SyntaxBomb - Indie Coders

Apparently Braid, Anniversary Edition is not selling well. That's a shame because it has an interesting game mechanic and is graphically much better than the original version.

The Switch has an awesome OLED screen in portable mode. But yes it can be 'docked' and the dock plugs into a screen via HDMI. As well as the Nintendo classics like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Super Mario Bros Wonder it can run the old classics like Frogger and Donkey Kong to Tempest 4000 to Quake 2 (enhanced) to modern day games as you might get on Steam. The Pro controller is an extra, but well worth the investment later on...And there's a more powerful Switch 2 on the way.

It's time too kick ass! But im all out of gum. So let's go get some! AWESOME! 

If im not mistaken dosen't the switch plug in to a TV. I lived Duke Nukem 3D and Quake

I already have the Quake 2 enhanced version for the Switch - great to replay the classics now and again.

I picked up the latest bunch of Doom games (available on all platforms) for free. It's advertised as DOOM   DOOM II, but it has various mods and enhancements.

The Nintendo Switch. It's a games console that is portable but can switch to a regular console by plugging it into a monitor.  The OLED screen one is the best. 

What's Switch? I Supouse i could use a Search Engine?

Yep 16-bit graphics and hopefully an interesting adventure. I miss these types of game. I picked it up for switch, but it's available on other systems - like Steam.

Just had a Lookse @ VirtuaVerse love the Retroness of it.

VirtuaVerse looks good (if you like point n click adventure games).

Parrot OS is pretty good?

This was on a friends Windows machine. No Linux involved anywhere.

Clearly it does if you've had problems.

Having Window and Linux on the same drive doesn't matter. https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/-we-couldn-t-update-system-reserved-partition-error-installing-windows-10-46865f3f-37bb-4c51-c69f-07271b6672ac . https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/kb5028997-instructions-to-manually-resize-your-partition-to-install-the-winre-update-400faa27-9343-461c-ada9-24c8229763bf

No because I have Windows and Linux on separate drives.

@Steve Elliott I take it that you've never had to resize the MS Windows EFI boot partition because of a Window Update that requires a larger EFI. And the Ubuntu based distributions have an install along side Windows option.

True. But with Linux many people still want Windows too - which complicates things. It's been ages since I set up Linux, but the process (even without a multi-boot system) required some googling to get it right (unlike Windows).

Good point dawline. If you do a clean installation of Linux Mint for example it is just as easy as Windows with almost exact number of interaction.

Windows installation is simple because Microsoft only expects that Windows is to be installed. The Windows installer is no different in complexity if there are multiple partitions on a drive. You can still wipe a drive. The shout box is too small to go into details of Windows and Linux installation strategies.

Linux really needs to simplyfy the install system. Windows is very simple and you don't feel that any point you're gonna wipe the wrong drive or f -up your system!

Well I see that Linux Mint 22 is now available to download. Just got to wait about a month for the Linux Mint team to stabilise the updater for updating from 21.3 to 22.0. 

@Qube If you have any questions on Linux stuff. Just start a new topic and aim it at me or Derron.

@dawlane Thanks for the info. I always use Linux for web server stuff as it's rock solid on that side. Think I'll create a nice Linux VM and see how that flows over using MacOS or Windows for general dev stuff.

@Qube Well the biggest advantage is you're not bound to the ever changing whims of Apple or Microsoft. There is seldom any need to install a third party package manager that tends to break when a certain company decides to make "improvements" to their operating systems. Or cause headaches where a package managers repository is incomplete and you have to deal with the complexities of having two package managers that may have incompatible packages (I've had that experience on a Mac before). Plus you can also choose to install Conda, Docker, or setup a LAMP (MAMP is just the MacOS equivalent of the Linux software bundle for Apache, MySQL, Perl/PHP/Python). And no, Linux is not unique. Because it's used everywhere. Docker it's self has to use a Linux VM to run docker containers on MacOS.

@dawlane What advantages are those? I've been using things like MAMP, Conda and Docker on MacOS and not hit any brick walls yet Is there something unique with Linux?

@Naughty Alien Glad Linux is working out for you. You'll find that Linux is a much better development environment than Windows and OS X, when it comes to working with Python, Java and C/C  .

..fact that im quiet, means, works well so far..hehehe..i was able to run B4J program on it without issues...just fantastic as i have plenty of industrial(factory) applications written in B4J, and now having ability to wrap it up all in one image and just install on to target hardware is really nice..im not sure why i havent look in to 'nix side of things earlier 

I wonder how @Naughty Alien has gotten on with his Linux adventure?

RIP Lyndon J Sharp. Spectrum and Spectrum Next coder.

Being a Linux user. I love scammers when they call me making claims that my Microsoft Windows operating system has an issue. I had one on the phone for over an hour once, that was before I got bored and told him that he was a clown, and not to assume that everyone on the other end of the phone is computer illiterate. I then proceeded to tell him not to waste peoples time with BS, and to go and fornicate with himself. https://youtu.be/CuMY9L3p1KY?si=JbQ-P4KOsDWX2aSI

I'm thinking of buying a few DIP Z80's. They will more than likely go up in price when they start to become rare. C64 SID are fetching anywhere from £50-£200.

Yes end of an era...Although replacement equivalents are available.

The end of the Z80. https://youtu.be/cbMdq8Dsz6Y?si=dtUObZR04o9Tf3E_

run fast on many systems

But sometimes a system for coding can be good if it's underpowered - so you will almost guarentee it will run fast - I use a mini PC for that (Win11  Pro 8Gb Celeron Intel UHD Graphics 600). 

My Windows Laptop has Win11 16Gb 12th Gen Intel i5 12450H 2Ghz Nvidia RTX 2050 8Gb and on the mac side a 32Gb Apple M2 Max.

For the best compatibility (and so my number 1 choice) I would always go with Intel and Nvidia, even if it wasn't a cutting edge system for that combination and there were other 'better on paper' systems...Having said that ARM processors do seem like the future. Apple with it's M chips and Qualcomm with Snapdragon.

@therevills The Intel UHD is pretty terrible iGPU so I'd avoid that one. If I remember the order of performance is something like Intel HD, UHD, Iris, Iris Plus / Pro, Iris Xe and Intel Arc. There are probably others but for like gaming then personally Xe minimum and preferably Arc if going down the intel route with integrated graphics. On the AMD side they have the AMD 780M which is probably the best integrated GPU going. Of course it goes without saying that dedicated GPU's are the best.

@therevills The AMD has the better integrated graphics, but also has it's issues. The new laptop I've got is a ASUS ROG Strix G713P (2023) with a Ryzen 9 7845HX CPU with a Nvidia Geforce RTX 4060. The APU with this doesn't like some games, and a rare issue that I have when the keyboard will become unresponsive in some games at random.

Thanks Qube, I thought Intel had fixed their graphics issues for old?

If you plan on coding games or wanting to do light gaming then definitely for the AMD as the Intel one has the dreadful Intel UHD

Buying an new laptop, should I get AMD or Intel? Looking at the https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e16-(16-inch-amd)/21jt001hau vs the https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e16-(16-inch-intel)/21jns0tw00

You simply cannot take advantage of the processing power of the chip with a poor limited operating system with cut down versions of software that's available.

@steve what is your point?

Yeah I can't see much point having a powerful CPU in an iPad. In a laptop with a better OS and software, yes.

Not sure if I wil get the ipad pro 2024. Yesterday the antutu benchmark only showed a  /-20% increase in cpu and gpu. Stil lagging behind gaming cpu's.

But it's an ARM's race right now lol. With Apple M Series of chips and Microsoft Qualcomm with Snapdragon.

After the M4 systems I see Apple struggling to improve for some time. So then I will wait some years before I upgrade my laptop.

interest

@Qube, while my M2 Max Macbook Pro is fast with a fantastic screen, the GPU improvements in the later models interests me...If a Macbook Pro with a M4 Max comes out I'll probably pick that up.

@Baggey i did not learn to read understand.

@Baggey i am not.

nvm i already know about that.

Hi William, Are you using google translate for english!? Try Reverso! it dosent make sence!? Kindest Regards 

does anybody know anything about that?

I need help with computers, i got conned into being one..

@Derron I've had my Mac Studio M1 for two years now, that's good going for me

Or maybe it was 1989. The iPads aren't running the same OS though. So I might just wait for the M4 Max Macbook Pro.

I bought my first ARM Chip based computer in 1988 - the Acorn Archimedes.

People who bought M3 Chip based systems must be annoyed though.

The speed of release is because of Snapdragon. I'm not complaining, ever faster chips that run cool and efficient is real progress. 

@Qube you must be very impatient if you only wait for the M5 ... judging by the speed of the M4 release

I'll wait for the iPad Mini anyway because I prefer a smaller tablet.

@Qube. Yes if you spec it out it does get very expensive.

@Steve Elliott, the price of the new M4 iPad Pro is shocking - On the Mac side I'll be rocking my M1 studio for a while yet. Perhaps the M5 will be tempting

@Pakz, that's really cool, nice work 

I thought about getting the new Apple tablet as a smaller more portable version of my 16 inch m2 max Macbook Pro...But no improvements in the OS means a no from me.

Anyone wants to see my vfx attempt and html screensaver? : https://cromdesi.home.xs4all.nl/screensaver.html

Haven't watch that since Bucks Fizz. I doubt they call it English Sings any more with the language rules being changes around 1999.

OH! The Eurovision is on! When i lived in FRANCE they called it the. Anglais Chante contest! 

And then the more powerful 16-bit computers like the Atari ST and Amiga came along, with terrible keyboards lol 

I agree that Atari 800 got best keyboard and also back in 1979 as they were ahead of time for best 8bit Computer until C64 came along

As Dawlane mentioned the Atari 800 is much better than the Atari 400. IMO it has the best 8-bit keyboard, followed by the Dragon 32 and the BBC Micro in 3rd. 

 

Ive just looked up the Atari 800 Retro niceness! Sort off reminds me of the QL with a schon Keyboard. I want one.

The Atari 800 had a proper keyboard, two cartridge slots. The RAM was initially going to be 4K for the 400 and 8K for the 800, but RAM prices dropped, so both were released with 8K and at a later date with 16K for the 400 and 48K for the 800.

I believe Mathew Smith Coded ManicMiner on the TRS-80 with some sort of interfacing to the Zx Spectrum? Not quite sure what the Atari 800 locked like? Probably the same as the 400 but with more Ram. I have an 800XL

But thanks to Ebay we can have them all to tinker with and enjoy. 

Back in the day for me. It would have been the Tatung Einstein or a TRS-80.

Cool. And I think everybody has a system they wish they had back in the day. For you it was the SAM Coupe, for me it was the original Atari 800, a beast of a machine lol.   

I have a wardrobe i use in my Study thats. Full off RETRO sexyness! It's missing a SAM Coupe though!?

Definitely, I have a collection of old retro computers and some cost me a lot of money - I wish I'd had bought them before the prices went up! Plus there's lots of YouTube channels based around retro - like RMC the cave. That's true about the quality of games now coming out for old systems and pushing them to their limits.

Yeah, Steve! It's actually incredible the popularity these old tech can garner. I am also very impressed with the demos still being made by folks on ZX Spectrum etc. even now they are still finding new techniques to push the capabilities!

That's a fair point. Retro computers/consoles are now very popular - so they're worth a lot of money. That wasn't always the case.

I didnt really have the time to wait for buyers - and also having been out of the loop for a while, I actually had no idea that there was such a passionate community of enthusiasts for these old z80 machines.   It's a shame, hence why I said I wish I'd kept it now - but what's done is done

You could have sold it though, rather than destroying it?

@Baggey  - I didn't mention amiga.  The reason I threw away the SAM was because it had sat collecting dust for many year, unused and when I emigrated I only kept a few essentials to minimise shipping. 

A little bit hard for them to develop the Amiga from the SAM. The Amiga was released four years prior to the SAM. The original idea I believe was take from what would have been the next Z80 based computer from Sinclair (codenamed Loki) if Sinclair hadn't sold almost everything to Amstrad, Sinclair didn't sell the Loki, but as it was meant to be compatible with the ZX Spectrum; the ball was in Amstrads court if the project was to go ahead.

They designed the Amiga from the SAM coupe? You throw it away.? I can only ask why you say that or did that!? 

I'm kinda wishing I hadn't thrown away the old SAM Coup€. What a wonderful computer - I was abl to better realise my zx spectrum ambitions with the SAM's colour palette, dual floppy drives and larger RAM

Hello there, Yes, I have seen it as silly price on ebay sometime

Talking silly money for a floppy. A fully working SAM is only around £200 more.

Ive just found a floppy drive for you're MGT SAM COUPE? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175855078599?itmmeta=01HW64PVKP2MCA5RKQ34JDB4X1

Hello,  Window 7 is my fav and Window 11 seem alright and there will be Window 12 coming soon!

ubuntu 24 release in 3 days guys, whats your favorite distro?

@playniax

@Hi Playniax i wanted to say hello this morning.

I remember first to second person to get it was closest

But PC life chat here you folks except for real irl so. But I think those folks think like down is up