do it or a USB port replicator. I have both even though my laptop has a parallel port. -- Roy Wood Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex.BN41 2LB Tel: +44 (0) 1273 386030fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 skype : royqbranch web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
