I've been looking over the blogs from my fellow Winter Warm Up Retrochallengers now that January is over and I wanted to comment on their work and summarize what I've learned, enjoyed, and try to get at the meaning, for me anyway, of the retrochallenge.
2 words sum it up: motivation and advocacy.
Everybody has projects - not necessarily computer related, but things you've been meaning to do that just keep getting pushed back. But you need some motivation.
The Retrochallenge is a fun way to get you off your butt, put it in writing, committ to it in a way, and document your progress.
I've had the 6100mc idea in my head for a long time - the Windows Media Center PC and plenty of sites dealing with turning Mac Minis into media centers have always intrigued me - but the true instigator was seeing the aborted Apple set top boxes from the mid 90s - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Interactive_Television_Box - I remember seeing those abandonded units for sale on eBay a good 6 or 7 years ago. I wondered if it would be possible to retrofit a 6100 into the case and make a media center. So thanks Retrochallenge - I finally did it, without the retrofitting of course.
The second important component is advocacy. Old computers are still useful. What inspires us to be devoted to these vintage machines? I don't know. Do we have the same love for other technology in our lives? Not usually. "Oooh, I'm holding on to this old toaster now that we have the toaster oven - you never know when we might need it." Or "Well the user interface of the straight razor is so much better than my Gillete twin blade...ah, classic shaving at its best..."
Yes, the latest and greatest is cool. But is a new machine 5 or 10 times more productive than these machines we've used for a month? It's impossible to quantify but I would say no.
Luddite is still making music on a 30 year old machine. There is something insanely sweet about an Apple ][ cranking out In a Gadda Da Vida. I defy you to say otherwise!
CJ not just browsing the web on a 22 year old machine - but doing secure e-commerce to upgrade said machine. Amazing!
Sure you can get out your Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 to play games - but won't you get your twitch fix itched all the same on an Atari 800 like Doctor Clu did? Or maybe even use your brain and your imagination to play a game like Jeremiah's Warlock Castle?
Yes, a Mac Mini running OS X attached to a giant HD Plasma TV rocks. But could it dial someone from your contact list and insult them with a wisecrack from the Talking Moose? My 6100mc can. Heck I could even setup a web server on the 6100mc with some CGI-Javascript-Applescript and offer a "dial-an-insult" service that would make Steve Wozniak proud.
Just before the Retrochallenge started, an auction on ebay for a pallette of 20 6100s went for $1. (shipping not included of course - it was pick up only. It was in the mid-west somewhere - if it had been on the east coast I would have gone for it.)
Not to pat myself on the back or anything, (OK I will) but what I've done is pretty amazing for any computer - much less for one that, in today's market, is worth all of 5 cents.
Along with advocacy come community and inspiration. We are like minded people who feed off each other and learn from one another's projects.
I'm proud of the fact that I got solid state media working on a vintage Mac - I was by no means the first - but it was something that was discussed but not actually acheived by readers of Low End Mac and members of the 68kmla. I would imagine it is the cheapest solution as well - $40 for the SCSI to IDE and $5 or so for the IDE-CF.
(And don't get me started on the fact that there are 2 different vendors offering CF solutions for Apple ]['s but for vintage Macs I had to resort to trial and error...)
I'm proud of the fact that two other retrochallengers told me I inspired them with the 6100mc.
I'm inspired by the fact that Luddite set out to make a shipping product and did so, and that last year's Retrochallenge winner, Aaron Hall, is still updating his Happyclock application - he just released a bug fix a couple weeks ago.
I'd like to follow in their footsteps and offer some of the scripts that do the bulk of the work for the 6100mc someday - right now they are pretty hard coded for my particular environment and would spaz if run on another machine. Poor programming discipline on my part - but I just wanted it to work first. And no Luddite - you aren't the only programmer that works backwards - I too concentrated on the interface before I worked on the back end.
So thanks everyone. I enjoyed reading your blogs and following your progress. Go Retro!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Visual Voicemail on a 14 year old Macintosh
Among the many selling points Apple touts about the new iPhone is the fact that it has "Visual Voicemail."
You can check your messages and choose visually which to listen to, rather than going through them sequentially.
Everybody and their brother thought it was wonderful, and of course, Apple was sued because it apparently violated someone else's patent:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19843
But wait - Apple was doing basic visual voice mail with Macs back in 1995 with the often criticized Geoport Telecom Adapter.
The Geoport Telecom Adapter is a device that plugs into the serial port (it requires a 9th pin instead of the usual 8 so power can be provided) and allows the Mac to surf the web, fax, and also perform telephony functions.
The bad part about it is that it uses the Mac's processor to do all the work. So if you try to surf with it - it's painfully slow because it is performing the modulation and demodulation of the audio signal (the mo and the dem of modem) as well as the regular computer functions.
On Windows there was a similar product called a Winmodem, though they didn't to my knowledge have the voice mail features. They were cheap and much maligned. I've also heard them called soft modems.
Apple released 2 different versions of the product (the Geoport Telecom Adapter and the Geoport Telecom Adapter II) - and there was also a 3rd party Geoport ISDN adapter.
On the plus side, the Geoport could support fasters speeds just by installing software updates. The product originally shipped at 14.4kps, but 28.8 and 33.6 updates were available.
The interface, as one would expect from Apple, was simple and elegant.
Unfortunately Apple did not integrate any Caller ID features into the software, so it just lists the date, time and length of the call.
Supposedly the Geoport Telecom Adapter II supports Caller ID, but I've tried with two different units (including the dark grey one shipped with the 20th anniversary Macintosh) and I could not get it to work.
The Macintosh software in question that can read the Caller ID signals is called, appropriately enough, Mac Caller ID(c).
http://homepage.mac.com/maccallerid/ (The app is now freeware)
The application talks to a Caller ID compatible modem, in my case a US Robotics 56k one, and when a call comes in - it puts the info on the screen, and in a database. It can also announce the caller using the Mac's built in text to speech if you want it to. The key feature for me is the fact that it is Applescriptable.
So when a call comes in, the Apple Telecom software records a System 7 sound file with the message. I have a folder action script attached to the the folder where the sounds are recorded to. That creates a copy of the file - which then SoundApp converts to an .aiff file (it can also convert to mp3 or wav or whatever you want.) - Then I have Mac Caller ID tag the time, number, and name of the call, along with the length (provided by SoundApp - also very Applescriptable) - and it places all of this information in the "Get info" field of the file. Then I have it append the info to the top of the web page that serves as my "Visual Voicemail" interface.
(Click image for larger version)
The interface is obviously a nod to the iPhone's. It's actually a web page with 3 frames - top (with the title bar, and a hidden javascript menu for options and returning to the 6100 MC home page - it appears when you mouse over the top left corner), the middle, where all the calls are listed, and the bottom, where the audio files play, courtesy of the Quicktime browser plugin.
But wait, there's more! As you can see, there is a little options button at the end of each call listing. Click that and you get a list of options including call back (which just dials the phone - I don't have a microphone on the 6100mc because I'm using the audio input for digitizing), archive (which just copies the file to a folder and removes it from the list), area code lookup (for phone numbers I don't recognize), address book - which can add the contact info to my Claris organizer contacts, email - which can forward the message as an attachment (I want to add some sort of script that could also check the contact list and give you the option of emailing the person whose number matches the call), and SMS - which uses the free Teleflip SMS service to send SMS back to the phone number (if it's a cell that accepts text messages - obviously it won't do anything if you try to SMS a land line number), and finally delete.
(click image for bigger version)
These features rely on Javascript and Applescript to talk - which thankfully is possible thanks to Julio Sancho's MSIE Library: http://scriptbuilders.net/files/msielibrary1.3.html
So when I click on, say, the second message's options button, javascript creates a cookie, called "File ID", with the number "2" in it. When I've selected one of the options from that menu, say "SMS", it runs the SMS Applescript which first uses the MSIE Library to query the cookie - and it determines that it should run on the 2nd message.
Conceivably I could have created different versions of all the menu scripts and just launch them depending on the message - say "delete1", "delete2", "delete3", etc. but that would have been very cludgy and wasteful.
My original plan was to have the javascript put the file ID of the message in question on the clipboard, and then have each script query the clipboard to see which they should run on - but while Applescript has tons of options for working with clipboard data, javascripting the clipboard on the Mac didn't seem to work, at least not on IE 5.1.7.
Two major features that are in the development stage - auto SMS to my mobile phone with the caller ID & message length info of the most recent message, and also the flip side of Visual Voicemail: audio email.
The Akua Scripting addition has a command called "Mutter" which takes text and uses Mac text to speech and doesn't just say it - it records it into a file resource.
What I plan is something that may work with Claris Emailer that certain actions could get run depending on the sender, and it might then create a sound file of the email's time and subject line, maybe the first paragraph - and puts it in the phone messages folder and fools the Apple telecom app into thinking it's a regular phone message.
Then using the phone answering script I could have the option of listening to the whole email message, forwarding it, sending an audio reply, faxing something, who knows?
So then I could essentially check my email from any voice capable phone, anywhere.
The Apple telecom App also allows all kinds of possibilities with DTMF - the phone beeps and "Press 1 for more options" type thing. Combined with the X-10 interface - controlling the house can not only be done through the browser on my 6100mc - it can be done from any phone.
With internet cafes, wi-fi and data capable phones - remote access to data away from home or work is commonplace - but still - it's pretty amazing for a 14 year old machine.
But then again, this isn't just any ordinary machine. This is the 6100mc baby!
Solid state hard drive? Check.
Visual Voicemail? Check.
Multimedia coming through serial, audio, and video ports? Check.
Web browsing from the couch with the data on the TV screen? Check.
Turn on the lamp upstairs remotely before you go to bed? Check.
Emulation so I can play Castle Wolfenstein, and use Luddite's launcher to run Jeremiah's Hang Man? Check.
Listen to iTunes? Check.
Turn the TV into a digital frame with a slideshow of photos? Check.
See the weather outside with the webcam? Check.
Digitize a funny clip from a TV show into Quicktime? Check.
Kick butt and take names in the Retrochallenge? CHECK!
You can check your messages and choose visually which to listen to, rather than going through them sequentially.
Everybody and their brother thought it was wonderful, and of course, Apple was sued because it apparently violated someone else's patent:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19843
But wait - Apple was doing basic visual voice mail with Macs back in 1995 with the often criticized Geoport Telecom Adapter.
The Geoport Telecom Adapter is a device that plugs into the serial port (it requires a 9th pin instead of the usual 8 so power can be provided) and allows the Mac to surf the web, fax, and also perform telephony functions.
The bad part about it is that it uses the Mac's processor to do all the work. So if you try to surf with it - it's painfully slow because it is performing the modulation and demodulation of the audio signal (the mo and the dem of modem) as well as the regular computer functions.
On Windows there was a similar product called a Winmodem, though they didn't to my knowledge have the voice mail features. They were cheap and much maligned. I've also heard them called soft modems.
Apple released 2 different versions of the product (the Geoport Telecom Adapter and the Geoport Telecom Adapter II) - and there was also a 3rd party Geoport ISDN adapter.
On the plus side, the Geoport could support fasters speeds just by installing software updates. The product originally shipped at 14.4kps, but 28.8 and 33.6 updates were available.
The interface, as one would expect from Apple, was simple and elegant.
Unfortunately Apple did not integrate any Caller ID features into the software, so it just lists the date, time and length of the call.
Supposedly the Geoport Telecom Adapter II supports Caller ID, but I've tried with two different units (including the dark grey one shipped with the 20th anniversary Macintosh) and I could not get it to work.
The Macintosh software in question that can read the Caller ID signals is called, appropriately enough, Mac Caller ID(c).
http://homepage.mac.com/maccallerid/ (The app is now freeware)
The application talks to a Caller ID compatible modem, in my case a US Robotics 56k one, and when a call comes in - it puts the info on the screen, and in a database. It can also announce the caller using the Mac's built in text to speech if you want it to. The key feature for me is the fact that it is Applescriptable.
So when a call comes in, the Apple Telecom software records a System 7 sound file with the message. I have a folder action script attached to the the folder where the sounds are recorded to. That creates a copy of the file - which then SoundApp converts to an .aiff file (it can also convert to mp3 or wav or whatever you want.) - Then I have Mac Caller ID tag the time, number, and name of the call, along with the length (provided by SoundApp - also very Applescriptable) - and it places all of this information in the "Get info" field of the file. Then I have it append the info to the top of the web page that serves as my "Visual Voicemail" interface.
(Click image for larger version)
The interface is obviously a nod to the iPhone's. It's actually a web page with 3 frames - top (with the title bar, and a hidden javascript menu for options and returning to the 6100 MC home page - it appears when you mouse over the top left corner), the middle, where all the calls are listed, and the bottom, where the audio files play, courtesy of the Quicktime browser plugin.
But wait, there's more! As you can see, there is a little options button at the end of each call listing. Click that and you get a list of options including call back (which just dials the phone - I don't have a microphone on the 6100mc because I'm using the audio input for digitizing), archive (which just copies the file to a folder and removes it from the list), area code lookup (for phone numbers I don't recognize), address book - which can add the contact info to my Claris organizer contacts, email - which can forward the message as an attachment (I want to add some sort of script that could also check the contact list and give you the option of emailing the person whose number matches the call), and SMS - which uses the free Teleflip SMS service to send SMS back to the phone number (if it's a cell that accepts text messages - obviously it won't do anything if you try to SMS a land line number), and finally delete.
(click image for bigger version)
These features rely on Javascript and Applescript to talk - which thankfully is possible thanks to Julio Sancho's MSIE Library: http://scriptbuilders.net/files/msielibrary1.3.html
So when I click on, say, the second message's options button, javascript creates a cookie, called "File ID", with the number "2" in it. When I've selected one of the options from that menu, say "SMS", it runs the SMS Applescript which first uses the MSIE Library to query the cookie - and it determines that it should run on the 2nd message.
Conceivably I could have created different versions of all the menu scripts and just launch them depending on the message - say "delete1", "delete2", "delete3", etc. but that would have been very cludgy and wasteful.
My original plan was to have the javascript put the file ID of the message in question on the clipboard, and then have each script query the clipboard to see which they should run on - but while Applescript has tons of options for working with clipboard data, javascripting the clipboard on the Mac didn't seem to work, at least not on IE 5.1.7.
Two major features that are in the development stage - auto SMS to my mobile phone with the caller ID & message length info of the most recent message, and also the flip side of Visual Voicemail: audio email.
The Akua Scripting addition has a command called "Mutter" which takes text and uses Mac text to speech and doesn't just say it - it records it into a file resource.
What I plan is something that may work with Claris Emailer that certain actions could get run depending on the sender, and it might then create a sound file of the email's time and subject line, maybe the first paragraph - and puts it in the phone messages folder and fools the Apple telecom app into thinking it's a regular phone message.
Then using the phone answering script I could have the option of listening to the whole email message, forwarding it, sending an audio reply, faxing something, who knows?
So then I could essentially check my email from any voice capable phone, anywhere.
The Apple telecom App also allows all kinds of possibilities with DTMF - the phone beeps and "Press 1 for more options" type thing. Combined with the X-10 interface - controlling the house can not only be done through the browser on my 6100mc - it can be done from any phone.
With internet cafes, wi-fi and data capable phones - remote access to data away from home or work is commonplace - but still - it's pretty amazing for a 14 year old machine.
But then again, this isn't just any ordinary machine. This is the 6100mc baby!
Solid state hard drive? Check.
Visual Voicemail? Check.
Multimedia coming through serial, audio, and video ports? Check.
Web browsing from the couch with the data on the TV screen? Check.
Turn on the lamp upstairs remotely before you go to bed? Check.
Emulation so I can play Castle Wolfenstein, and use Luddite's launcher to run Jeremiah's Hang Man? Check.
Listen to iTunes? Check.
Turn the TV into a digital frame with a slideshow of photos? Check.
See the weather outside with the webcam? Check.
Digitize a funny clip from a TV show into Quicktime? Check.
Kick butt and take names in the Retrochallenge? CHECK!
2 versions of the interface - including a special retro edition
I've finally got all my modules working - albeit with less features than I originally planned, but I am pleased.
First - the regular interface.
Top, left to right: Music (itunes), Photos (jpeg view & graphic converter slideshows), Phone (visual voice mail!), Web browsing.
Bottom, left to right: Web cam, X-10 (home automation), Video digitizing (the AV card), Emulation (just Apple ][ right now, with Stop the Madness and Catakig)
I've also done a seriously retro version of the interface:
I really like the spy glass as the web cam button, and the victorian butler's bell for home automation. I couldn't really think of anything from that era that represented emulation - so I went with an abacus.
First - the regular interface.
Top, left to right: Music (itunes), Photos (jpeg view & graphic converter slideshows), Phone (visual voice mail!), Web browsing.
Bottom, left to right: Web cam, X-10 (home automation), Video digitizing (the AV card), Emulation (just Apple ][ right now, with Stop the Madness and Catakig)
I've also done a seriously retro version of the interface:
I really like the spy glass as the web cam button, and the victorian butler's bell for home automation. I couldn't really think of anything from that era that represented emulation - so I went with an abacus.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Two steps for a man, one giant leap for retro kind
I cleared two hurdles today that have been frustrating me for a few weeks.
1) I finally have the 6100 booting off solid state media, in this case a Compact Flash card. Originally I tried a SCSI to IDE adapter and combined that with an IDE to Compact Flash adapter and inside that I had a Compact Flash card that is actually an SD adapter. (one is pictured here.)
I guess that was just too many adaptations and it didn't work. I couldn't get the IDE/Compact Flash and Compact Flash/SD adapter to work in Windows or Mac OS X either (although DOS could see it). Had this worked I probably would have pushed it even further and gone for a microSD card inside an SD adapter. Booting off something the size of an eraser head through 4 layers of adaptation would have been cool.
I tried a Compact Flash Microdrive and that didn't work - it wouldn't boot at all - it turns out the voltages were wrong. Nicer IDE to CF adapters have jumpers allowing you to choose the voltage of your microdrive - however, the adapter that I have does not. They were 3 for $10 off eBay, so if you need Microdrive support - go with a better adapter.
So then I ordered an IDE to SD adapter.
That didn't work either. Mac OS X didn't like that one either.
So then I ordered a regular 4 gig Compact Flash card and that worked fine. I formatted it and it boots fine.
Why didn't I do that from the beginning you ask? Becuase I had a few extra SD cards of various capacities around (my PDA, camera, voice recorder and digisette MP3 player all use MMC and/or SD) and I wanted to use one of those instead.
The speed is nothing to write home about. The 5mb/sec SCSI bus of the 6100 - combined with 2 layers of adaptation, is fairly slow. Booting takes a little longer than with the hard drive. But hey - it's solid state! No moving parts, no hard drive noise! Yea baby!
2) Caller ID is finally working! My 6100mc isn't just a media center - it's a call center too. It uses a Geoport telecom adpater AND a modem. More info on this wackiness tomorrow, the final day of the retrochallenge.
1) I finally have the 6100 booting off solid state media, in this case a Compact Flash card. Originally I tried a SCSI to IDE adapter and combined that with an IDE to Compact Flash adapter and inside that I had a Compact Flash card that is actually an SD adapter. (one is pictured here.)
I guess that was just too many adaptations and it didn't work. I couldn't get the IDE/Compact Flash and Compact Flash/SD adapter to work in Windows or Mac OS X either (although DOS could see it). Had this worked I probably would have pushed it even further and gone for a microSD card inside an SD adapter. Booting off something the size of an eraser head through 4 layers of adaptation would have been cool.
I tried a Compact Flash Microdrive and that didn't work - it wouldn't boot at all - it turns out the voltages were wrong. Nicer IDE to CF adapters have jumpers allowing you to choose the voltage of your microdrive - however, the adapter that I have does not. They were 3 for $10 off eBay, so if you need Microdrive support - go with a better adapter.
So then I ordered an IDE to SD adapter.
That didn't work either. Mac OS X didn't like that one either.
So then I ordered a regular 4 gig Compact Flash card and that worked fine. I formatted it and it boots fine.
Why didn't I do that from the beginning you ask? Becuase I had a few extra SD cards of various capacities around (my PDA, camera, voice recorder and digisette MP3 player all use MMC and/or SD) and I wanted to use one of those instead.
The speed is nothing to write home about. The 5mb/sec SCSI bus of the 6100 - combined with 2 layers of adaptation, is fairly slow. Booting takes a little longer than with the hard drive. But hey - it's solid state! No moving parts, no hard drive noise! Yea baby!
2) Caller ID is finally working! My 6100mc isn't just a media center - it's a call center too. It uses a Geoport telecom adpater AND a modem. More info on this wackiness tomorrow, the final day of the retrochallenge.
Monday, January 28, 2008
More interface work, programming
Right now I'm in Texas for a short trip and I've got a few minutes to update my progress.
One of the keys to making a good media center is to have the machine do a lot of the work behind the scenes, rather than forcing the user to click around on menus and buttons and type in dialog boxes.
So automation is paramount.
Automation for the Mac means Applescript, and for things that aren't really Applescriptable - Quickeys.
Because the interface is coming through a web page - I need to figure out a way to get Javascript and Applescript to talk - or at the very least pass some rudimentary information.
While some of the interface doesn't need any sort of intelligence - some does.
For instance - clicking on the web cam button should launch the web cam app. Pretty straightforward. Just put in the URL to the program on the hard drive.
But if I want more complex actions - say in the music or photos - pop up a menu that acts on each individual file - that requires some programming.
One of the keys to making a good media center is to have the machine do a lot of the work behind the scenes, rather than forcing the user to click around on menus and buttons and type in dialog boxes.
So automation is paramount.
Automation for the Mac means Applescript, and for things that aren't really Applescriptable - Quickeys.
Because the interface is coming through a web page - I need to figure out a way to get Javascript and Applescript to talk - or at the very least pass some rudimentary information.
While some of the interface doesn't need any sort of intelligence - some does.
For instance - clicking on the web cam button should launch the web cam app. Pretty straightforward. Just put in the URL to the program on the hard drive.
But if I want more complex actions - say in the music or photos - pop up a menu that acts on each individual file - that requires some programming.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Sneak Peek at the interface
Here is the initial interface I've designed for the 6100 Media Center. I've blurred out the modules that I haven't completed.
Left to right top row: music/mp3s, photos, web browsing
Bottom row: Web Cam.
Color QuickCam is working
I have put an old Connectix Color QuickCam to work on my Media Center 6100, piping in video through the printer port.
I don't think I'll do any video conferencing with it - I pictured it more as something that will be pointing out the window - possibly a poor man's security/weather monitoring/who is at the door? system.
Unfortunately initial tests show it to be pretty visible in the window - it's a little bigger than I remembered.
A quick Google search turned up someone doing the same thing - but I doubt my girlfriend would go for anything this ugly looking, nor would I want to:
Dig those glued paper clips.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
iTunes is working, photo browsing is on manual
Right now I'm using Mac OS 8.6 on the machine, so I needed a hack to get iTunes 1.1 working.
The hack is here:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5401
Unfortunately it is a little time consuming - you have to load the iTunes image, drag the installer to your hard drive, then run the patcher.
Then Run the newley patched installer.
Then run the patch again to patch the application and the extension.
But once everything is done it works like a charm and I am grateful to the person who figured out the work arounds.
Of course, plenty of other options for playing MP3s and CDs exist for Mac OS 8.6 - Audion in particular. But iTunes and the brushed metal interface are pretty recognizable and work well.
Photo browsing is on manual for right now - GraphicConverter wants ColorSync 2.0 which I must have deleted at some point in trying to pair down the system.
That should be a quick fix and then on to web browsing. Internet Explorer 5.1.7 is currently installed - I want to add Cyberdog (talk about old school!), Netscape, iCab, Wamcom, etc. Browsing in the classic Mac environment is becoming a little more frustrating - if only for the fact that you can usually get one of the above browsers to display the page properly - you just need to test them out.
So while Explorer works great for eBay, it might choke on Dealmac. And while iCab might display Dealmac correctly, it won't display wikipedia correctly. And while Wamcom might display the Wikipedia correctly, it will choke on something else - and almost all of them can't display youtube.
The hack is here:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/5401
Unfortunately it is a little time consuming - you have to load the iTunes image, drag the installer to your hard drive, then run the patcher.
Then Run the newley patched installer.
Then run the patch again to patch the application and the extension.
But once everything is done it works like a charm and I am grateful to the person who figured out the work arounds.
Of course, plenty of other options for playing MP3s and CDs exist for Mac OS 8.6 - Audion in particular. But iTunes and the brushed metal interface are pretty recognizable and work well.
Photo browsing is on manual for right now - GraphicConverter wants ColorSync 2.0 which I must have deleted at some point in trying to pair down the system.
That should be a quick fix and then on to web browsing. Internet Explorer 5.1.7 is currently installed - I want to add Cyberdog (talk about old school!), Netscape, iCab, Wamcom, etc. Browsing in the classic Mac environment is becoming a little more frustrating - if only for the fact that you can usually get one of the above browsers to display the page properly - you just need to test them out.
So while Explorer works great for eBay, it might choke on Dealmac. And while iCab might display Dealmac correctly, it won't display wikipedia correctly. And while Wamcom might display the Wikipedia correctly, it will choke on something else - and almost all of them can't display youtube.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The Talking Moose says hello
Anybody remember “The Talking Moose”? It was (and is) a control panel for your Macintosh that put an animated Moose in your computer. He would pop up at random times and comment on what you were doing, or say a random phrase.It uses the Macintosh text-to-speech capabilities and it’s one of those apps that just screams “Macintosh.”
I was inspired by Wgoodf’s good luck message, printed out on his ZX81 to the Retrochallengers.
I persuaded the Moose to come out of retirement, and wish everyone luck at the halfway point.
Friday, January 11, 2008
How do you start your tasks, easy first then ?
When you have a list of tasks to complete – do you start with the easy ones and knock them out first and handle the hard one(s) last?
I usually do. It makes me feel more productive.
I’ve read however, that some “experts” say you should start with your hardest/most complex tasks because your mind and body are freshest.
I guess in some ways that makes sense – but if those hard tasks are too hard – you could end up accomplishing nothing and not even have the consolation of gotten the easy things out of the way.
I bring this question up because I plan to tackle the easy parts of creating a media center on a vintage Mac first.
The two features I’ve chosen to start with are photos and music.
Photos came about in part because my girlfriend asked for a digital frame for Christmas. The prices for 7 or 8 inch are still fairly high, and that isn’t a very big screen. I eventually found a 7 inch for a decent price.
What is usually the largest screen in someone’s house? That would be the TV.
So photos on the TV - slide shows, etc.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Software interface for the 6100 Media Center
Initially I thought about creating a Facespan interface for the media center.
Facespan puts attractive and functional GUI front ends on Applescripts.
There are a number of benefits:
Cross platform development – I can work on the code on a Mac, PC, even my PDA.
Javascript. While javascript has so many quirks (especially differences between browsers and operating systems), it will be useful for a few things – including a time display. (blinking 12:00 ala a vcr anyone?)
Full screen (kiosk type) mode. I can hide the menu bar and make it appear like any OS I want.
Animated gifs. While too many would be distracting – the ability to easily add animation by placing an animated gif is a huge bonus.
Integrated web content. Possibly using frames. Why grab content via Applescript, repurpose it, then put it back in Facespan if I can just slap it right in a frame? Normally as a web designer I stay away from frames and hate them with a passion – but in this case – since I have a closed environment – I might use them.
Rollovers. Easily give visual feedback for button presses. Not a high priority for me – but nice to know that it’s there.
Sound. Again easy to embed. But I promise – no annoying Tivo clicks!
Fonts. Easy to specify and customize. Since this is going to be displayed on a TV I’ll probably be using a larger font size than the regular Mac OS uses.Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wireless keyboard for older macs
Many years ago a company was selling Wireless ADB keyboards for Macs for $20 or so - they originally retailed for over $119.95.
I bought one off eBay and played with it a little bit. The Macs I tried it with didn't really benefit from it because they were on a desk that worked fine with regular, attached keyboard.
For a Media Center however, a wireless keyboard is a necessity.
The keyboard is truly plug and play - it needs two AA batteries, but there are no drivers necessary.
The little coin sized button in the upper right is actually the mouse. Unfortunately it is a little slow - I'll try installing the Speedy Mouse extension tonight to see if it helps.
I've also tried this keyboard on newer Macs using a USB-ADB adapter and it works fine.
One downside that I've read about the keyboard is that it doesn't have a power button - so if the Mac you attach it to only has soft power on - you'll need to also keep a regular keyboard attached to the machine to boot it up.
The 6100 is fairly unique among vintage Macs in that it has "hard power" - you need to push in a button to boot it - keyboard power doesn't work. So in this case the negative aspect of the keyboard is negated by the fact that the 6100 can't use soft power on anyway.
The receiver for the keyboard is fairly unobtrusive. It's infrared - which is good and bad. The bad news is that you have to be aiming the keyboard in the general direction of the receiver. (Specs say 30 foot line of site, 15 foot at an angle.) No controlling the Mac from another room or anything.
The good news is that infrared is "learnable" by universal remotes and PDAs. I haven't tried "learning" every single key yet, but early tests with certain keys worked like a charm. Straight control of the Mac from a PDA - no dongles, web hacks, bluetooth or anything else - pretty cool!
I've been curious about infrared repeaters, etc. Some of them work by putting a little RF transmitter inside a AA sized battery and then using that to transmit the signals to a little device that has an antenna and an infrared transmitter. For my situation - the TV is about 8 feet away from the couch so I don't need it.
136mb - could it be a gig though?
The memory arrived for "The General", and it works fine. 2 64mb simms take it to 136mb with the onboard 8mb.
Apparently the 6100 has the same memory controller as the 8100 and thus can use high capacity 72 pin simms.
According to Steven Kan's amazing 6100 upgrade site, http://www.kan.org/6100/ , the 6100 can take up to 520mb. That uses 2 256mb simms.
A Japanese 6100 site, which I can't read, does show a 6100 with Simm Doublers or Simm Stackers or whatever they're called.
http://kei.cside3.com/6100/6100RAM/6100RAM.html
Another part of the page refers to "4 x 64mb" - so I assume that works. But what if you put in 4 256mb chips? A gig of ram in a 6100? That would rock. Of course the fact that the 256mb chips retail for $83 or so, and the fact that I can't seem to find any of these simm doublers, means I'm not going to find out if this works any time soon.
Apparently the 6100 has the same memory controller as the 8100 and thus can use high capacity 72 pin simms.
According to Steven Kan's amazing 6100 upgrade site, http://www.kan.org/6100/ , the 6100 can take up to 520mb. That uses 2 256mb simms.
A Japanese 6100 site, which I can't read, does show a 6100 with Simm Doublers or Simm Stackers or whatever they're called.
http://kei.cside3.com/6100/6100RAM/6100RAM.html
Another part of the page refers to "4 x 64mb" - so I assume that works. But what if you put in 4 256mb chips? A gig of ram in a 6100? That would rock. Of course the fact that the 256mb chips retail for $83 or so, and the fact that I can't seem to find any of these simm doublers, means I'm not going to find out if this works any time soon.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I'd buy that for a dollar
While in Seattle, we went to a Dollar store one day, and I snagged 3 goodies.
Retractable headphones, an audio splitter, and worldwide telephone jack adapters.
While cell phones and wi-fi have lessened the need for dial up access - you never know when you might need it - for access or to fax something. Some of those adapters are pretty funky!
More info about it here:
http://www.planetomni.com/FONE_ADPT.shtml
Monday, January 7, 2008
Beefing up The General
Do you name your computers?
Usually I do. I haven't always though. My Apple ][+, Apple //e, and Apple IIgs were never given names.
The Powermac 6100 that I will be using for the main portion of my retrochallenge activities was branded with the nickname "The General", from the super computer in the 1960s cult TV series "The Prisoner."
My first Mac was a Performa 450 (aka LC III). Moving from that to a Powermac 6100 with a Dos card allowed me to run not only classic older 68k apps, but the new PowerPC apps and Dos and Windows programs. Quite a leap.
I see that fellow Retrochallenger conceited jerk names his computers as well, and is also a big fan of the 6100.
What makes the 6100 so appealing?
First off, the case is very cool. I know it debuted with the Centris 610 - but I would venture to say that when most computer enthusiasts see the case, they think of the 6100.
Second, expansion is pretty easy. The 7100 and 8100 series cases were a nightmare to work with. Not the worst Mac cases of all time, but not nearly as easy to pop off and add memory or change hard drives as the 6100.
The Dos card, which only worked in the 6100, was a big plus. An almost fully fledged PC (with a ram slot and ability to use a PC joystick) right inside the case.
With the right angle adapter, the 6100 could use the AV card too.
So, from people on the 68kmla forum, I've ordered a couple things - one is a SCSI to IDE adapter for about $40, and also 2 64mb simms for $12. I know the purpose of the retrochallenge isn't to see how much money you can pump into an old machine - but these two upgrades will really help turn The General into a Media Center.
A nice benefit too, is that the two 32mb simms in the machine now can then be used in other machines - most likely my LCIII with the Apple IIe card. (Can you tell I like computers with other computers inside them?)
Usually I do. I haven't always though. My Apple ][+, Apple //e, and Apple IIgs were never given names.
The Powermac 6100 that I will be using for the main portion of my retrochallenge activities was branded with the nickname "The General", from the super computer in the 1960s cult TV series "The Prisoner."My first Mac was a Performa 450 (aka LC III). Moving from that to a Powermac 6100 with a Dos card allowed me to run not only classic older 68k apps, but the new PowerPC apps and Dos and Windows programs. Quite a leap.
I see that fellow Retrochallenger conceited jerk names his computers as well, and is also a big fan of the 6100.
What makes the 6100 so appealing?
First off, the case is very cool. I know it debuted with the Centris 610 - but I would venture to say that when most computer enthusiasts see the case, they think of the 6100.
Second, expansion is pretty easy. The 7100 and 8100 series cases were a nightmare to work with. Not the worst Mac cases of all time, but not nearly as easy to pop off and add memory or change hard drives as the 6100.
The Dos card, which only worked in the 6100, was a big plus. An almost fully fledged PC (with a ram slot and ability to use a PC joystick) right inside the case.
With the right angle adapter, the 6100 could use the AV card too.
So, from people on the 68kmla forum, I've ordered a couple things - one is a SCSI to IDE adapter for about $40, and also 2 64mb simms for $12. I know the purpose of the retrochallenge isn't to see how much money you can pump into an old machine - but these two upgrades will really help turn The General into a Media Center.
A nice benefit too, is that the two 32mb simms in the machine now can then be used in other machines - most likely my LCIII with the Apple IIe card. (Can you tell I like computers with other computers inside them?)
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year
I'm celebrating the New Year with my girlfriend and her family in Seattle. It rained the first five days but now we've gotten two sunny ones.
We finally got to see Mt Rainer.
We went skiing the other day. I had never been on the slopes before, so I took the beginner lesson. I was OK at the skiing part - not so good at the stopping part.
I'm looking forward to getting back home in a couple days and starting my entries for the retro challenge.
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