Linux is KING - Couldn't be hacked - Mac, Vista went down in flames

[Tim]

On Tue, 2008-04-01 at 08:38 -0400, Gene Heskett wrote:
> The next time I wrote code with an extended lifetime like that, was on a 
> TRS-80 Color Computer running OS9 level 1, with device drivers in assembly 
> using an assembler, and the main portion in Basic-09.  That function was in 
> place of a $20,000 Grass Valley Group E-DISK package that our first GVG 
> 300-2A/B production video switcher didn't come with. It outperformed that 
> $20k unit by 4x in speed, and gave the operators english language names for 
> their individual 'bags of tricks' files whereas the GVG used 2 digit hex 
> codes for the filenames. 

And back then, you could expect your equipment to come with manuals that
explained the tricks that could be done with their gear.  e.g. If it had
a serial or parallel port, the pins would documented, the function codes
would be listed...  Or, the sales division would get you the books for
it.

Now, everything's a black box.  One client's bought this Roland,
allegedly high-definition, digital video mixer (hi-def my left foot!,
that means high definition, not just able to output low-resolution video
with more pixels...).  It has a port for the tally interface, that
mentions nothing about how to actually use it.  Sure, it lists several
pins that you could have a tally signal on, depending on what mode its
in.  But nothing that defines what the modes are, nor the output
voltages (TTL?, CMOS?, open-collector?, active low?).

-- 

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