6 Mar
2012
6 Mar
'12
12:27 p.m.
Hi Tony,
Hello...
I beleive that for the Diskferret I can get
sources for everything (of
course soembody might write closed-source softwre to work with it). For
your device, which parts can I get the soruce for, and which can I not
get it for? Are there any file formats involved that are not fully
docuemtned?
You get the schematics for the hardware (PDF) and you get the
software=20
(binary). Both are free for private, non-commercial usage. You also have=20 access to our own formats, STREAM (as documentation)
and IPF (storing=20
the mastering data, created by us; comes as fully documented source and=20
you have the forums with more information as well). That means you have=20
full control over the data you ingested.
However, I beleive i have to trust that the Kryofluxx + its binary-only
software behaves as advertised and tha tthe data I get from it is a ture
representation of the pulses on my disk. I have no way of checkign this
(since I don't get the source to the program or to the microcontrolelr
firmwae).
No, I think you misunderstood me here. I was
talking aobut modifying=20
the hardware to talk to other types of drives, other devices even. Not=20
hadnling unusual ewncoding schems on devices (such as flopy drives)=20
that are supported by the hardware.=20
You can of course modify the hardware you
built, or ours, as needed, as=20 you will know where the signals go to. You would
however need to work=20
with us, to make us support the new formats. Nevertheless this would=20
Right... That's a major oownside for me. I want to be able to use it as
_I_ want, withoug having to convice somebody else that what I want to do
is a good idea. And possibly paying them to do the necessary work.
mean going beyond what it does now and what it was
designed for.
[... Money as motivation...]
Then why do people get paid in their daytime job? I do
like my daytime=20
A lot of pople take a day job just to get money top be able to follow
their interests.
job, I get paid for it. But how could I afford leaving
it for a week,=20
working for free, to make something happen? This has grown beyond a=20
hobby. We already support the formats we ever needed or wanted. We do=20
enjoy doing this, but I don't see why I would assign someone to reverse=20
and implement a format (take Emulator I+II for example), which takes a=20
lot of expertise and manpower, to e.g. support a commercial studio that=20
That is one reason wehy I wouldn't consider your device. I do think it's
unreasoanble to exxpect you to do a lot of work to support some obvscure
fiormat. Uut I don;t think it's unreasoanble to be able to do the work
myuself.
wants to recover sampling data from their old
floppies. These people pay=20
for the unpaid leave from daytime work, we make it happen, and private=20
users enjoy the updates they get for free. I see no evil in this.
It soudls like you want it both ways. On the one hand you're saying that
you want ot be paid for your work (which is rewasoanble), on the otehr
you exxpect open-sourcve developers to do what uou want for free. Plese
tell me I've misunderstood this.
VIrtually every open-sourc program (includign all those under the GPL)
come with the statement that they are _NOT_ supported. You can't expect
soembody to work for you for nothing. You have the soruce code, fx it
yourself!
I have been pleasanylu supprised by the support I get from open-source
software authors, but I don't exxpect them to do work for me for nothing.
I might e0-mail them a comment and/or a change I've made to do something
I want to do, Or I might ask them 'what is going one here' so that I can
fixx the problem. I always seem to get a helpful reply.
[...]
I fail to see how an open-source program cna be
discontinmued.
Ok, let's call it stalled then. I've "heard" the
following pretty often:=20
"Look, there's only one main developer, and he's so busy. Maybe if you=20
That is
preceisely what I don't want or need. I want the information to
solve the problems myself. The reason is simple, you (and your company)
will not be around for ever, waht happens when I have problems in 10
years time?
If this was the case you'd have to write your own software for the
board=20 you have, but maybe USB would also not be around
anymore to attach the=20
Oh Please...
You'll be tellign me next that RS232, GPIB, 20mA loop, etc 'aren't around
now'. And if you look at sonsumer PCs I'd agree with you. If you look on
my bench I'd not. Point is, I do not beleive there won't be a single
working USB machine around in 10 years time.
Moreover, I've looked at the USB specifications. I think the interfae is
over-compliceted and is often not the right thing to use. I fon't think
it's a bad choice here, given the volume of data to transfer. But since
the spec is availavble, and I assuem somebody will stil lahve a copy in
10 years tienm or wahtever, then it would be possible to make a USB host
using a then-current FPGA or whatever's replaced them.
board. I can't look into the future, but you would
still be able to=20
access the data ingested because the formats are documented. What I can=20
say is that we don't have plans to let it fade into oblivion, so my=20
So say 99% of other ahrdware and softwre mnufacutrers about their
products. Doesn't mean it doens't happen.
[...]
> >
Again, you never worked with us. How insulted would you feel if som=
eone
>
judged about you in public, without ever having worked with you?
It happens all the
tiem, I can assure you... Now, let me ask some spcific questions beased on
statements that have
been made on this list and which you have not commetned on :
1) Did you use a 74HC244 buffer is the receiver for the drive cable. Di=
d
you then cause Phil (I think) to be thrown off a
forum/facebook group
when he commented on this?
If you browse the net, you will find many comments on
KryoFlux by Phil=20
and maybe none on his solution by me/us. We really try to avoid this.The=20
reason is we don't comment on competitive products as, being=20
professional or not, your view is always biased to some extent. I call=20
doing so bad style. I believe in word of mouth and others doing the=20
comparison.
If you'd come to my house and you continuously make fancy statements and=20
suggest things (and have done so in other places in the past) it might=20
happen you get thrown out for not behaving politely. We therefore make=20
use of our householder's rights as needed. This also applies to our=20
Facebook wall.
OK, You ahve confirmed what I thought all along. This statement speaks
volumes about your attitude.
To use your analony. If I fvisited your home I would not comment on your
style of deoor, your furniture, ro anythign like that. But if I saw
somethign that I considered to be dangerous to you, your family, or
others, I certianly would comment. If I saw you had some exxpensive
objects and that your door lock was a really cheap and simple one that
anyone could open with a paperclip I'd tell you about that too. You bet I
would.
It would appear from your comments that the only sort of message you
allow on your facebook page is one in favour of your product. That means
the page is essentially worthless .I want a see a balanced set of
comments. If soemthign is poorly doen, Iwant to know about it. I would
agree that a comment like 'This product is crap' helps nobody. An
explainatio of whay a particualr chip is a poor choice does.
I've been on many forums and mailing lists over the years. I feel the
only things that should get you thrown off are inciitng crimes (and
racism, homophobia, etc) and posting wildily off-topic mesages. Not
positing reasonaed criticism of the device under discussion.
2) Is there any truth to the comments about a
'conflict of interests' i=
f
somebody wants to devleop both for your device
and the Diskferret?
Suggestions like that (the original statement, not your question here)=20
would you get thrown out of my house for sure. Why would any large, big,=20