More fun with retrocomputing

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Added some retrocomputing stuff to my “collection,” so thought I’d post about it.

We’ll start with the smallest machine and work our way up. I bought a replacement eMate 300 (mine died in a fall, and I literally cannot find where the component came off the motherboard to replace it,) but this one has the RAM/flash upgrade – faster, and has a useful amount of storage.

Next up is an upgrade to my IIGS – a ZipGSX, this one with all of the card upgrades, and running at 10 MHz with 32 kiB cache. I’ve got parts on the way to make that either 12 or 12.5 MHz and 64 kiB cache, though. Having an accelerator makes a world of difference with performance – things happen on the desktop almost instantly, GNO/ME works significantly faster, Spectrum becomes much more practical for telnet use, etc., etc., etc.

Finally, something I’ve been thinking about getting for a while, and has been in the works for a couple months… I posted a request on P370-L asking if anyone would be willing to sell a Personal/370 Adapter/A, which was IBM’s first “mainframe-on-a-card” for PCs. Pretty quickly, I got an e-mail offering a PC Server 500 System/390 8641-MYC, which runs a much more modern version of that card (compatible with ESA/390 software, whereas the Personal/370 is only compatible with 370/XA,) for cost of shipping.

It arrived yesterday, and it looks like I’ve got a project on my hands, bringing it up. Some of the MCA cards came loose in shipping, and need to be reseated. Here’s the specs on what I’ve got, though:

Pentium 90 (all PC Server 500s have this,) 32 MiB of RAM
Dual SCSI RAID controllers (each with two channels)
Dual LANStreamer (not gonna be that useful, I don’t have Token Ring)
Two ethernet cards (that will be useful)
Some XGA card, I think
System/390 processor card
96 MiB S/390 RAM card (the most for this configuration)
14 hard drives totalling 159.3 GB

Yeah, this will be a fun one to set up. I plan on running VM on it, and maybe playing with the other IBM mainframe OSes as well.

A retraction from the Why Apple is evil series – Apple not actually patenting third-party applications

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So, I’ll admit that I didn’t quite read everything to do with this particular case.

Apple was not claiming the functionality of FutureTap’s application, but rather using it as an example UI.

While it’s still evil to do that much in my opinion, Apple isn’t trying to patent a third-party app.

I’m going to leave the previous post up, but with it made very clear that that post is in error.

Source: Engadget

RETRACTED: Why Apple is evil: Patenting apps from third-party developers

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I’ve been saying Apple is evil for quite a while now, but this isn’t just evil. This is kicking puppies (TV Tropes warning) evil. Even if you apply Hanlon’s Razor, in my opinion, incompetence doesn’t adequately explain this, although that’s running rampant here, too.

Apple has filed a few patent applications for mobile applications as of late, and for one of those applications, application number 20100190510, Systems and Methods for Accessing Travel Services Using a Portable Electronic Device, they decided to shamelessly rip off a third party developer’s iPhone app, “Where To?” And, no, they didn’t get permission from the developers.

What the fuck, Apple?

What the fuck?

Now, let’s say that FutureTap fights this in court. Let’s say that they can even win against Apple’s legal budget. Now, their business model is based on selling iPhone apps. We already know that Apple’s app approval process is extremely arbitrary. A win against Apple likely guarantees that their apps will get permanently banned from the App Store, killing their business.

With this, Apple’s sending a very, very clear message to developers: Develop for the iPhone, and you work for us, not for yourself.

Source: GigaOm

UPDATE: I’m retracting this post, as I see that I’m in error. I’m leaving it posted, but please see this post.

Why Apple is evil: Restricting third-party chargers

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This one probably isn’t news at all, but I only recently heard of it, so I’m posting it.

Apparently, Apple requires that chargers for their devices use the data lines to signal charging power, and without using those lines, you don’t charge.

Apple requires a confidentiality agreement to get the resistor values, it seems.

Or, you know, you can break the damn thing open and measure the resistors. But still, you shouldn’t have to do that. Maybe to draw over 500 mA, yes – that makes perfect sense, as it’s over USB’s maximums, but not for the standard 500 mA.

Source: Engadget

Why Apple is evil: Inconsistent banning of apps, even when competitors aren’t banned

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You’ve probably heard of People of Wal-Mart, a site showcasing the, uh, dregs of society that can be found shopping at Wal-Mart. (If you haven’t, it’s quite entertaining. No, I’m not affiliated with them in any way.)

An iPhone app, Funny Shoppers, was developed for the site that allowed users to view images from the site within an app, and submit their photos from the app. However, Apple rejected the app, citing obscene content – something that they’ve used many times in the past to ban apps that they don’t like.

So, the developers, Alkali Media, decided to remove photos of any people from the app. Yep, still offensive…

Yet, Apple later approved an app, Shopper Fail, which used the same content! Apple wouldn’t comment on it, and it took a cease and desist to stop the second app from being distributed.

Apple eventually suggests that Alkali Media remove all references to Wal-Mart from the app. Alright, so they do so. Several MONTHS later, Apple approves the app.

A day later, after it becomes fairly popular? They pull the app, citing offensive content again.

What?

Apple, stop jerking developers around. Developers make your platform what it is, and if you keep jerking them around, they’ll jump ship to Android. You’re also hurting your customers by doing this – not everyone wants you to be their moral police.

Source: Gizmodo

KansasFest 2010: ACTION RETROCOMPUTING CONFERENCE

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So, I guess it’d be a good idea to blog about my first time at KansasFest, an annual Apple II convention held at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO.

(For the benefit of any readers of this blog that don’t know… I have absolutely no problem with the Apple that made the Apple II, and as I grew up with an Apple //c and a couple Apple II clones, I kinda have to be a fan of that Apple. 😉 The Apple that I have a problem with is Apple, Inc.)

Due to the length of this post, I’ll use the intro feature, so everything else is after the break. Continue reading “KansasFest 2010: ACTION RETROCOMPUTING CONFERENCE”

Why Apple is evil: More blocking apps for possible uses… that iOS features can do, too

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Apple has removed iChatr, a Chatroulette-style app for the iPhone 4, from the App Store, due to too many people exposing themselves.

OK, that’s something to be expected on a Chatroulette-like service, but here’s the thing. You could very easily make a Chatroulette-like service that uses phone numbers, completely avoiding the app store, and then making FaceTime calls. (Granted, Chatroulette and iChatr have better privacy than that approach.)

Or, you could even have a single number for a FaceTime service that acts like Chatroulette. Call the number, hit FaceTime, get a random partner. Want to switch partners, hang up and call back. (Or, if the other person hangs up, it could autoswitch.)

And, there’s nothing stopping people from exposing themselves on FaceTime.

Source: Gizmodo

Why Apple is evil: Jobs confusing signal drops with call drops, smearing competition

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This one’s what I intended to post last night, but didn’t get around to it.

So, there was a press conference about the iPhone 4 issues yesterday. In it, Steve Jobs announced what many were asking for – bumper cases for the iPhone 4, free for everyone.

But, before he announced that, he decided to smear the entire rest of the cell phone industry, by saying that all phones have signal drops when gripped a certain way.

The problem with that is, sure, most any phone WILL lose signal when gripped a certain way. But does that translate to dropped calls to the extent of the iPhone 4? Most likely not, because there’s not really complaints about the other phones, just the iPhone 4. Oh, and among my phones, I’ve got a Bold 9700 on AT&T, so I just tried it. I could reproduce a SLIGHT signal drop with a normal grip, and a moderate drop with an extremely tight grip, but not what Apple got. (This paragraph, I will note, is my own opinion.)

Seriously, Apple, just admit that you have a problem, don’t drag others into it when they’re not nearly as bad as you are.

Source: Engadget

Why Apple is evil: Claiming that jailbreaking caused an iPad to dangerously overheat

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This is a disturbing one.

A reader of The Tech Report has reported that his iPad’s charging cable melted, and the iPad itself got dangerously hot – to the point that he reflexively dropped it, causing the screen to crack.

So, he took it into his local Apple Store, expecting a replacement.

But that didn’t happen.

The Apple Store rep noticed a Cydia icon on the screen. At that point, the reader was told that his device was completely not covered under warranty, and that the crack also meant that it wasn’t covered – never mind that the crack was caused by the overheating incident.

Here’s the thing. Let’s say that the iPad did overheat due to software. It should still have thermal protection circuits to protect users from fire hazards. The fact that those failed means that Apple should at the very least make this go away, because otherwise it’s bad PR. Oh, wait. Apple didn’t make it go away, and now it’s bad PR time.

The other thing is… Apple has a burden of proof, under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, that the jailbreaking caused the machine to fail. If they can’t prove it, then they’ll be forced to replace the iPad.

Seriously, Apple, this is just getting ridiculous. (And there’ll be another article later today.)