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Marius

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Posts posted by Marius

  2. Posted · Edited by Marius

    21 minutes ago, gianlucarenzi said:

    Hello guys! I know this question is OFF-TOPIC but as I see you guys own a caliber and some of you are owning Atari 800 and XL series, I urgently need to know which size in mm (or even better in keycaps unit) the following keys:

    ATARI 800:

      - CONTROL key (to my measurements using pictures found on internet) 1.5U

      - LSHIFT key 1.75U as well as the RSHIFT

      - FUNCTION KEYS (Select, Start...) 1.5U

      - CLR SET TAB key 1.5U

      - RETURN key 1.5U

     

    ATARI 800XL

      - CONTROL key 2.0U

      - LSHIFT key 2.25U

      - RSHIFT key 2.0U

      - CAPS LOWR key 1.25U

      - RETURN key 1.75U

      - ESC key 1.25U

      - FUNCTION KEYS are spaced as 1U keysize.

     

    The only correct keyboard I can check is the Atari 130XE style...

     

    In attachment the PDF layouts of those keycaps (used by MaxKeyboard) and the keysize in keycap units.

     

    Please help me,

    Gianluca

    atari-800-xl-style-maxkeyboard.pdf 31.66 kB · 2 downloads atari-xe-style-maxkeyboard.pdf 29.49 kB · 2 downloads

    You seriously should make a new thread. You'll get way more responses then, and indeed this derails the side3 thread completely. 

  3. Posted

    Just now, MrFish said:

     

    I think you should have brought it up. Someone buys a cart from Video 61, and wonders why it has problems; who else can help him understand the problem more than someone who has first-hand experience with it? People have the right to ask questions about faulty products that they pay hard-earned money for, and hear straight-forward answers from knowledgeable peers. The only person not backing you up here is Pete; and, well... big wonder...

     

    No I meant the endless discussion about Downloadable versions of the games. I still think it is a good idea, and I am very glad to read KJMANN's post about the subject, but I really brought *that* subject up too many times in the past. 

     

    The reason I think it is a good idea, is indeed because of the nature of software. Software almost ever needs fixes, so then RAM is a better choice than ROM .... but well... I'll leave it now. 

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    2 hours ago, Kjmann said:

    Hello everyone. Long time no see.

    Let me start by saying that this attack on Marius is reprehensible. I believe Marius is a good person and does not deserve to have his name dragged through the mud.

    As for the attack on me. There is no truth to it and I'm not going to dignify that trash.

     

    I would also like to say here and now that my outlook on cartridge only sales has changed over the years. Looking back, I think if I had done the digital sales that so many of you had suggested to me, maybe we wouldn't be dealing with Peter and Lances' crap right now.

    Lance definitely had me convinced that digital sales would have lost us control over  the games.

    After seeing so much mud slinging in this particular issue and reading the forums from afar for several years, I can see that the majority of this community are people of integrity and love for the platform.

    I was wrong with my initial distrust and it's a mistake that I wish I could go back and change. Although it was Lance who planted that seed of distrust in my head, I was in my 30's at the time and was quite capable of choosing not to fall into Lances' abyss.

    I'm sorry that I didn't make a better decision at that point.

     

    That's all I have to say about this situation.

    All of you take care and keep gaming. 

    😃

     

     

    -Sal (kjmann)

     

    Wow Sal, this was a post I did not see coming. Nice to have you back here. And people always can change their minds. I also wrote earlier today that I admit that I shouldn't have brought up this subject over and over again. When I could do thing from the past over, I would also make different choices.

    I know you and I had some pretty big arguments about this as well in the past, but I left this behind us already years ago. I love your musical arrangements (I still think the Space Harrier music is one of the greatest tunes on pokey ever created!) and the fact you are back is nice too! 

     

    I wish you all the best with your health, and let us all enjoy Atari 8bit and pokey chiptunes!
     

    • Like 4

  6. Posted · Edited by Marius

    @peteym5 and @video61atarisales

     

    Since you seem to be completely aware of anything that happens here in this thread, just for your info:

     

    I have an e-mail here in my mailbox written by Lance R. (sent from an address V****[email protected]**.net) from date May 18th, 2017.

    In which Lance (yes already in 2017!) writes to me that:

     

    1. I (Marius) found a bug

    2. Peter says he found the errors

     

    1066304165_Schermafbeelding2020-10-22om17_40_00.thumb.png.d9cc871296c8624fbba50a9609d2b7ac.png

     

    Ok... let me summarize this.

    In 2017 the bug was mentioned, and confirmed by Lance (Video61). Also confirmed was in 2017 that Peter found the errors. 

     

    Then read this BS Peteym5 write now in his FB group:

    984332458_Schermafbeelding2020-10-22om17_35_09.png.8233e6c2e6bdbacbedce6b795e956692.png

     

    So what is interesting here.

     

    1. He blames Sal (Kjmann)

    2. He states that due to Sal he was not aware of any bugs.

    3. He states that it took several years before the bug was noticed by anyone...

     

    Well even if these three statements are true, it still does not explain why they already in 2017 knew about the bugs, and that in 2020 still carts were/are sold with the same bug.

     

    So who is telling lies now? 

     

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    12 minutes ago, xxl said:

    and this is supposed to be an excuse? the fact that the troll farm has a different opinion cannot be an excuse to dump and distribute the game under the guise of "someone will fix it". 

    Never am I talking about dumping and distribution. I am talking about the fact that people should not lie. Not big companies, not small companies. That's all. Of course people decide by themselves what they buy or not, but in a scene like this one, when people think they are talking to someone else just like a regular user, and it turns out that it was a fake person, ... then I can understand people feel robbed. That is the behavior I am talking about all the time. 

    I do not want anything to be dumped or spread. I want bad habits to stop. 

    • Like 4

  8. Posted · Edited by Marius

    8 minutes ago, xxl said:

    the aforementioned corpo sponsors reviews, what's the difference? and what? you don't like it?

    Before buying, check the independent reviews of the editorial office with an established reputation, not the troll farm. And if someone feels the messianic need to warn humanity against errors in video61 games, let them record own review.

    It seems you make some kind of a sport trying to justify wrong behavior. That other companies do bad things, does not mean that I should act differently (because I could know the information I read is false). That means that the world is sick, and I will stand up against that till I die. You simply can not compare 'big business' in a small scene like this... well you can compare, but the comparison doesn't make any sense.

     

    If person #1 reports: hey there is a bug with this program.

    and then fake person #2 reports: oh I bought the cart and here everything works fine.

     

    There is really NOTHING that justifies that behavior of person #2. It is wrong, and it should be judged that way. Also by you XXL. 

     

     

    • Like 5

  9. Posted

    5 minutes ago, Mr Robot said:

    Video 61 sells buggy crap, people report the bugs, the bugs don't get fixed, they can't return the buggy cart.

    Well that is not completely true. Lance will do refunds. I think he is not a bad guy, but he should communicate about this. He could make sure that what he sells has a certain (good!) quality. In my opinion he lacks that attitude too much.

     

    I am sure Lance accepts returns of the cart, and he will do a complete refund. So that is a good thing. But I also know people won't return, or perhaps they think they can't return. He simply should stop selling crap. Let someone please help these guys in improving their stuff.

     

    From a positive point of view: the titles have most certainly some potential, and with a little bit of help here and there, they could become real classics. Lance will probably sell way more titles, if all this trouble is left behind.

     

    But well... as @flashjazzcat already mentioned. I should stop supporting these people, and I also should stop dreaming about a perfect world.

  10. Posted

    7 minutes ago, xxl said:

    all games sold by the above mentioned corpo have bugs. You don't like it? Do not buy it!


    I disdain the view that someone want to dump the purchased product and dissolve it because someone will "fix" it.

    Yeah, of course me too.

     

    You don't seem to understand what I am saying. The point is: they advertised their games using fake accounts. An atari 8bit scene is today something different than the big companies you mention. Selling bugs for being good is in my eyes the same as robbery. You and I can disagree about that, but that is my opinion.

     

    I would nobody encourage to share (buggy) code. Never. But I also would be able to warn people for lost money, in buying untested and proven buggy stuff.

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    3 minutes ago, xxl said:

    you are right, the scale is completely different, there are large companies selling, here small, often one-person companies sell. it is much easier to rob one person.

    XXL, seriously. No one here wants to rob anyone. I pay for everything I use on a8. Even the things that are free, and I keep using, can count on a donation from my side. 

     

    The question is more: how ethical is it, that people sell software (for big money) while they KNOW the software does not work properly. 

     

     

  12. Posted · Edited by Marius

    23 minutes ago, Mr Robot said:

    Personally I think if people release buggy software and don't fix it in a reasonable period of time (two years is WAY more than reasonable) it is fine to dump the cart and post it here for the community to fix. You've done everything you can to get a working product from them but still don't have it, it seems fair to ask for help from others at that point.

    The most ironic part is, that atari 8bit users, (future) customers of V61 were called pirates, because games would be spread. I won't do such a thing, and that is the reason I bought a second Tempest Xtreem cart, since I gave the first one away. Yes, I kept a dump for myself when I gave it away, but then I decided I still liked the game, so I bought a 2nd new one. I found it unfair to keep a dump, without anymore owning the physical cart. 

     

    I do want to pay for good software. I am not interested in free copies. What I like most is being involved. So if something needs to be tested, let me test it. If something needs to be fixed, and I can do it... let me do it. That is one of most awesome parts of this hobby. Create stuff, fix stuff, preserve it. 


    I told @Albert I feel responsible for the 'drama' that happens now. I could have chosen to keep my mouth shut. Perhaps I should have done that. 

    But the fact that V61 continues selling stuff that is known defective, is simply something I can not be silent about. We, the atari 8bit community, need some protection for that kind of bad practice. Video61 could have responded to my post, they could have told their part of the story... they could have said to me that my posts stinks to high heaven and asked me to remove it. None of that happened. Peteym5 chose to post a hideous post on his FB group, using my profile picture, and using my full name. 

     

    So no, nobody has to dump this software for me. I am no longer interested in a fix either. Due to all this, I am no longer interested in playing these games either, although they are still pretty decent titles. The only two thing I would like is that V61 stops selling buggy stuff, and that Peteym5 uses his coding talent on a8 productions (including a good test phase) in stead of abusing his talent by bamboozling his audience with all this untrue posts. 

  14. Posted

    10 minutes ago, Mclaneinc said:

    Marius, you don't need to prove yourself, there's bundles of evidence that Petey has broken forum rules, defamed people, shown total distrust of his customers and often no care of the problems in the software.

     

    You on the other hand have been a proven supporter of all our devs and just a great guy..

     

    You have zero to prove about you...The forums show just what a nice person you are an a true Atarian like all of us new or old on the forum.

    Thanks!

     

    But on FaceBook his hideous post is still there, and people might need the whole story to make up their decisions about who is the bad guy here. 

     

    I wouldn't say about myself I am the good guy. I have been -indeed- very critical on V61 and the whole story. And indeed I was a pain in the ass when it comes to the 'cart only' discussion. All true. But I have always honest intentions. And everything I wrote about the story with Peteym5 and V61 is true. 

     

    One can not say I spread lies. It is just telling how things happened. And yes, that is an ugly story. I did not create that 'truth'. 

  15. Posted · Edited by Marius

    @peteym5 and @video61atarisales

     

    Obviously you guys are reading this message, and then start odd actions on FaceBook, by posting my personal credentials (full name, profile picture) and write completely nonsense:

     

    "

    As of October 21, 2020. Marius *** is blocked from Atari 6502 Game Development. He is charged with bullying, and defamation of character, myself Peter J. Meyer and Lance Ringquist (Video61). His comments are posted on the AtariAge forums that would be damaging to myself, and the business of ATARISALES.
    He is known to associate with people that had been working to damage and sabotage our business and was on this group to possibly spy on what I am doing. Marius, you block is in effect and no longer be welcome to my group."
     
    Since you block me there, let me respond here, so other people can decide who is the bad guy here.
     
    First of all I have been a supporter of any atari 8bit developer for a very long time. When people browse AtariAge posts where stuff is offered you'll notice that I purchase many developed hardware and software. I love atari 8bit, I love the creators of good software and hardware, and I want to support them. When there is something freeware, from time to time I make a financial donation to support them. I do not mention this to advertise for myself as being a good person, but to explain how I am involved in the Atari 8bit scene. I love the computer, I love the nostalgia, and I really appreciate people who invest their time and money in creating new stuff so the little atari keeps humming. 
     
    Just as expected I also bought Tempest Xtreem (I bought it twice!) and Venture. 

    On Tempest Xtreem I found a few bugs. The second cart even had a non working bonus game (yes, seriously, that part of the game did NOT work!) ... Venture crashed from time to time, and had some serious sound issues. 
     
    There was a long ongoing discussion about the fact that V61 only sells cartridges. I am not going to do the discussion over, but I preferred another way of buying games from V61. As you can read in this thread (not this post) I am still positive about the games, and the talent of Peteym5. But I experienced problems with the software on real hardware. Later they claimed that it was fully tested on real hardware, but meanwhile they blamed Altirra (emulator) for not being accurate. It was definitely not tested on real PAL hardware, otherwise some problems that occur as soon as you switch on the atari were seen by the developer(s).
     
    Peter admitted later the software was tested on Emulator only. So it turned out that on real hardware there were problems.
    That was for me the MAIN reason I have issues with the "Cart Only" policy, since it is not so easy to fix a cart. When you provide a file version of your game, it is simply a matter of fixing the file, and offering the updated file. But let's not start this discussion, V61 = cart only... I hate that for reasons, but they can decide how they want to do their business.
     
    In stead of fixing the reported bugs though, Peteym5 started to advertise the games as being GOOD, by using FAKE accounts on AtariAge. Of course this was too obvious, so after several warnings and being banned/unbanned in a short period of time, he got a permanent Ban on Atariage. @Albert as owner of AtariAge could confirm this.

    The best advertisement would have been fix the game, and let the people enjoy the game. But no.... Peteym5 made the choice to use several fake accounts, that started telling here HOW HAPPY THEY (the non existing fake persons) ARE WITH THEIR PURCHASED GAME.

    Peteym5 did the same on FaceBook. Using several sock puppet accounts to advertise his own products as being excellent, and to bypass the bans FaceBook gave him. So both AtariAge AND FaceBook decided several times to BAN Peteym5. 
     
    Now... suddenly there was a customer here on AtariAge who purchased Venture, and reported that there was a bug with the sound. Yes, that message hit me. My jaw fell on the floor. I simply couldn't believe that @video61atarisales was still selling the same game with the already reported bugs. It made me angry, yes... so an emotional response from me followed here on AtariAge. I reported and discussed the Venture bug with Peteym5 in the past (2 years ago or longer). In that conversation he blamed the RMT player (which he uses for free!) and not his own absence of any testing. I was under the impression he used his time to FIX Venture, and that V61 would sell from that moment a FIXED version of Venture. But unfortunately NO, they appear continuing selling buggy software. 

    Perhaps I shouldn't have typed all that. Yes my post was not a pleasure to read; I admit that at once. And indeed, you could consider my post as a warning to future buyers. But nothing in my post is a lie though. It is just how it is. I am not the person who sells a buggy game. That is what @video61atarisales did (and obviously do). The best way to prevent shitty reviews, is doing your business better, and be HONEST to customers. 
     
    The story with Peteym5 is endless, and full of trouble. I offered him several time my help to test his stuff, and to discuss how things could be better. 
     
    Yes, I have been annoyingly critical about the "cart-only" subject. That is something I shouldn't have done in the past, but for the rest I can say I have always been honest, and never done any harm to anyone. 
     
    The second half of Peteym5's post on FaceBook does not make any sense either. This refers (I guess) to his ongoing argument with Sal "KJMANN" Esquivel, who was also one of my friends on FaceBook. Peteym5 seems to conclude that there is some conspiracy going on against them. No Peteym5, that is not the case. Sal is a brilliant atari 8bit musician, and as you can see my FB friends list is for 95% loaded with musicians. That what happens here on AtariAge is not a conspiracy against you, but a consequence of your own actions. It is as simple as that.
     
    It sucks that in the Atari community this kind of crap is going on. I apology to everyone else about this. Sorry that my actions cause any negativity, or throw a shadow on the hobby.
     
    Video61 and Peteym5 treat customers like sh*t though, they call them pirates, they sell buggy software, and when someone (in this case me) says something about it, they start posting funny and dangerous messages on FaceBook. I hope anyone can make a wise decision for him/herself, who is the bad guy here. 

    Indeed it is not possible (due to your ban Peteym5) to respond to this. But your friend Lance could respond, which he didn't. In stead of making a conversation, you block me on your group, and then you write that post? 
     
    • Like 4

  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, Jimbaloid said:

    And immediately I ran into trouble, and no it wasn't a 2GB card initially, it was a 4GB Transcend SDHC card, only when it didn't work did I go to my drawer and pull out a variety of older, and smaller cards. Surely one will work, but no, five more cards that didn't work - all sorts of strange behaviour - did I get a duff cart? So I wonder, maybe SD class 4 is the issue, so I obtain a class 6 Panasonic card from a friend only to get NAK errors back from that. So now I'm waiting on two new 16GB cards in the post, with no idea if they'll actually work.

     

    Please be kind, my first post here! 🙂

     

    Usually this kind of trouble is 'tackled' in a phase of beta-testing. I have all kind of SD cards here, from completely obsolete sizes like 32mb and probably even smaller, and brandnew ones. I also have SD cards from totally obscure brands, and high quality stuff. Next to that I have many Atari 8bit computers in all flavors and setups. And if that is not enough, I have this completely insane and 'troubled' way of testing stuff. Probably because of some mental disorder on my side, but for some reason I always do the unexpected with my stuff, so that brings up all kind of unexpected behavior (in the atari, or in the add-on... or in me haha).

     

    But unfortunately I am not in the beta-test team, so it seems someway that the users who purchased the SIDE3 are now inevitable and automatic buyer AND beta-tester at the same time. I wished I was in that beta-test team though. I could have prevented this problem. 

    I think no one needs to worry though. This problem will be addressed. I know the hardware developers will, it might take some more time. I hope the hardware developers take the issue serious though.

     

    It might be another issue by the way. If that 'less' cards work, isn't there a chance that you have some stability issues in the atari itself?

     

     

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    The XEGS is awesome, but for me more as a cute and slightly more rare a8 computer, than as a successor / replacement for a more common a8 computer. I have quite some XEGS's, and I love them. Good standard video quality output, and the case is nice too. But my heart is more with the other a8's.  But that is completely personal I guess.

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    1 hour ago, MrFish said:

    @Marius

    Nice history: Atari 8-bit -> Atari ST -> Atari 8-bit (forever). Still use the ST equipment at all?

     

    Personally, if I had a Black Box and liked to use it as much as it sounds like you do, I'd have two machines set up, one for the Black Box and one for the other modern hardware; and some way to share resources between them (SIO2PC or a storage media cartridge that plays well with the Black Box).

     

     

    Hi!

     

    No the Atari ST stuff ( I had really a lot ) is donated to a friend. There was quite some cool stuff with it. I also had many Portfolio's and stuff. Also donated. I stick with a8 only, since that is where my heart is.

     

    Although, I have to admit, I wished I kept one or two ST's.... making musical arrangements on Cubase was always an amazing adventure on its own. So pity that I do not have any ST left, but hey... the atari 8bit is the best!

     

    I currently do not have the space for more than one setup. Actually, I should not have an atari 8bit setup at all, since it occupies my only desk space in the house. Haha but life is all about priorities, so that means there is an a8 setup.

     

    I will try to connect the BB soon, and experience how things go. If it is exclusively nostalgia, but not practical... I'll move back to IDE+ or Side or MyIDE or whatever.

     

    Totally unexpected, this turned out to be a great thread.

     

  20. Posted

    2 minutes ago, tep392 said:

    I offered to help them beta test once but was told I needed to sign an NDA.  Screw them if they think that little of us.

     

    Same story here. There was no trust at all.

     

    Pity, since I really think Peteym5 had some pretty cool a8 games going on. With some help or cooperation with the a8 scene, we could have amazing stuff. But unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. 

  21. Posted

    1 hour ago, Larry said:

    Well, since you asked, I did a little digging.  And if you wish, I'll make some notes when I run across things in the future. BTW, I've been using bios 1.6 for some time, and 1.5 before that.  I haven't tried the recent releases.

     

    I don't play games, so these are issues with other hardware or applications.  You know about this first one -- if you are using the IDE+2 Ultra Speed, then you can't print to APE.  Other operations with APE work fine.  You originally said you'd fix it, but then declined.  I use APE for printing 100%, so this one is particularly bothersome, although accessing the menu provides a work-around.

     

     

     

    I remember I had issues with printing to Atari 850 at first too when HiSpeedSio was enabled in IDE+, but @drac030 fixed that. I print also a lot (using Syncalc and The Last Word) using Epson LQ400 and IDE+ as my main HD interface.

     

    Is there a chance this is a bug with APE? In stead of IDE+?

  22. Posted

    Just now, CharlieChaplin said:

     

    Well,

    simply replace all mentions of Peteym5 and Vide61 with Atari or Sega or Nintendo or ... and read the text again. It is still true...  ;-)

     

    It becomes even more true if you instead use "Atari" and "Atari Jaguar", hahaha...  ;-)

     

    Lol...

     

    But this stil does not justify bad behavior. If other people or companies do bad things, this doesn't mean everybody should do it.

     

    But true though.

  23. Posted

    16 hours ago, rmzalbar said:

    Huh, I just received my Venture cartridge from Video61 yesterday, and it does have the sound problem starting after the tune plays once in the hallway. Once, it even glitched into an unplayable state at the same time the sound went screwy in the hallway. So, I suppose there's still a bug.

    Told this a million times to Peteym5. This is exact the reason, as long as they do cart only, that I will never buy a single game from V61 ever again.

     

    Their games are

    * NOT betatested on REAL hardware

    * NOT betatested by skilled people who try to find real existing problems

    * proven FULL OF BUGS

    * Unfixable since on a fixed medium (a cart!)

     

    It's a pity that you found out after you bought the game. It is even more a pity that @video61atarisales does not do ANYTHING to prevent this crappy experience in the future. They should stop with their outdated 'cart only' policy, since games (and any other software) is ALWAYS buggy, and ALWAYS needs to be fixed. Even with a decent test phase things might go wrong in the future. With a disk or file, or even a FLASH CART (and then sending a flasher for updates of course!) all these trouble could be prevented. 

     

    It is unbelievable that reported bugs (like this sound issue you describe) are NOT fixed, even though these bugs are reported OVER and OVER again. The bug is not new, at least 2 years ago I already mentioned at Peteym5 (author of game).

     

    Total disrespect to customers. My advice: never buy anything from V61, unless they change their attitude towards customers. 

    They simply sell you a game with bugs, while they KNOW it is buggy. Sounds almost like a crime to me.

     

     

    • Like 3

  24. Posted

    1 hour ago, candle said:

    I just wonder, why anyone would want to compromise preformance of their mass storage device using old SD cards, when new 16GB card costs $3

    use at least SDHC cards

    2GB cards are probably the worst choice since special handling might be needed for those, and only few were tested (I have only one)

    You are right. This has probably something to do with stuff people have at their home yet, which they do no longer use in 'regular' equipment. 

     

    I have a bunch of that stuff too. But it is good to know that modern SD cards are fully supported. If I might get into Side3 one day, I'll use a new SD card.

     

    Interesting what you say about 2GB cards. I have a bunch of those... why are especially 2GB cards asking for special handling?

     

     

  25. Posted

    @MrFish You say true things.

     

    For me the blackbox is part of my own personal Atari 8bit history. I obtained my first BlackBox in 1995 when I also started with my BBS "BBS The Atari Inside" ... I was atari enthusiastic from 1985-1990 ... when I sold my atari stuff in 1990 (and went to Atari ST) I almost immediately realized that was not my best move. But back then I was 14 years old, and I was also happy with my Atari ST (lol one of the first things I used was the Atari Xformer 8bit emulator haha) ... so in 1994 a Dutch local toy store started to sell Atari 8bit computers as packages (10 games + 65XE / 800XE + joystick + paddles) for almost no money. 

     

    So I decided to buy some (well quite a lot) of these computers. 

     

    So that was my Atari 8bit renaissance. And in 1995 the blackbox found its way to my home. And that was when my real atari 8bit hobby started. I learned to code in 6502, I started making music, I did the BBS, I connected to many Atari 8bit BBS's (like Becotel and Thunderdome, and the Stack BBS from Bo & Ernest Schreurs). Everything with the atari of course (with Bobterm, and also with Ice-T). 

     

    I can't describe HOW MUCH FUN this era was. I was 19 years old, had quite some atari 8bit computers, a blackbox... it was all day long atari 8bit, and I enjoyed it every single minute (it was slightly an addiction / obsession perhaps?)

     

    I have to be honest. I miss this time. Today everything is perhaps TOO perfect. The modern storage solutions are better than the blackbox. Faster, more versatile (with the ATR mounting, and the APT partition system, the built in SDX etc). and I am pretty convinced the newer solutions are more reliable too (I can not remember I had a corrupted partition the last 15 years... something I had from time to time on my blackbox).

     

    But still, the blackbox has a place in my hearth. In some way MyIDE (and 2) has this too, since I have been following the MyIDE project intensively when it was developed. Haha the main reason for my interest in MyIDE was simply because back then I was convinced that my fabulous BlackBox would die one day, and then I wouldn't have a good alternative. But just like a8 equipment, the blackbox is still in a working condition.

     

    An update of the blackbox would be awesome. At 'least' it should support ATR mounting, APT partition table and FAT32 read (write?) ... those are three things that I miss the most on the blackbox. On the other side, it definitely should keep it's momentary-IRQ-freeze button. Just like what I wrote to @drac030 ... it is one of the strengths of the blackbox. The whole BlackBox eco-system is nice, with all the built in tools (with the enhancer, which is nothing more than a bigger eprom and a few wires), the Hardware Flow control R: interface, the P: interface, and the amazing menu where you can mount/unmount partitions, set Hi-speed I/O on/off, the easy swapping.

     

    So yes... what is my choice here. Do I keep using the modern and fabulous solutions? They serve me so well. And indeed, IDE+ is such an amazing HD interface. It does almost everything I wish from a HD interface on a Stock Atari.

    Or do I move (permanently?) back to the blackbox... it would definitely make me happy because of the nostalgia (although the fun days will not come back in exact that way).... and I still think the way of operation with the blackbox is really that fits the way I am (deep inside) used to work with a8. 

     

    A real big downside is the physical size of the blackbox. I love atari 8bit that does not take much space (I love the 600XL) and the IDE+, MyIDE, SIDE solutions are so much smaller. I love that. Both the looks and the flexibility on the desk. 

     

    Arg... choices choices choices.

     

    Anyone here who can give me a good advice? 

     

     

    • Thanks 1
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