Apology: Unix, 2.11BSD Thread

[Don McKenzie]

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my main mistake, was to cross-post there.

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and micro user groups, and been a pioneering member,
and financial sponsor of many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I want.

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product news I had, and readers would lap it up and
thank me for it.

Today, yes, you have to disguise any product news as an industry news release. Call it cloaked spam, or whatever you
like, but there is no other way of getting product news, into a news group today.

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================
I wanted to run this past a news group and see if there was actually someone or something, that beat me to it. I figure
the Italians will jump up and down every time someone mentions Arduino, and doesn't have a link to them, but if no one
else complains, then job done.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================
This also means that any Z80 system can be emulated. Throw your ROM image at the emulator, and any app can be up and
running on an $8 PIC32 micro. Sure, you still have to write drivers to suit the modern environment (I/O), but you are at
least halfway there.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================
I think I pretty much covered this in a previous message.


And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can roll your own.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion
platform.

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my future direction.

Cheers Don...

========================

 

[David Eather]

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and
micro user groups, and been a pioneering member, and financial sponsor
of many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I
want.

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product
news I had, and readers would lap it up and thank me for it.

Today, yes, you have to disguise any product news as an industry news
release. Call it cloaked spam, or whatever you like, but there is no
other way of getting product news, into a news group today.

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================
I wanted to run this past a news group and see if there was actually
someone or something, that beat me to it. I figure the Italians will
jump up and down every time someone mentions Arduino, and doesn't have a
link to them, but if no one else complains, then job done.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================
This also means that any Z80 system can be emulated. Throw your ROM
image at the emulator, and any app can be up and running on an $8 PIC32
micro. Sure, you still have to write drivers to suit the modern
environment (I/O), but you are at least halfway there.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================
I think I pretty much covered this in a previous message.


And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can
roll your own.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm
sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion platform.

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my
future direction.

Cheers Don...

========================

Don,

As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

I liked the post. I for one would find your silence a great loss.

David Eather

 

[Rich Webb]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:25:51 +1000, David Eather <eather@tpg.com.au>
wrote:

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and
micro user groups, and been a pioneering member, and financial sponsor
of many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I
want.

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product
news I had, and readers would lap it up and thank me for it.

Today, yes, you have to disguise any product news as an industry news
release. Call it cloaked spam, or whatever you like, but there is no
other way of getting product news, into a news group today.

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================
I wanted to run this past a news group and see if there was actually
someone or something, that beat me to it. I figure the Italians will
jump up and down every time someone mentions Arduino, and doesn't have a
link to them, but if no one else complains, then job done.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================
This also means that any Z80 system can be emulated. Throw your ROM
image at the emulator, and any app can be up and running on an $8 PIC32
micro. Sure, you still have to write drivers to suit the modern
environment (I/O), but you are at least halfway there.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================
I think I pretty much covered this in a previous message.


And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can
roll your own.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm
sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion platform.

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my
future direction.

Cheers Don...

========================

Don,

As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

.... and who posts anonymously, with this being his first appearance on
c.a.e. Feh, just killfile him and go on.

I liked the post. I for one would find your silence a great loss.

Indeed.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

 

[Don Y]

Hi Don,

On 8/20/2011 4:08 PM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and
micro user groups, and been a pioneering member, and financial sponsor
of many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I
want.

<shrug> You have as much "right" to speak here as any of us do
(speaking for c.a.e; apologies to aus.e as that's off my beaten trail)

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product
news I had, and readers would lap it up and thank me for it.

Today, yes, you have to disguise any product news as an industry news
release. Call it cloaked spam, or whatever you like, but there is no
other way of getting product news, into a news group today.

*This* I object to -- where the *obvious* goal is "promotion".

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

Agreed. See below

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================
I wanted to run this past a news group and see if there was actually
someone or something, that beat me to it. I figure the Italians will
jump up and down every time someone mentions Arduino, and doesn't have a
link to them, but if no one else complains, then job done.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================
This also means that any Z80 system can be emulated. Throw your ROM
image at the emulator, and any app can be up and running on an $8 PIC32
micro. Sure, you still have to write drivers to suit the modern
environment (I/O), but you are at least halfway there.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================
I think I pretty much covered this in a previous message.

I think your "mistake" (?) may have been *NOT* including descriptions
like these in your original posts. I.e.,

"Maximite Computer now running Unix, 2.11BSD

now has:
pForth compiler
Xitami webserver"

in an (admirable, though mistaken?) effort to be terse, makes the
post *feel* more like an ad: "For more information, call XXX-XXXX"

OTOH, wrapping some more words around it -- perhaps *qualifying*
the "headline" (e.g., "yeah, there's no VM in a UN*X that old...")
so folks interested don't waste time chasing down a link only to
discover this sort of "detail".

Like a "World's First 8x300 Network Stack!!"... and the fine print
clarifies that it's just a piece of code that responds to pings and
nothing else, etc.

In this way, it helps give others an idea of what to expect on the
other end of the link (instead of just the "teaser"). And, invites
discussion as to what problems might have been true challenges to
the implementor ("The XYZ8000 has no support for a pushdown stack!")

And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can
roll your own.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm
sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion platform.

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my
future direction.

Silencing any speech is rarely a good thing. Folks can always opt
NOT to read your post -- in which case, it costs them nothing.

OTOH, the "Looking for a WATFIV developer for short term contract
in East Nowhere" posts could surely find more appropriate environs!

All in all, your apology is gracious but, IMO, unnecessary.
I, for one, enjoy the tidbits that trickle into this newsgroup
as I have little time to rummage around *hoping* to stumble on
things that I might be interested in. The fact that you may have
an "interest" (financial or otherwise) in the topic is immaterial
(we all have "interests" in the problems/questions we pose... does
that make *them* inappropriate?)

Rock on,
--don

 

[atec77]

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

The only mistake you made was taking notice of a non contributing troll

plonk it and keep contributing

 

[David]

In article <j2prum$2jd$1@dont-email.me>, atec77 <atec77@hotmail.com>
wrote:

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

The only mistake you made was taking notice of a non contributing troll
plonk it and keep contributing

Yep right on. You do have the right to paste stuff you think may be on
interest, with just the usual disclaimers of not promoting riots etc

forget the critic and keep on keepin on Don

David

 

[Bruce Varley]

"Don McKenzie" <5V@2.5A> wrote in message
news:9bat3dFet5U1@mid.individual.net...

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and
micro user groups, and been a pioneering member, and financial sponsor of
many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I
want.

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product
news I had, and readers would lap it up and thank me for it.

Today, yes, you have to disguise any product news as an industry news
release. Call it cloaked spam, or whatever you like, but there is no other
way of getting product news, into a news group today.

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================
I wanted to run this past a news group and see if there was actually
someone or something, that beat me to it. I figure the Italians will jump
up and down every time someone mentions Arduino, and doesn't have a link
to them, but if no one else complains, then job done.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================
This also means that any Z80 system can be emulated. Throw your ROM image
at the emulator, and any app can be up and running on an $8 PIC32 micro.
Sure, you still have to write drivers to suit the modern environment
(I/O), but you are at least halfway there.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================
I think I pretty much covered this in a previous message.


And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can
roll your own.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm
sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion platform.

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my future
direction.

Cheers Don...

========================

Don, I recall a little gem from Ita Buttrose - "the best revenge is to keep
on going".

I for one was fascinated by the information in your posting. Add me to the
long list of poeople that appreciate your good efforts ot keep us informed
on interesting things that are coming along.

Best regards.

 

[David Brown]

On 21/08/11 02:45, Don Y wrote:

I think your "mistake" (?) may have been *NOT* including descriptions
like these in your original posts. I.e.,

"Maximite Computer now running Unix, 2.11BSD

now has:
pForth compiler
Xitami webserver"

in an (admirable, though mistaken?) effort to be terse, makes the
post *feel* more like an ad: "For more information, call XXX-XXXX"

OTOH, wrapping some more words around it -- perhaps *qualifying*
the "headline" (e.g., "yeah, there's no VM in a UN*X that old...")
so folks interested don't waste time chasing down a link only to
discover this sort of "detail".

Like a "World's First 8x300 Network Stack!!"... and the fine print
clarifies that it's just a piece of code that responds to pings and
nothing else, etc.

In this way, it helps give others an idea of what to expect on the
other end of the link (instead of just the "teaser"). And, invites
discussion as to what problems might have been true challenges to
the implementor ("The XYZ8000 has no support for a pushdown stack!")

I agree with this. Your (Don McKenzie) posts are useful, and are part
of the service you provide for electronics engineers and hobbiests - you
tell us all about new products and ideas. But sometimes your posts are
too much just a short statement and a web link - I for one would prefer
to see a little more information in the post itself rather than having
to look at an external link to figure out what you are talking about.

But you don't have to be as verbose as Don Y

 

[Hans-Bernhard Bröker]

On 21.08.2011 02:40, Rich Webb wrote:

On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:25:51 +1000, David Eather<eather@tpg.com.au
wrote:

As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

... and who posts anonymously, with this being his first appearance on
c.a.e.

While you're going 100% ad hominem, I you believe you could at least
have made a token effort at getting your facts straight.

 

[Hans-Bernhard Bröker]

On 21.08.2011 01:08, Don McKenzie wrote:

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

Let me apologize for the tone of my earlier reply at this point. I do
stand by the message, but the wording was, admittedly, a little too
hot-headed.

As long-time USENET citizens, I guess we both should have known better.

When these groups started in the early 90s, I could post any new product
news I had, and readers would lap it up and thank me for it.

The issue I had with that sequence of posts was that you did not, in
fact, post the news here. You just posted pointers to the news (and to
your commercial homepage), with basically no explanation of what the
actual story even was, apparently so as to make sure people clicked
those links to find out.

That put those posts in exactly the same category as those bloody
blogspot spammers. And on top of that, unlike most of those people, you
seemed to be forming a pattern of doing that every single day. That was
a pattern I thought needed snipped in the bud.

And all of this above is Open Source Hardware and Software, so you can
roll your own.

And all of that was impossible to learn just by looking at your original
posts.

 

[Hans-Bernhard Bröker]

On 21.08.2011 02:40, Rich Webb wrote:

On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:25:51 +1000, David Eather<eather@tpg.com.au
wrote:

As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

... and who posts anonymously, with this being his first appearance on
c.a.e.

While you're going 100% ad hominem, I believe you could at least have
made a token effort at getting your facts straight.

 

[Rich Webb]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:30:26 +0200, Hans-Bernhard Bröker
<HBBroeker@t-online.de> wrote:

On 21.08.2011 02:40, Rich Webb wrote:
On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:25:51 +1000, David Eather<eather@tpg.com.au
wrote:

As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

... and who posts anonymously, with this being his first appearance on
c.a.e.

While you're going 100% ad hominem, I you believe you could at least
have made a token effort at getting your facts straight.

Actually, that comment (and, I believe, also the one that I quoted) was
in reference to "Jeßus <none@all.invalid>."

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

 

[Jeßus]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:08:34 +1000, Don McKenzie <5V@2.5A> wrote:

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my future direction.

Don't overreact now, will you?

 

[Metro]

"David Eather" <eather@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:vcOdnQNpYpHj383TnZ2dnUVZ_tydnZ2d@giganews.com...

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:
8<,----------------------
As far as I can tell, you upset *1* person who is so over sensitive that
they are probably upset by the gravitational pull of the moon.

I liked the post. I for one would find your silence a great loss.

David Eather

Hear Hear. Fear not Don.

 

[Dennis]

On 21/08/2011 10:53 AM, atec77 wrote:

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

The only mistake you made was taking notice of a non contributing troll
plonk it and keep contributing

Agreed, keep it up Don. When the group got a quiet a few months back I
saw your posts as you maling an effort to promote activity - a good thing.

I've never seen any contribution positive or otherwise from our drop in
critic Hans-Knobhard Bender.

 

[Geoff Lock]

On 21/08/2011 9:08 AM, Don McKenzie wrote:

I felt I could save a lot of trouble and shorten this thread a little.

I do apologize for upsetting users in comp.arch.embedded and perhaps my
main mistake, was to cross-post there.

You are a bad evil man, Don

I have launched, hosted, sponsored, and moderated many electronics and
micro user groups, and been a pioneering member, and financial sponsor
of many others, as many readers will know.

But this doesn't give me the right to post whatever I want, wherever I
want.

You need rights to post on Usenet? Are you loco, seh?

I thought I had 3 really newsworthy items:

1) World's first Arduino Computer.
=================================

I tort it was cool as I had never heard of such animals - so newsworthy
to me.

2) TRS-80 Level II on a PIC32.
=====================

Always wanted to find out what PICs could do - so newsworthy to me.

3) Unix on a PIC32
==================

Heard of Unix on many processors but never heard of such an animal - so
newsworthy to me.

Yes, I am tied up in the excitement of the whole PIC32 movement, and I'm
sorry if I presented it all as a self promotion platform.

Yes, yes, yes, we have already said you are a bad evil man. OK OK OK,
you want more? Right, if there was a hell, you'd burn there as well.
Feel better?

My only alternative is to keep my mouth shut, which may well be my
future direction.

Oooyyy, steady on there, old chap. No need to be rash like that.