The Master List for New Retro Hardware

[Elminster]

Have a look at my original post below and follow the exciting histroy of the topic. But the short version is ...... I volunteered myself to create a list of all recent (i.e. not 'retro') hardware, hardware DIY and hardware integration projects for 8bit Acorn computers. This is temporarily sitting on my Github Wiki but will move somewhere else more appropriate at some point (and I shall update the link here as well). The rules for entry on the list are somewhat vague and random; formating is still to be done to make it pretty, I am waiting till it gets to a permanent home. But here is the URL to the list in all its gory glory.

List now moved to github pages

I don't think we have this here but would it be worth having a pinned topic in the hardware section that either lists all the new (I.e. Not maxed in 80/90's) stuff that is available to buy/make or points to one or more websites that do.

My reasoning being I often see something on here and then spend ages later trying to remember/search for it. E.g. A table containing some thing like

Product
Description
Compatible
Category
Designer/s
URLs

Where urls could be purchase, design, docs and forums urls.

E.g.
AP5 - Electron Cart giving you missing ports - electron - Port expansion - Dave - <stardot AP5 topic URL>
Data centre - give Beeb cf, USB, RAM disks - Beeb, master - storage - Mark - retroclinic.com

There are websites with some stuff on but not come across a 'complete list' anywhere.

Hope that makes sense. Thoughts?

[BigEd]

Sounds good to me, even if the head post is mostly a link to a well-maintained page elsewhere, or a wiki page.

[Elminster]

And also could have a couple of extra fields covering

Built: Full, partial or Kit
Type: Commercial or Open source

E.g. Datacentre is Fully built and commercial

MGC is Fully built and open

New ap6 is full or Kit and open

[Elminster]

Sounds good to me, even if the head post is mostly a link to a well-maintained page elsewhere, or a wiki page.

Yep. If not maintain here would be good to go to one place, and referenced from here. I end up bouncing all over the place, using Google etc. Only to find dead links or partial info.

[BigEd]

(I would prefer to say Proprietary vs Open Source: many commercial products are also Open.)

[Elminster]

(I would prefer to say Proprietary vs Open Source: many commercial products are also Open.)

Hmm. Not quite got my thoughts worded right. Perhaps that should have been 3. Categories and not two.

- Proprietary and Open Source

- Commercial and Not for profit.

[BigEd]

Sounds good. For me, a commercial product implies some level of support, whereas a not for profit means taking a bit of risk as to whether the thing will turn up, or work, or be replaced if it doesn't. (Should be lower risk for a well-established product from someone with a good reputation on this forum, could be higher risk for a new product or from someone who just popped up.)

[sydney]

I'd say that's a good idea! You want to do it? If so go ahead and make a start and I'll make the thread a sticky. I had the more technical admins add some table tags to the bbcode but I'm at work at the moment so can't find out exactly how to use them. Have a look in the stardot high score table threads to see how they look.

[Elminster]

Sounds good. For me, a commercial product implies some level of support, whereas a not for profit means taking a bit of risk as to whether the thing will turn up, or work, or be replaced if it doesn't. (Should be lower risk for a well-established product from someone with a good reputation on this forum, could be higher risk for a new product or from someone who just popped up.)

Yep exactly the lines I was thinking.

When i was fitting my Prime MBR recently (about a year after I bought it!) I think I jumped to about 3 *. posts and original manaul etc. to remind myself what I was doing. If we indexed that all in one place, for all products makes life easier. Or if people are in the market for storage and see TurboMMC and buy it and then realise later what they really wanted was a BeedSCSI, DC, GoSDC etc.

Edit: Also I some times disappear for a few months due to RL and find by accident that I completely missed some new product, e.g. the PI Tube Co Pro. (Just started building one)

[Elminster]

I'd say that's a good idea! You want to do it? If so go ahead and make a start and I'll make the thread a sticky. I had the more technical admins add some table tags to the bbcode but I'm at work at the moment so can't find out exactly how to use them. Have a look in the stardot high score table threads to see how they look.

Right ho. I can make a start. Do you want it in this post (moved to the top of the post)? Or create a new 'clean' post?

[sydney]

Just start a new one. The table tags areas follows

Code: Select all

[tr] row [td]column[/td][td]column[/td][/tr]

[Elminster]

Right ho. Thanks. I shall knock something up

'You dont need to see their identification, these arent the drioids you are looking for' . ... what! .. how did I volunteer myself for my own idea?

[Elminster]

Does this work if you click it?

Test List

BBCode Tables look dreadful. Maybe do something like the above. With a nicer output of course, currently above is just export of excel.

Just wanted to check I could actually publish something before spending days, weeks and months perfecting the list.

[davidb]

Maybe we should just migrate the Retro Software Wiki content to the placeholder Wiki on GitHub and add the list there?

[Elminster]

If you can do proper tables that arent in bbcode that sounds fine by me.

Limited to what can be done in the forum visual wise, just looked horrible. Wiki would give much more formatting options.

[BigEd]

Github's a good idea. You can do simple rectangular tables in markup, which get rendered nicely in a wiki:

Code: Select all

| Tables        |      Are      |  Cool |
| ------------- |:-------------:| -----:|
| col 3 is      | right-aligned | $1600 |
| col 2 is      |    centered   |   $12 |
| zebra stripes |    are neat   |    $1 |

[Elminster]

Agree that ascii tables are nice for small tables but get must less readable for big tables. I remember when we used to print off them in the old days on that stuff called 'paper' you needed either lined paper or a ruler and highlighter, or were unreadable.

Although hopefully we are not talking about a two hundred page report here, although people have been busy recently..

[daveejhitchins]

what! .. how did I volunteer myself for my own idea?

<Like>

[hoglet]

Agree that ascii tables are nice for small tables but get must less readable for big tables. I remember when we used to print off them in the old days on that stuff called 'paper' you needed either lined paper or a ruler and highlighter, or were unreadable.

Just to be clear, github wiki tables are not just ascii tables, but are properly rendered. Some examples here:
https://github.com/hoglet67/AtomGodilVi ... escription
https://github.com/hoglet67/MMFS/wiki/Release-structure

The only problem I have is that wide tables wrap badly!

But I do think a github wiki is the right medium for this, then it can be maintained by the whole community, not just one person.

[Elminster]

Just to be clear, github wiki tables are not just ascii tables, but are properly rendered. Some examples here:
https://github.com/hoglet67/AtomGodilVi ... escription
https://github.com/hoglet67/MMFS/wiki/Release-structure

The only problem I have is that wide tables wrap badly!

But I do think a github wiki is the right medium for this, then it can be maintained by the whole community, not just one person.

I don't think there was any confusion. Think we already said wiki would be good as bb code tables are rubbish and ascii tables don't scale.

I do have a GitHub account. But I can get on with filling out data for now that my main worry of how to display is resolved.

[Elminster]

Getting there. I need to move it to https://github.com/stardot/retrosoftware/wiki soon. But when I looked earlier I seemed to have no permissions to add a page, and besides easier to just much about on my page and move it later. So for now I have stuffed it on my wiki here

Still has missing data, I keep coming across more, and I am playing with the format. It is in an excel spreadsheet and then converted to Markdown. Need to change the product names to hotlinks at some point. But will wait till the table is 'complete' as then I can just re-export from excel without destroying all the hotlinks.

[flynnjs]

I would have thought a retrohardware wiki would be more appropriate.

[Elminster]

I would have thought a retrohardware wiki would be more appropriate.

I am assuming it is a logistics thing. I.e. Not wanting to create an empty GitHub project that just has a wiki, and not creating something on another dedicated wiki site due to user management hassel. Either way I can put it wherever.

[1024MAK]

What about putting it in the ‪BeebWiki‬?

Mark

[MartinB]

Could UPURS get a mention please?

( It's very lonely over here in obscurity.... )

[1024MAK]

Done by yourself in your own post

Or did you actually want it included on the list

I also can't see your Magic thingy...

The DIY sideways ROM and / or SRAM modification/upgrade also needs adding (for the BBC machines, some info on RetroClinic's site).
And the user volume control Done by yourself in your own post

Or did you actually want it included on the list

I also can't see your Magic thingy...

The DIY sideways ROM and / or SRAM modification/upgrade also needs adding (for the BBC machines, some info on RetroClinic's site).
And the user volume control modification/upgrade (also BBC).

Mark

[MartinB]

No, you're quite right Mark, I've done the mention myself - job done...

(The tricky part was not having the post deleted by The Green, Amber & Pink Management... )

[1024MAK]

See edit above..

Also your I2C bus stuff... linky

Mark

[danielj]

No, you're quite right Mark, I've done the mention myself - job done...

(The tricky part was not having the post deleted by The Green, Amber & Pink Management... )

I don't think I've deleted any of your posts... Yet?

[MartinB]

ha! No, of course not, just joking - this management team is the best ever...