Crash (magazine)

Crash is a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer, primarily focused on games. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress. It was relaunched as a quarterly A5 magazine in December 2020 with the backing of the original founders.
The magazine was launched to cater for the booming Spectrum games market. It was immediately popular owing to its quality of writing and distinctive, though occasionally controversial, artwork created by Oliver Frey. By 1986 it had become the biggest-selling British computer magazine with over 100,000 copies sold monthly, but struggled towards the end of the decade after other magazines put cassettes of games on the front cover. In the 2010s, a number of retrospective issues were created via a kickstarter campaign leading to the new publication by Fusion Retro.
History.
"Crash" was launched in 1983 in Ludlow, Shropshire by Roger Kean, Oliver Frey and Franco Frey. The trio had met the previous year when they were working for newspaper publisher Alan Purnell, learning how to write and produce a magazine from scratch. Franco Frey had worked for an electronics company, and had been asked by one of his business contacts if could get hold of video games. Kean remembers that "The High Street was ignorant of computer games" and they wanted to source titles and sell them. They set up a mail order catalogue called "Crash Micro Games Action" and advertised in contemporary computer magazines such as "Computer and Video Games". It was immediately successful, so by late 1983, they decided to launch a dedicated magazine, forming the company Newsfield to do so. Kean and Oliver Frey wanted a catchy title for the magazine, choosing "Crash" after J. G. Ballard's novel of the same name.
Though he had regularly played video games throughout the 1970s, the middle-aged Kean realised that the target market for the magazine was teenagers and young men, and the writing needed to accommodate this. Consequently, he hired teenage staff writer Matthew Uffindel and the pair recruited local schoolchildren to review the games, including Ben Stone and Robin Candy. To produce screenshots, a camera was set up to directly capture the television set or monitor that the Spectrum was plugged into. The film was then processed in-house, printed and delivered to a local print shop to prepare the final page.
The first issue was intended to be published in November 1983, in time for the pre-Christmas trade but owing to a conflict with retailers WH Smith it was published in February the following year. The magazine maintained focus squarely on Spectrum gaming. It was an instant hit thanks to Oliver Frey's artwork and Kean's writing, assisted by Uffindel. Kean and the Frey brothers would continue to be involved with the magazine throughout its lifetime.
Reviewers would give their direct opinions on whether a game was good or not, regardless of advertising or any pressure from software houses. Though publishers sometimes tried to bribe the magazine editors to give games good reviews, the children would not do that, and once gave a game a low score of 9%. This honesty gave "Crash" a good reputation and made it highly influential in the games industry. If a game was awarded a "Crash Smash" (an overall rating of 90% or above), the industry believed it was genuinely good and it would sell well. Notable Crash Smashes included "Jet Set Willy", "Sabre Wulf" and "Head over Heels". A games compilation "Four Crash Smashes" was produced, capitalising on the award's importance.
In October 1986, "Crash" reported sales of over 100,000 copies. Its ABC figure of 101,483 copies a month for the period of January to June were claimed by the magazine to be higher than any other British computer magazine.
By 1989, rival Spectrum magazine "Your Sinclair" regularly came with a free cassette attached to the cover that contained a complete game and various demos. "Crash" had occasionally featured cassettes on the cover, but began to lag in circulation. It was relaunched that June with a free cover-mounted cassette with a number of complete games, which continued as a regular feature. This came at the expense of page count and editorial content, both of which were reduced. Kean was annoyed by having to put tapes on the cover to keep up with the competition, as it increased costs and obscured Frey's cover artwork.
Newsfield was suffering increasing financial difficulties by the early 1990s. The last edition of "Crash" published by the company was in September 1991. Following the company's liquidation, the magazine was relaunched by Europress that December, continuing until the final issue in April 1992. After this, "Crash" was bought by EMAP, publisher of "Sinclair User", who merged the two magazines. In practice, this meant little more than the appearance of the "Crash" logo on the front cover.
In May 2016, No. 2 King Street, Ludlow was awarded a Blue plaque as the premises of Newsfield while it was publishing "Crash" and "ZZap!64" from 1984–9, which both hired pupils from Ludlow Church of England School alongside professional journalists.
In 2017, the magazine was commemorated in a special exhibition in Ludlow Buttercross Museum documenting Newsfield's contribution to the local industry. The same year, a special edition of the magazine was issued following a Kickstarter campaign that raised £12,000. Kean, Oliver Frey and Nick Roberts all returned to contribute to this issue. The following year, a similar campaign led to the 2019 "Crash" annual – issue 100. The magazine was relaunched as an A5 quarterly publication in December 2020.
Cover art.
"Crash" featured distinctive cover art, mostly drawn by Oliver Frey. Much of his work was published in book form for the first time in 2006.
The cover of issue 18, July 1985, which depicted a scantily clad sorceress with a man on his knees in collar and chains, was considered provocative by some shops who moved it to the top shelf. Issue 31 in August 1986 was criticised for the front cover featuring staff writer Hannah Smith in a swimsuit mud wrestling with an alien. The cover of issue 41, June 1987, was a particularly violent image depicting two barbarians fighting, with one about to slit the throat of another. The picture was deemed too strong by W H Smith and that issue was relegated to the top shelves. However, these controversial covers helped boost the sales of "Crash", particularly doubling the circulation from 1985 to 1986.
Editorial content.
Much editorial content (such as previews and responses to readers' letters) was credited to Lloyd Mangram, a fictional character, although written by members of the editorial staff. He was created by the team simply to make the magazine look more important and professional by appearing to have a greater number of writers, and named after golfer Lloyd Mangrum. On one occasion, Mangram was depicted visually in the magazine by a sketch of a man wearing a paper bag over his head with holes cut for eyes, and was reported to work on a Hermes typewriter.
The "Playing Tips" section featured solutions to games cheats to make them easier. Candy was a regular host of this section in its early years. Issue 27 in April 1986 included a special "Robin Candy's Playing Tips" supplement of cheats and game modifications, including a room editor for the Crash Smash game "Sweevo's World". Following Candy's departure, Hannah Smith ran the section as a self-styled "girlie tipster", establishing a rivalry with fictional Melissa Ravenflame from "Computer and Video Games". Nick Roberts began his role in the magazine editing this section after Smith, and stayed for the remainder of its run, working out POKEs (alterations to the game's machine code in memory that allowed a player to cheat) using a Multiface, a Spectrum hardware add-on. The magazine also covered technical information and stories about future hardware and peripherals in its "Tech Niche" and "Tech Tips" sections, the latter frequently written by Simon N Goodwin. In 1988, a special "Tech Tape" was released, containing utilities and programs associated with this section.
"Crash" included the occasional column which seemed unusual for a computer magazine. Its first year saw the launch of both the "Lunar Jetman" strip (written and illustrated by John Richardson, based on the character from the games by Ultimate Play the Game) and "The Terminal Man", an original piece of fiction written by Kelvin Gosnell and illustrated by Oliver Frey. Later years would see a brief revival of "The Terminal Man", as well as Mel Croucher's comic story "Tamara Knight", both of which ended mid-run. After the closure of Newsfield's short-lived lifestyle magazine "LM", "Crash" inherited its video reviews for a short period.
The August 1985 issue of "Crash" featured "Unclear User", a spoof on rival magazine "Sinclair User". This led to a successful injunction being taken out against the magazine two days before the official publication date on the grounds of copyright infringement. Copies were withdrawn from newsagents and an apology published in the following issue. Readers were also offered to buy a back issue with the offending pages removed at a reduced price and priority delivery.
Readers awards.
Starting in 1984, the magazine published an annual readers awards article, based on votes from the readers.


Space Manbow

Space Manbow is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed and published by Konami for the MSX2 and MSX2+ home computers in 1989. It was later re-released for mobile phones on September 1, 2006; for the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console service on November 24, 2009; on February 19, 2014 for the Wii U; and on July 28, 2015 for the Windows Store (Project EGG). It has never been released outside Japan.
Gameplay.
In the game, the player pilots a starship shaped like a mambo fish. There are only two weapon types available throughout the game, which can be powered up through standard pickups. The weapons gradually lose power unless the player makes additional pickups, but the ship is helped by two stationary "options" similar to those found in the "Gradius" series. The "options" are able to shift so that they alternatively fire in three directions: forward, backward, and towards the top/bottom of the screen.


Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a professional-grade 30.1-megapixel full-frame digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera made by Canon.
Succeeding the EOS 5D Mark III, it was announced on 25 August 2016. The Mark IV went on sale in September 2016 with a retail price of $3,499 in the US, £3,599 in the UK, and €4,129 in the Eurozone.
The 5D Mark IV is offered as a body only or in a package with an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM zoom lens or an EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens; at introduction, the suggested retail price was $3,499, with 24-105 f/4L IS II kit $4,599, and with 24-70 f/4L IS kit $4,399.
Features.
New features over the EOS 5D Mark III are:
Upgrades.
On 20 April 2017 Canon issued a press release, announcing the upcoming availability of a C-LOG upgrade for existing EOS 5D Mark IV cameras. Pricing was set at US$99 and cameras shipping with the feature upgrade pre-installed were announced for July 2017.
In early 2019 Canon released a Voice Tag upgrade for existing EOS 5D Mark IV cameras. Pricing was set at US$99.
The upgrades are mutually exclusive, meaning only one upgrade can be applied to any given camera at a time.


A.E. (video game)

A.E. (sometimes shown unpunctuated as AE) is a fixed shooter written by Jun Wada and Makoto Horai for the Apple II and published by Broderbund in 1982. Versions for the Commodore VIC-20 (1983) and MSX (1984) followed. Unlike most earlier shooters which have a solid color or starfield background, the action in "A.E." takes place in front of science fiction scenes. Attacking creatures emerge from points in the image, often appearing to come from behind objects. Combined with a slight scaling as they advance, there is the impression of depth.
According to the back of the box, ""A.E." is the Japanese word for 'ray' as in Manta Ray or Sting Ray", robotic versions of which are enemies in the game.
Gameplay.
The fire button launches a missile upward which detonates when the button is released.
Development.
Broderbund partnered with Japanese developer Programmers-3 for several games, and "A.E." was the first of these. According to Doug Carlston, the Atari 8-bit version of "A.E." was the first Atari computer game written in Japan.
Reception.
Arnie Katz wrote for "Arcade Express": "The swirling flightpaths of the attackers as they zoom hither and yon around the eight playscreens is the principal feature that distinguishes 'A.E.' from the usual run of invasion games." He pointed out that the images the game is played over have little bearing on gameplay. Citing a satisfying difficulty balance, Katz concluded with a score of 8/10.
"Computer Games" magazine gave the Atari and Apple versions an "A" in its "1985 Software Buyers Guide." Writing for "Videogaming and Computer Gaming Illustrated," Susan Levitan concluded: ""A.E." is a highly recommended, very challenging and rewarding game. The 3-D graphics are stunning and the serpentine movement of the A.E. is mesmerizing."


Nikon E3S


Samsung NX500

The Samsung NX500 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera announced by Samsung in February 2015. Like the flagship Samsung NX1, it has a 28-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, but lacks the electronic viewfinder of the top model. It succeeds the Samsung NX300.


Systolic array

In parallel computer architectures, a systolic array is a homogeneous network of tightly coupled data processing units (DPUs) called cells or nodes. Each node or DPU independently computes a partial result as a function of the data received from its upstream neighbors, stores the result within itself and passes it downstream. Systolic arrays were first used in Colossus, which was an early computer used to break German Lorenz ciphers during World War II. They were invented or rediscovered by H. T. Kung and Charles Leiserson who described arrays for many dense linear algebra computations (matrix product, solving systems of linear equations, LU decomposition, etc.) for banded matrices. Early applications include computing greatest common divisors of integers and polynomials. They are sometimes classified as multiple-instruction single-data (MISD) architectures under Flynn's taxonomy, but this classification is questionable because a strong argument can be made to distinguish systolic arrays from any of Flynn's four categories: SISD, SIMD, MISD, MIMD, as discussed later in this article.
The parallel input data flows through a network of hard-wired processor nodes, which combine, process, merge or sort the input data into a derived result. Because the wave-like propagation of data through a systolic array resembles the pulse of the human circulatory system, the name "systolic" was coined from medical terminology. The name is derived from systole as an analogy to the regular pumping of blood by the heart.
Applications.
Systolic arrays are often hard-wired for specific operations, such as "multiply and accumulate", to perform massively parallel integration, convolution, correlation, matrix multiplication or data sorting tasks. They are also used for dynamic programming algorithms, used in DNA and protein sequence analysis.
Architecture.
A systolic array typically consists of a large monolithic network of primitive computing nodes which can be hardwired or software configured for a specific application. The nodes are usually fixed and identical, while the interconnect is programmable. The more general wavefront processors, by contrast, employ sophisticated and individually programmable nodes which may or may not be monolithic, depending on the array size and design parameters. The other distinction is that systolic arrays rely on synchronous data transfers, while wavefront tend to work asynchronously.
Unlike the more common Von Neumann architecture, where program execution follows a script of instructions stored in common memory, addressed and sequenced under the control of the CPU's program counter (PC), the individual nodes within a systolic array are triggered by the arrival of new data and always process the data in exactly the same way. The actual processing within each node may be hard wired or block microcoded, in which case the common node personality can be block programmable.
The systolic array paradigm with data-streams driven by data counters, is the counterpart of the Von Neumann architecture with instruction-stream driven by a program counter. Because a systolic array usually sends and receives multiple data streams, and multiple data counters are needed to generate these data streams, it supports data parallelism.
Goals and benefits.
A major benefit of systolic arrays is that all operand data and partial results are stored within (passing through) the processor array. There is no need to access external buses, main memory or internal caches during each operation as is the case with Von Neumann or Harvard sequential machines. The sequential limits on parallel performance dictated by Amdahl's Law also do not apply in the same way, because data dependencies are implicitly handled by the programmable node interconnect and there are no sequential steps in managing the highly parallel data flow.
Systolic arrays are therefore extremely good at artificial intelligence, image processing, pattern recognition, computer vision and other tasks which animal brains do so particularly well. Wavefront processors in general can also be very good at machine learning by implementing self configuring neural nets in hardware.
Classification controversy.
While systolic arrays are officially classified as MISD, their classification is somewhat problematic. Because the input is typically a vector
of independent values, the systolic array is definitely not SISD. Since these input values are merged and combined into the result(s) and do not maintain their independence as they would in a SIMD vector processing unit, the array cannot be classified as such. Consequently, the array cannot be classified as a MIMD either, because MIMD can be viewed as a mere collection of smaller SISD and SIMD machines.
Finally, because the data swarm is transformed as it passes through the array from node to node, the multiple nodes are not operating on the same data, which makes the MISD classification a misnomer. The other reason why a systolic array should not qualify as a MISD is the same as the one which disqualifies it from the SISD category: The input data is typically a vector not a single data value, although one could argue that any given input vector is a single data set.
In spite of all of the above, systolic arrays are often offered as a classic example of MISD architecture in textbooks on parallel computing and in the engineering class. If the array is viewed from the outside as atomic it should perhaps be classified as SFMuDMeR = Single Function, Multiple Data, Merged Result(s).
Systolic arrays use a pre-defined computational flow graph that connects their nodes. Kahn process networks use a similar flow graph, but are distinguished by the nodes working in lock-step in the systolic array: in a Kahn network, there are FIFO queues
between each node.
Detailed description.
A systolic array is composed of matrix-like rows of data processing units called cells. Data processing units (DPUs) are similar to central processing units (CPUs), (except for the usual lack of a program counter, since operation is transport-triggered, i.e., by the arrival of a data object). Each cell shares the information with its neighbors immediately after processing. The systolic array is often rectangular where data flows across the array between neighbour DPUs, often with different data flowing in different directions. The data streams entering and leaving the ports of the array are generated by auto-sequencing memory units, ASMs. Each ASM includes a data counter. In embedded systems a data stream may also be input from and/or output to an external source.
An example of a systolic algorithm might be designed for matrix multiplication. One matrix is fed in a row at a time from the top of the array and is passed down the array, the other matrix is fed in a column at a time from the left hand side of the array and passes from left to right. Dummy values are then passed in until each processor has seen one whole row and one whole column. At this point, the result of the multiplication is stored in the array and can now be output a row or a column at a time, flowing down or across the array.
Systolic arrays are arrays of DPUs which are connected to a small number of nearest neighbour DPUs in a mesh-like topology. DPUs perform a sequence of operations on data that flows between them. Because the traditional systolic array synthesis methods have been practiced by algebraic algorithms, only uniform arrays with only linear pipes can be obtained, so that the architectures are the same in all DPUs. The consequence is, that only applications with regular data dependencies can be implemented on classical systolic arrays. Like SIMD machines, clocked systolic arrays compute in "lock-step" with each processor undertaking alternate compute | communicate
phases. But systolic arrays with asynchronous handshake between DPUs are called "wavefront arrays".
One well-known systolic array is Carnegie Mellon University's iWarp processor, which has been manufactured by Intel. An iWarp system has a linear array processor connected by data buses going in both directions.
History.
Systolic arrays (also known as "wavefront processors"), were first described by H. T. Kung and Charles E. Leiserson, who published the first paper describing systolic arrays in 1979. However, the first machine known to have used a similar technique was the Colossus Mark II in 1944.
Application example.
Horner's rule for evaluating a polynomial is:
A linear systolic array in which the processors are arranged in pairs: one multiplies its input by formula_2 and passes the result to the right, the next adds formula_3 and passes the result to the right.
Advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
Cons


Tcpkill

Tcpkill is a network utility program that can be used to kill connections to or from a particular host, network, port, or combination of all. These programs take standard Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) filters. This can be used for both port mirroring and arp spoofing.
Examples.
To prevent any connections to the host www.google.com use this command:
The computer that is attempting to go to that site will be blocked from that site only, but can surf any other site. It is a good idea to either redirect the output into nothingness ( > 2>/dev/null 1>/dev/null) or into a file for later analysis (> file.tcpkill ). By default, it will redirect output to the console.
More hosts can be specified with the command:
To block well−known ports e.g., napster (port 8888 and port 6699) or gnutella (port 6346), the command:
or
DoS with tcpkill.
Tcpkill can be used to create a DoS attack within a WAN or LAN, and this can be done by using a sniffer like dsniff or tcpdump to look at the packets that are being transmitted and to pick a target that you want to deny service. Assume the target has been identified as 192.168.100.38, a simple command like:
tcpkill -9 host 192.168.100.38
will kill all outgoing tcp packets (TCP segment) between the target and the rest of the network. Prior to the attack the target can receive packets from the rest of the network.
Options.
-i
the -i option specify which interface you want the program to listen on. The default option interface on most computers is eth0, because most computers only have one interface.
-1...9
The -1 to -9 specify the degree of brute force you want the attack to use on the target, with -1 being the least brute and -9 being the most brute. Computers on network with very fast connection usually require more brute force in order to successfully perform a DOS attack on them. Otherwise the command can be run without the -1 to -9 option or the -i option.
This is a description of one of the various dsniff programs. This text belongs to the dsniff “README” written by the author Dug Song.
See also: filesnarf , macof , mailsnarf , msfsnarf , sshmitm , tcpnice , urlsnarf webmitm , webspy .


List of Kaypro games

There were a number of games available for the monochrome Kaypro computers. There are currently 10 games on this list.


Sway (window manager)

Sway is a tiling window manager and Wayland compositor, inspired by i3, and written in C. Sway is designed as a drop-in replacement for i3 using the more modern Wayland display server protocol and "wlroots" compositor library. Sway works with existing i3 configuration files and supports most of i3's features while providing several new features of its own.
Sway's default controls for manipulating windows are similar to vi. Window focus is controlled by a combination of the Super key and one of the keys H, J, K, or L. Window movement is performed by the same combination of keys with the addition of the shift key.
Like i3, Sway can be extended and manipulated using its Unix domain socket and JSON-based IPC interface from many programming languages.
Sway's first stable release was on March 11, 2019, after 3.6 years of development.
Features.
Sway replicates several of i3's features:
Sway also provides several unique features:


Tycoon (video game)

Tycoon is a business simulation game for 1 to 5 players by David Bohlke for the TRS-80 Model I Level II and published by The Software Exchange.
Plot summary.
"Tycoon" is a game in which the player tries to increase the player's total worth by the effective management of a business to become the first tycoon.
Reception.
J. Mishcon reviewed "Tycoon" in "The Space Gamer" No. 30. Mishcon commented that "As currently constituted, I'd advised against this game, but a second edition with more complete instructions (and perhaps some non-financial complications for extreme tactics) would be very interesting." In a "SoftSide" review, Brad Cameron wrote, "Buy this—it is the player's skillful decisions that may win them the game, as there are many different strategies to use."


Alpha Waves

Alpha Waves is a 1990 3D game that combines labyrinthine exploration with platform gameplay. It combined for the first time full-screen, six-axis, flat-shaded 3D with 3D object interaction (like bouncing on a platform). Alpha Waves was an abstract game with a moody, artistic presentation, named for its supposed ability to stimulate the different emotional centers of the brain with its use of color and music.
It was developed initially for the Atari ST by Christophe de Dinechin, and later ported to the Amiga and DOS. The DOS port was done by Frédérick Raynal, a notable game designer who would go on to develop "Alone in the Dark" (often abbreviated AitD), and "Little Big Adventure". He has said that his work on "Alpha Waves" was a major inspiration for the 3D engine for "Alone in the Dark". The PC version was also localized in North America by Data East, and retitled Continuum. Infogrames may have also published their own version in the US under the original title, and it was also released as a part of no less than two Infogrames compilations, on which it retained its original name.
In November 2012, Christophe de Dinechin released the complete assembly language and GFA BASIC development tools source code for the Atari ST version. There is also a started PC port in C++ on sourceforge by the original author.
Mechanics.
"Alpha Waves" features two main modes of play: Action and Emotion. The core gameplay in both is the same.
In emotion mode, players guide one of six crafts (which are little more than geometric shapes in many cases) onto trampoline-like platforms. On these platforms, the player bounces automatically, higher, with each jump, until he reaches the maximum height possible for that platform (some are stronger than others). Every room in the game is a cube, and the walls contain doorways leading to other rooms. In this way, players have to work their way through the game's rooms, and reach different areas based on different emotions.
In Action Mode, players also work against the clock. Time bonuses are awarded for entering new rooms, and keys can be collected to open new paths. There is not a particular end to the game, but the goal is simply to last as long and to discover as much as possible before time runs out. Emotion Mode allows players to explore without time constraints, but players are not allowed to cross certain game boundaries.
Emotion mode was not time limited, and allowed players to explore the game environment freely. While completing the game in Action Mode was very difficult, many players simply enjoyed exploring the game territory in Emotion Mode.
Version differences.
"Alpha Waves" was initially released on the Atari ST. This version is notable for allowing two players to compete simultaneously. It lacked music entirely on the Atari 520ST, because of insufficient memory to store the music samples. On Atari 1040ST and later models, the theme song played during the intro. The music was stored on the second side of the floppy disk, since any Atari ST with enough memory also had a dual-sided floppy drive. A promotional version of the program was distributed by a French magazine on single-sided floppy disks, crashing any machine with more than 512K of memory.
The Amiga port was second and added a theme song at the title screen. The interface is similar, but the zone select in Emotion has been redone. Beyond this, it is very similar to the original - including the retention of the split-screen two player mode.
The MS-DOS version was the last one, and contains a number of improvements. This version supported AdLib/SoundBlaster sound cards. Despite the fact that these used the more limited FM synthesis of the Yamaha YM3812, compared to the PCM synthesis of the Amiga, "Alpha Waves" is one of the rare exceptions where the AdLib sound quality is superior. The soundtrack was also expanded to play in-game, and each zone had its own music. Additionally some of the mobiles have been changed, level layouts tweaked, and the camera tilting toned down for easier viewing. The menus and level selection screen have been redone again, and are noticeably enhanced. The DOS version also includes a two player Action Mode (turn-based as opposed to the split-screen of the other two versions).
The DOS version lacks a mechanism to regulate speed when played on systems faster than it was intended for (essentially causing it to play in fast forward on newer hardware). However, when played on a properly configured system or emulator, this can be considered the superior version, for solo play especially.
Technology.
Other 3D games of the same era include various ports of "Elite" (1984-1991), "Falcon" (1987), "Driller" (1987), Starglider 2 (1988), and Hovertank 3D (1991). Alpha-Waves (1990) brought a number of innovations to the 3D gaming experience that make it a significant landmark in 3D gaming:
"Alpha Waves" ran on 16-bit microcomputers that did not have hardware floating-point capabilities. For that reason, it performed all perspective and rotation computations using only integer arithmetics. In order to avoid using integer multiplications, which were expensive at the time, it described objects using displacements that were multiples of a base vector. For instance, a square in the Z plane would have been described as "+1X +1Y -1X -1Y". As a result, the vast majority of geometric computations were performed using only additions, not multiplications.
The computation of sine and cosines was similarly done using only integer arithmetic. All angles were represented using not degrees, but 1/256 of a circle. A lookup table contained the value of the sine multiplied by 32767. Multiplying this value by a 16-bit coordinate gave a 32-bit value, and the 16-bit high-half of that result was used.
Another key to performance was a highly optimized polygon-filling routine, which used a number of tricks, including an assembly version of Duff's device to achieve a high fill rate, besting the in-house self-modifying routine Infogrames was using at the time.
The Atari ST and Amiga versions were written in assembly language. The DOS version was written in C.
Reception.
"Computer Gaming World" stated that the game "plays like one would expect a "" "holodeck" game to play". The magazine said that it offered "some fascinating game experiences", but the lack of combat or two-player modem racing—and goals so uninteresting that they "actually "detract" from the game"—caused it to "fall short in the most important department of lasting entertainment".
"The One" gave the DOS version of "Alpha Waves" an overall score of 80%, calling it the "most abstract and original" game of Infogrames' "Crystal Collection", and begins their review by noting that ""Alpha Waves' " effect is so dependent on colour and sound that you really do need a fast VGA machine with an AdLib sound card to get the most out of it. However, even with all the suitable hardware "Alpha Waves" doesn't have much of a lasting appeal." "The One" furthermore expresses that "It's quite an entertaining way to spend a few hours, but the problem is that as nice as the idea is there simply isn't enough variety to sustain interest. After a few weeks play the only state of mind that "Alpha Waves" will induce is boredom." In regards to "Alpha Waves" proposed psychological aspect, "The One" states that "Whether the light and sound frequencies actually do have some effect is difficult to tell - certainly no-one here noticed any difference." Despite these criticisms, "The One" praises "Alpha Waves" as "very original", and also praises its soundtrack as "simple but effective".


AIM-65

The Rockwell AIM-65 computer was a development computer introduced in 1978 based on the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor. The AIM-65 was essentially an expanded KIM-1 computer. Available software included a line-oriented machine code monitor, BASIC interpreter, assembler, Pascal, PL/65, and FORTH development system. Available hardware included a floppy disk controller and a backplane for expansion.
Features.
Rockwell advertised the $375 AIM-65, with 1K RAM, as an "easy, inexpensive [computer] ... for learning, designing, work or just fun". Standard software included the system console monitor software in ROM, called Advanced Interactive Monitor. It featured an assembler, disassembler, setting and viewing memory and registers, starting execution of other programs and more. Single stepping was made possible using non-maskable interrupt (NMI). The command prompt was the less-than sign "<", and on receiving a single character command, it added this input character and the greater-than sign ">". If the thermal printer was turned on, this would be output on a single line. The monitor included a number of service routines that could be accessed and used by a user's program to control I/O and code execution, and was fully documented, including source code.
The machine featured dual cassette tape control. This made it possible to write large assembly programs using the two-pass assembler ROM. Source code in text was written twice consecutively to the input tape, and then the assembler, which could start/stop the input cassette tape using motor control was invoked. During the first pass the symbol table was built and stored in RAM. During the second pass symbols would be translated and code written out to the second tape, also using start/stop motor control. Being able to avoid storing code in RAM made it possible to save much space. It was however, still important to keep the symbols list short since RAM size was often no more than 4 KB.
In 1981, Rockwell introduced an improved model with a 40 character display as the AIM-65/40. An industrial chassis version was known as the System 65 and included a PROM burner and floppy drives. Rockwell was also a pioneer in solid-state storage devices, introducing "bubble memory" non-volatile expansion boards about 1980.
Micro Technology Unlimited (MTU) made a "Visible Memory" card in 1978 that worked with the KIM-1 and AIM-65 computers, providing raster graphics display capability. MTU also made the first real time music synthesizer for a microcomputer; it worked with the KIM-1 and AIM-65, and featured a DAC with software providing 4 voices of wavetable-lookup synthesis.
In Spain they were distributed by Comelta. This company made various card expansions:
Comelta assembled all the options in a single box to produce a new computer, the Comelta Drac-1. The first prototype used microcassetes, but definitive versions have two 8" floppy disk drives.
In the late 1970s, the Rockwell AIM-65, and successor System 65 became the first computers used on board a float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Cal Poly Universities wrote their own animation control language to control hydraulic and motor actuators on floats for many years. In 2003, some of these 27-year-old computers were still in use controlling various displays and creatures at a high tech Halloween show near Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A.
Reception.
"Compute!" stated that the monitor was by itself almost worth the price of the AIM-65. It concluded that the computer was "an excellent value at the $375 needed for minimum configurations".
Programming.
"PL/65" was a programming language designed and implemented by Rockwell International for the AIM-65.
It is based on a mix of ALGOL and PL/I, simplified where possible in order to adapt to the limited processing environment afforded by the 6502 (64k memory for instance).
Emulation.
AIM-65 can be emulated using MESS Emulator. But that emulation lacks printer support. Also Sysinfo.dat file states that "Would suffer from support for intelligent terminals as tty equipment."


Conflict Catcher

Conflict Catcher is a discontinued utility software application that was written by Jeff Robbin and published by Casady & Greene for classic Mac OS. It aided Macintosh users in solving operating system conflicts with extensions and control panels (see Extension conflict). Conflict Catcher included a printed manual written by David Pogue.
A Mac OS X version was never released, since the extension mechanisms in Mac OS X does not have extension conflicts. The last version of Conflict Catcher was version 9, for Mac OS 9, sales were already declining and in 2003 Casady & Greene filed for bankruptcy. Conflict Catcher 9 was priced at $63, significantly higher than average prices for utility software.


ODN (file manager)


Nightmare 6

Nightmare #6 is a game which Apple Computer included (along with other software) with the purchase of their systems in the 1980s.
There is a bug in the program. It is possible to get a score above the stated maximum of 2080.


Pentax K2000

The Pentax K-m (called K2000 in U.S.) is a 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on September 22, 2008 at the 2008 photokina trade show along with the DA-L series of lightweight, inexpensive lenses. It was discontinued in November 2009, being replaced by the more recent Pentax K-x.
The K-m is considered a compact and entry-level model. It is significantly lighter than other Pentax DSLRs, lacks the weather sealing of the contemporaneous K200D and K20D models, and is intended to be sold with lightweight DA-L-series lenses. It does offer some improvements over the K200D, however, notably a maximum sensitivity increased from ISO 1600 to ISO 3200 and a slightly faster burst mode.
The MSRP of the Pentax K2000 is $699 with DA-L 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 kit lens and AF200FG external flash unit.


Windows Notepad


Expand (Unix)

codice_1 is a program that converts tab characters into groups of space characters, while maintaining correct alignment. It is available in Unix operating systems and many Unix-like operating systems.
Example.
For example:
$ echo -e "foo\tbar" | expand | xxd -g 1 -u
0000000: 66 6F 6F 20 20 20 20 20 62 61 72 0A foo bar.
$ echo -e "foo\tbar" | xxd -g 1 -u
0000000: 66 6F 6F 09 62 61 72 0A foo.bar.
Here the codice_2 command prints a string of text that includes a tab character, then the output is directed into the codice_1 command. The resulting output is then displayed in hexadecimal and as characters by the codice_4 dump command. At the second prompt, the same codice_2 output is sent directly to the codice_4 command. As can be seen by comparing the two, the codice_1 program converts the tab (specified as '\t' to the codice_2 program) into spaces.


Alpha Blaster

Alpha Blaster is a fixed shooter video game developed by Dave Aron at Sumlock for the Commodore VIC-20 and published by LiveWire Software in 1983. Aackosoft published an MSX adaptation of the game in the following year.
Gameplay.
In "Alpha Blaster", a derivative of "Galaxian" (1979), the player defends against an alien invasion fleet from the planet Alpha. Piloting a lone Federation battle cruiser, the player scores points by shooting flying saucers and other spacecraft with a laser cannon. The craft's laser energy and fuel are limited. After surviving two waves of attacks, the player must then dodge and blast through debris as the cruiser flies through an asteroid belt. If the player passes through the asteroid belt, the cruiser docks with a supply ship to rearm and refuel. After each such cycle, the game's difficulty level increases.


Lspci

lspci is a command on Unix-like operating systems that prints ("lists") detailed information about all PCI buses and devices in the system. It is based on a common portable library "libpci" which offers access to the PCI configuration space on a variety of operating systems.
Example usage.
Example output on a Linux system:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82815 815 Chipset Host Bridge and Memory Controller Hub (rev 11)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82815 Chipset Graphics Controller (CGC) (rev 11)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 03)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801BAM ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 03)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801BAM IDE U100 Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #1 (rev 03)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM SMBus Controller (rev 03)
00:1f.4 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM USB Controller #2 (rev 03)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801BA/BAM AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 03)
01:03.0 CardBus bridge: O2 Micro, Inc. OZ6933/711E1 CardBus/SmartCardBus Controller (rev 01)
01:03.1 CardBus bridge: O2 Micro, Inc. OZ6933/711E1 CardBus/SmartCardBus Controller (rev 01)
01:0b.0 PCI bridge: Actiontec Electronics Inc Mini-PCI bridge (rev 11)
02:04.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82557/8/9/0/1 Ethernet Pro 100 (rev 08)
02:08.0 Communication controller: Agere Systems WinModem 56k (rev 01)
Using codice_1, codice_2, or codice_3 will display increasingly verbose details for all devices. codice_4 option specifies the vendor and device ID of the devices to display. Note that ":" can not be omitted, while the omitted codice_5 or codice_6 indicates "any value".
If many devices are shown as unknown (e.g. "Unknown device 2830 (rev 02)"), issuing the command codice_7 will usually correct this.
lsusb.
codice_8 is a similar command for USB buses and devices. To make use of all the features of this program, you need to have a Linux kernel which supports the /proc/bus/usb interface (e.g., Linux kernel 2.3.15 or newer).
hwinfo.
codice_9 is for all the hardware. Hwinfo output reports for various computer models are collected in a public GitHub repository.
lshw.
codice_10 is a subset of what hwinfo presents.
Other platforms.
The equivalent command for FreeBSD is codice_11. codice_12 can also perform other functions such as reading and writing PCI registers. For more information, see the man page.
The HWiNFO tool, which is not related to the codice_9 tool mentioned above, can be downloaded in binary form at no cost. It is claimed to be a "system information and diagnostics comprehensive hardware analysis, monitoring and reporting for Windows and DOS".


Pentax 645Z

The Pentax 645Z is a professional medium format digital SLR camera announced by Ricoh on April 15, 2014. While it shares its sensor with the Phase One IQ250 and Hasselblad H5Dc, it retails at less than a third of the price of these (~8500 at ~27000 USD). In 2015, the 645Z won the TIPA Award for the "Best Medium Format Camera".
The most notable improvements over its predecessor, the Pentax 645D, include much lower noise at high ISO, the ability to record video (FullHD at 30 frames per second), and a tilting rear display.
It has a 27-point phase-detect autofocus system, all clustered near center of frame, and a weather sealed body. Its peak dynamic range is 14.8 EV at base ISO, compared to 12.6 EV on its 645D predecessor.
Furthermore, the 645Z is compatible with the Pentax FluCard to allow wireless "tethered" operation.


Assampler

The Amiga Assampler is a software synthesizer and sample editor. Its features are:


TwinBee

 is a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up game originally released by Konami as an arcade game in 1985 in Japan. Along with Sega's "Fantasy Zone", released a year later, "TwinBee" is credited as an early archetype of the "cute 'em up" type in its genre. It was the first game to run on Konami's Bubble System hardware. "TwinBee" was ported to the Family Computer and MSX in 1986 and has been included in numerous compilations released in later years. The original arcade game was released outside Japan for the first time in the Nintendo DS compilation "". A mobile phone version was released for i-mode Japan phones in 2003 with edited graphics.
Various "TwinBee" sequels were released for the arcade and home console markets following the original game, some which spawned audio drama and anime adaptations in Japan.
Gameplay.
"TwinBee" can be played by up to 2-players simultaneously. The player takes control of a cartoon-like anthropomorphic spacecraft, with Player 1 taking control of TwinBee, the titular ship, while Player 2 controls WinBee. The game control consists of an eight-way joystick and two buttons: one for shooting enemies in the air and the other for dropping bombs to ground enemies (similarly to "Xevious").
The player's primary power-ups are bells that can be uncovered by shooting at the floating clouds where they're hidden. If the player continues shooting the bell after it appears, it will change into one of four other colors: the regular yellow bells only grant bonus points, the white bell will upgrade the player's gun into a twin cannon, the blue bell increases the player's speed (for up to five speed levels), the green bell will allow the player to create image copies of its ship for additional firepower, and the red bell will provide the player's ship a barrier that allows it to sustain more damage. The green and red bells cannot be combined together. Other power-ups can also be retrieved from ground enemies such as an alternate bell that gives the player's ship a three-way gun, a star which eliminates all on-screen enemies.
As with other games of the same genre, getting shot by a single enemy bullet will cause the player to lose a life. However, if the bullet only strikes either side of the ship instead, the player's ship will only lose one of its arms. If the player's ship loses both arms, it will lose the ability to throw bombs and the player must wait for an ambulance to arrive. The player must navigate their ship to the ambulance to repair their arms. However, if the player's ship loses both arms for the second time, no ambulance will arrive.
If two players are playing at the same time, they can align their ships vertically or horizontally together to perform more powerful attacks.
Home versions.
"TwinBee" originally appeared as an arcade game. It was later ported to MSX and the Family Computer. The Famicom version was re-released only in Japan under the Famicom Mini label for the Game Boy Advance. This game was officially released for the first time outside Japan as part of the "" for the Nintendo DS in March 2007, under the name "RainbowBell" in North America, although the "TwinBee" name was restored for the European release. "TwinBee" was released in Japan on August 10, 2011 and in other regions on September 22, 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS as a part of the 3D Classics series. This release was featured amongst other games from the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES to be released for the 3DS on a tech demo called "Classic Games" at E3 2010. The arcade version of "TwinBee" was made available on Microsoft's "Game Room" service for its Xbox 360 console and for Windows-based PCs on December 1, 2010. Also, the MSX version was re-released for Windows' EGG Project on August 19, 2014 and for the PlayStation 4, published by Hamster Corporation in Japan. An NES port was re-released for the Nintendo Switch Online on November 14, 2018 worldwide, with an SP version titled "TwinBee: A second helping of Donburi Island!" released on June 12, 2019.
Reception.
In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "TwinBee" on their April 1, 1985 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit of the year.
The version of"Twinbee" for Nintendo 3DS received a total of 68/100 on Metacritic, which is mixed to positive, with an average user score of 6.8.


Last Battalion

Override is a Data East vertical-scrolling shooter game released for the PC Engine in 1991. Later that year, Sting Entertainment, the creator of the original Data East game, developed and self-published a version for the X68000 released as Last Battalion.
It is the first recorded game developed by Sting Entertainment and the X68000 version is now available as a free "one stage only" demo download on Sting's website. On September 4, 2007, G-Mode published the "Override" version of the game for the Wii Virtual Console which (like its 1991 release) was reserved exclusively for the Japanese market.
Gameplay.
The player can increase the power of your primary weapon by collecting “P” items. Your ship also has a charge feature, where if you do not touch the fire button for a few seconds, your ship will charge up a powerful shot that can destroy many of the enemies on-screen. You can also acquire secondary weapons by collecting a gem. The gem changes colors, and depending on which color it is when you collect it, you will get a different weapon. You can power up your secondary weapon by collecting another gem of the same color.
Reception.
On release, the game was scored a 30 out of 40 by a panel of four reviewers at "Famicom Tsūshin".


Knights of the Desert

Knights of the Desert is a 1983 turn-based strategy video game developed by Tactical Design Group and published by Strategic Simulations for the Apple II series, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, MS-DOS and TRS-80. It is based on the 1940-43 North African campaign.
Gameplay.
Players have the option to play set pieces of the campaign or the entire campaign as a theatre commander. For example, players can play as either the Axis or Allies in 1941 when Rommel bypassed Tobruk or again in 1942 when he had captured it or on the eve of El Alamein.
Limited in scope and playability (the map only stretched from western Libya to Alexandria), the game did not involve the forces of Operation Torch (United States and allied French) in 1943.
Reception.
"Softline" in 1983 called "Knights of the Desert" "a very fluid and exciting game ... not a simple nor a simplistic program". "Computer Gaming World" in 1983 complimented it for being both easy to play and offering realistic units and combat, and concluded that "Knights of the Desert" "is another solid step toward the ideal computer wargame". A 1987 overview of World War II simulations in the magazine was harsher, rating it two out of five points and calling the game "slow and ponderous ... does not deliver its potential". A 1993 survey in the magazine of wargames gave the game one-plus stars out of five for similar reasons.
"Knights of the Desert" was awarded the Charles S. Roberts Award for "Best Adventure Game for Home Computer of 1983".


Apollo Computer

Apollo Computer Inc., founded in 1980 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, by William Poduska (a founder of Prime Computer) and others, developed and produced Apollo/Domain workstations in the 1980s. Along with Symbolics and Sun Microsystems, Apollo was one of the first vendors of graphical workstations in the 1980s. Like computer companies at the time and unlike manufacturers of IBM PC compatibles, Apollo produced much of its own hardware and software.
Apollo was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1989 for US$476 million (equivalent to $ million in ), and gradually closed down over the period 1990-1997. The brand (as "HP Apollo") was resurrected in 2014 as part of HP's high-performance computing portfolio.
History.
Apollo was started in 1980, two years before Sun Microsystems.
In addition to Poduska, the founders included Dave Nelson (Engineering), Mike Greata (Engineering), Charlie Spector (COO), Bob Antonuccio (Manufacturing), Gerry Stanley (Sales and Marketing), and Dave Lubrano (Finance). The founding engineering team included Mike Sporer, Bernie Stumpf, Russ Barbour, Paul Leach, and Andy Marcuvitz.
In 1981, the company unveiled the DN100 workstation, which used the Motorola 68000 microprocessor. Apollo workstations ran Aegis (later replaced by Domain/OS), a proprietary operating system with a POSIX-compliant Unix alternative shell. Apollo's networking was particularly elegant, among the first to allow demand paging over the network, and allowing a degree of network transparency and low sysadmin-to-machine ratio.
From 1980 to 1987, Apollo was the largest manufacturer of network workstations. Its quarterly sales exceeded $100 million for the first time in late 1986, and by the end of that year, it had the largest worldwide share of the engineering workstations market, at twice the market share of the number two, Sun Microsystems. At the end of 1987, it was third in market share after Digital Equipment Corporation and Sun, but ahead of Hewlett-Packard and IBM. Apollo's largest customers were Mentor Graphics (electronic design), General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Chicago Research and Trading (Options and Futures) and Boeing.
Apollo was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1989 for US$476 million, and gradually closed down over the period 1990-1997. But after acquiring Apollo Computer in 1989, HP integrated a lot of Apollo technology into their own HP 9000 series of workstations and servers. The Apollo engineering center took over PA-RISC workstation development and Apollo became an HP workstation brand name ("HP Apollo 9000") for a while. Apollo also invented the revision control system "DSEE" (Domain Software Engineering Environment) which inspired IBM Rational ClearCase. DSEE was pronounced "dizzy".
Apollo machines used a proprietary operating system, Aegis, because of the excessive cost of single CPU Unix licenses at the time of system definition. Aegis, like Unix, was based on concepts from the Multics time sharing operating system. It used the concepts of shell programming (à la Stephen Bourne), single-level store, and object-oriented design. Aegis was written in a proprietary version of Pascal.
The dual 68000 processor configuration was designed to provide automatic page fault switching, with one processor acting as a watchdog, while the other executed the OS and program instructions. When a page fault was raised, the main CPU was halted in mid (memory) cycle while the watchdog CPU would bring the page into memory and then allow the main CPU to continue, unaware of the page fault. Later improvements in the Motorola 68010 processor obviated the need for the dual processor design.
Certain efficiencies were gained by careful design, for example, the memory page size, network packet, and disk sector were all 1K byte in size. With this arrangement a page fault could take place across the network as well as on the individual computer and Aegis file system was a single system of memory mapped files across the entire network. The name space of the network was self discovering as new nodes (workstations) were added.
Domain/OS (Distributed On-line Multi-access Interactive Network/Operating System) was initially a layer over Aegis and was not built on a Unix kernel. Release 10 incorporated large parts of Unix but the burden of backwards compatibility with previous releases led to a system that was larger and significantly slower than the previous ones. In the end, Hewlett Packard shut down the Domain/OS line. Release 10 came out as competitors were gaining ground in the area of graphics and windowing systems, particularly with the trend to open systems and the X Window System.
Another feature was its proprietary token-ring network, which was originally designed to support relatively small networks of, at most, dozens of computers in an office environment. It was a superb design, allowing direct memory access page faulting from any hard drive on the network, but it did not inter-operate with any other existing network hardware or software. The industry widely adopted Ethernet and TCP/IP, a more universal, albeit much slower network. Apollo later added support for these industry standards while continuing to support its own Domain networking using both Ethernet and token ring. The Domain networking was modeled after Xerox Network Systems.
The company moved from a proprietary data bus architecture in favor of IBM's AT-bus, as used in the second generation of IBM PCs, and was simultaneously embracing RISC technology moving towards high-end processors, eventually producing the PRISM line.
The workstation industry in general experienced hard times in the second half of the 1980s, as IBM Personal Computers and IBM PC compatibles began making inroads on their customer base.
Thomas Vanderslice was hired as President and CEO in 1984,
and founder William Poduska left the company in 1985 to found Stellar.
The company incurred large losses in 1987 in currency speculation due to the trading activities of one individual,
and in 1988 from declining demand for its products.
In 1989 Apollo was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for US$476 million (equivalent to $ million in ). HP support for Apollo products was fragmented for the first few years, but was reorganized in late 1992, at which point there were still some 100,000 users of Apollo products and the user group IWorks (formerly InterWorks) had some 4,500 members. Earlier that year, Sun had already offered discounts on its systems for customers trading in their Apollo machines; HP responded the next winter by a trade-in program of its own, that also allowed trading in hardware from Sun and other vendors in return for a discount on HP workstations.
Apollo was gradually closed down over the period 1990-1997.
References.
This article was partly based on material from the "Free On-line Dictionary of Computing" and is used with permission under the GFDL.


Shiraz Shivji

Shiraz Shivji (born 1947 in Tanzania) was the primary designer of the Atari ST computer, and one of the engineers behind the Commodore 64.
Biography.
Shiraz Shivji, born 1947 in Tanzania, was of Indian Ismaili heritage. He was interested in electronics from a young age in Tanzania. He was educated in the United Kingdom, where he obtained a first-class honours degree at the University of Southampton. He then moved to the United States, where he obtained a master's degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University during 1969–1973. He then began work at Silicon Valley, and found work at Commodore International, where he was one of the engineers that helped build the Commodore 64. By 1984, he had been promoted to being the director of engineering at Commodore.
Atari ST design.
When Jack Tramiel took over Atari in 1984 with a number of Commodore engineers, the company was in bad shape. Shiraz Shivji became Atari's Vice President of Research and Development, and led a team of six engineers who designed the Atari 520ST computer. This work was completed in five months (July to December 1984). The prototype presentation at the January 1985 Las Vegas CES was successful for Atari, and the product revived the company. He later led the design of the Atari TT before leaving Atari.
When he joined Atari from Commodore, he was one of four ex-Commodore engineers charged, but acquitted, of theft in relation to disk drive design plans.


DarwiinRemote

DarwiinRemote is an application for Mac OS X v10.4 or above which allows Wii Remote to fully control applications on a Mac. The software includes a desktop application and a developers' framework, allowing for additional functionality. To use the software, the computer must have Bluetooth enabled.
Usage.
DarwiinRemote employs most of the features of the Wii Remote. All three accelerometers feed information to the Mac. All of the buttons on the Wii Remote, including the Nunchuk and classic controller attachments, can be used, and the control stick position can be displayed, but it is not possible to use the control stick to control anything. The rumble features and LEDs are fully programmable. In addition, DarwiinRemote can accept the infrared signals from the Wii Sensor Bar. However, to use this feature, the bar must be plugged into a powered socket on a Wii console, or it must be a battery-powered model. One can also, however, use a string of infrared LEDs or a single IR LED from a remote control instead of a sensor bar.
Button mapping.
By editing the source code or customizing the application's preferences, the buttons on the remote can emulate any key combination on the Mac. By default, the Remote's buttons correspond with the following keys:


Joyboard

The Joyboard is a balance board peripheral for the Atari 2600 video game console. It was released in 1982 and was used by standing on top of it and leaning in a certain direction. Skier Suzy Chaffee appeared on television and at toy fairs demonstrating its use.
Design.
The Joyboard worked by installing the four directional latches of a joystick on the bottom of the board. Leaning in a certain direction engaged these latches, controlling the game. A joystick could also be connected to the Joyboard if necessary. This is done via a standard Atari joystick port placed next to where the cable goes into the board. It can be used in a "plugthrough" manner which saves disconnecting the board when not in use.
Due to similarities in design and function, the Wii Balance Board, a peripheral for Nintendo's Wii video game console, has been compared to the Joyboard. The Wii Balance Board also allows users to control games with their feet, but uses more advanced technology in the form of pressure sensors under each foot.
Software.
"Mogul Maniac" was the only game released for the Joyboard. A slalom skiing game, it was developed by Amiga Corporation and sold alongside the Joyboard upon release. "Off Your Rocker", another game developed by Amiga, could also use the Joyboard, in place of a normal joystick. The object of the game was to repeat the color and sound patterns made by "Rockin' Rollie", the on-screen character. Although the game was completed, it was never officially sold by Amiga, and instead the cartridges were sent to a company called Pleasant Valley Video who then sold them to the public. "Surf's Up", a surfing game, also seems to have been developed for use with the Joyboard, but was not released either.
Guru Meditation.
Early in the development of the Amiga computer operating system, the company's developers became so frustrated with the system's frequent crashes that, as a relaxation technique, they attempted to sit perfectly still on the Joyboard so not to engage any of the latches on the bottom of it. This is where the infamous Guru Meditation error originates from in earlier versions of the AmigaOS operating system.
In homage to this, Ian Bogost, founder of video game developer Persuasive Games, has developed the video game "Guru Meditation" in an attempt "to create a legitimate zen meditation game". Although the game may be played using a joystick, if a player uses the Joyboard, they must sit perfectly still on it with their legs crossed. If a player is successful, the on-screen yogi will rise, and once enough time has passed the yogi will begin to float and the timer starts. The time of day changes roughly each hour, and clouds pass in the background. Ian Bogost worked in conjunction with Atari fansite AtariAge to manufacture ten copies of the game in cartridge form.


Environment Modules (software)

The Environment Modules system is a tool to help users manage their Unix or Linux shell environment, by allowing groups of related environment-variable settings to be made or removed dynamically.
Modules has been around since the early 1990s and is used at some of the largest computer centers to deploy multiple versions of different software tools to users. The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) reports that they use Environment Modules to manage nearly all software. Environment Modules is specified as a Baseline Configuration requirement of the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP) Project Baseline Configuration team for participating DoD Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs).
modulefiles.
The modules system is based on modulefiles, which specify groups of environment settings that need to be made together. Modulefiles can be installed in a central location for general use, or in a user directory for personal use. Environment Modules modulefiles are written in the Tcl (Tool Command Language) and are interpreted by the modulecmd program via the module user interface.
The key advantage of Environment Modules is that it is shell independent and supports all major shells such as bash, ksh, zsh, sh, tcsh, and csh. The second key advantage is that it allows to use multiple versions of the program or package from the same account by just loading proper module. Those two advantages were instrumental in making Environment Modules a part of most HPC cluster setups. It also inspired several alternative implementation such as lmod from University of Texas, which is written in Lua instead of TCL.
modulefiles are created on per application per version basis. They can be dynamically loaded, unloaded, or switched. Along with the capability of using multiple versions of the same software it also can be used to implement site policies regarding the access and use of applications.
default modulefiles directory.
The default modules search path is in a hidden configuration file you can display with:
The directory used by some distributions (or any other directory) can be used after a build from source by modifying the file.
Add your own modules to the path.
The module essentially performs these steps:
Use a version file within a hierarchical organization.
The commands in this section require read/write/execute access to the /etc/modulefiles directory. The $HOME/privatemodules or another directory can be used instead along with "module use --append" or modification of the configuration file specifying the default modules search path.
The default modulefiles directory is empty initially. Copy the null module to the default modulefiles directory to have it shown by "module avail". The following uses the null and module-info modules to show use of a version file within a hierarchical organization and their effect on module avail and module show:
 mkdir /etc/modulefiles/test
 cp ${MODULESHOME}/modulefiles/null /etc/modulefiles/test/2.0
 cp ${MODULESHOME}/modulefiles/module-info /etc/modulefiles/test/1.0
 module avail
 module show test
Set the first version as the default:
 echo '#%Module' > /etc/modulefiles/test/.version
 echo 'set ModulesVersion "1.0"' » /etc/modulefiles/test/.version
 module avail
 module show test
 module show test/2.0
Switch to the newer version as the default with:
 rm /etc/modulefiles/test/.version
 echo '#%Module' > /etc/modulefiles/test/.version
 echo 'set ModulesVersion "2.0"' » /etc/modulefiles/test/.version
 module avail
 module show test
After the above following a fresh install from source you would see:
$ module avail
-------------------- /usr/local/Modules/3.2.10/modulefiles ---------------------
dot module-git module-info modules null use.own
------------------------------- /etc/modulefiles -------------------------------
null test/1.0 test/2.0(default)
--------------------------- /home/user/privatemodules --------------------------
null
$ module show test
/etc/modulefiles/test/2.0:
module-whatis does absolutely nothing
$ module show test/1.0
/etc/modulefiles/test/1.0:
module-whatis returns all various module-info values
+ module-info +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.
flags = 2
mode = display
name = test/1.0
specified = test/1.0
shell = bash
shelltype = sh
version = test/1.0
user = advanced
trace = 0
tracepat = -.*
symbols = *undef*
+ info ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.
hostname = localhost
level = 1
loaded null = 0
library = /usr/local/lib/tcl8.6
nameofexecutable =
sharedlibextension = .so
tclversion = 8.6
patchlevel = 8.6.1
Automatic modules initialization.
Environment Modules on Scientific Linux, CentOS, and RHEL distributions in the environment-modules package include and scripts for the directory that make modules initialization part of the default shell initialization. One of the advantages of Environment Modules is a single modulefile that supports bash, ksh, zsh, sh as well as tcsh and csh shell users for environment setup and initialization. This makes managing complex environments a bit less complicated.
For a source build the automation for all users can be manually configured.
bash, ksh, zsh, sh automatic modules initialization.
 from the file in the 3.2.10 modules build directory.
 trap "" 1 2 3
 case "$0" in
 -bash|bash|*/bash) . /usr/local/Modules/default/init/bash ;;
 -ksh|ksh|*/ksh) . /usr/local/Modules/default/init/ksh ;;
 -zsh|zsh|*/zsh) . /usr/local/Modules/default/init/zsh ;;
 *) . /usr/local/Modules/default/init/sh ;; # default
 esac
 trap 1 2 3
Copy the file from the 3.2.10 modules build directory to the system initialization directory:
$ sudo cp etc/global/profile.modules /etc/profile.d/modules.sh
Add a version 3.2.10 symbolic link for the above generic addresses:
$ cd /usr/local/Modules
$ sudo ln -sT 3.2.10 default
tcsh, csh automatic modules initialization.
A symbolic link to the file in the 3.2.10 modules build directory can enable automatic modules initialization for these users.
Installing on Linux.
Installing Environment Modules on Linux using yum and rpm.
On Scientific Linux, CentOS, and RHEL distributions Environment Modules is in the environment-modules package which can be installed with:
 sudo yum install environment-modules
Once installed the package information can be viewed with:
 rpm -qi environment-modules
 rpm -ql environment-modules
Installing Environment Modules on Linux using apt and dpkg.
On Ubuntu or systems using apt-get, Environment Modules can be installed with:
 sudo apt-get install environment-modules
Once installed the package information can be viewed with:
 dpkg -L environment-modules
Installing Environment Modules on Linux from source.
Although installing from a Linux distributions repository using that distributions update manager is the easiest the software can be installed from source. Resolve dependencies is the most difficult task for an installation from source. The typical configure, make, install cycle can become painfully slow as each configure improvement reveals another dependency not available in your default environment. This section includes the steps to install the Environment Modules package on source including compiling the Tcl (Tool Command Language) from source as a dependency.
8.6.1 version of Tcl (Tool Command Language) built from /usr/local/src.
Although the PCLinuxOS 64-bit repositories include Tcl (Tool Command Language) they do not include a development package with the configuration files required to build Environment Modules on Linux from source. Building Tcl from source will make the required files available.
Tcl Source: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tcl/files/Tcl/
Extract source after downloading
Configure, make, install
3.2.10 version of modules built from /usr/local/src.
Extract source after downloading
Configure, make, install


Deltar

The Deltar (Delta Getij Analogon Rekenmachine, Dutch for Delta Tide Analog Calculator) was an analog computer, used for the design and implementation of the Delta Works from 1960 until 1984. The computer was based on ideas of dr. Johan van Veen; he also constructed the first prototypes used from 1944-1946. After his death in 1959 this work was continued by J.C. Schönfeld and C.M. Verhagen.
The computer was designed and built in order to make the complicated calculations required to predict the effects of dams, dikes, and storm surge barriers on the tides in the estuaries of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt.
The design of the Deltar was based on the analogy between the properties and behaviour of water and electricity. Working with analogs of quantities such as the water level, rate of flow and water storage, the design for the calculator basically used the electrical quantities charge, potential, inductance and capacitance.


Rescue on Fractalus!

Rescue On Fractalus! is a March 1984 first-person shooter computer game created by Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts Entertainment). It was originally released for the Atari 8-bit family and the Atari 5200 games console. It was also ported to other popular platforms of the day, such as the Apple II, ZX Spectrum (by Dalali Software Ltd), Amstrad CPC, Tandy Color Computer 3 and Commodore 64. The game was one of the first two products from the fledgling Lucasfilm Computer Division Games Group led by Peter Langston. David Fox was the project leader and designer. Music was mainly composed by Charlie Kellner.
Gameplay.
Flying.
The game uses fractal technology to create the craggy mountains of an alien planet, where the visilibility was drastically reduced by the dense atmosphere. The player controls a fictional "Valkyrie" space fighter (converted for search and rescue duty) from a first-person view, attempting to land and pick up downed Ethercorps pilots. Some of these mountains hold anti-aircraft guns, which have to be avoided or destroyed. Due to the varied terrain, the direction finder has to be used to locate the pilots, whose visual beacons are often masked by mountain ridges.
At higher levels, the enemy Jaggis begin flying kamikaze saucers. The mission area also moves into day/night boundaries. Night missions are particularly difficult, requiring diligent use of the altimeter to avoid crashing.
Flying consumes fuel. The way to replenish this supply is to rescue downed pilots who bring their remaining fuel supplies on board.
The thick atmosphere is sufficiently acidic that downed pilots' craft are being slowly disintegrated. An exposed pilot's survival time outside his craft is less than a minute, due to his flight suit and helmet literally dissolving. This makes it imperative that the player rescue pilots as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Rescue.
After landing within sufficient "walking" proximity to the pilot, the player shuts down the engine, also turning off the ship's shields. Turning on the engines prematurely would incinerate the exposed pilot and the shields would prevent him from entering the ship. The downed pilot then disembarks his crashed ship, runs down to the Valkyrie's cockpit, and knocks on the crew entry door; the player can then open up and let the pilot in to complete the rescue. Failing to open the door kills the pilot; his knocking on the hatch becomes at first frantic, then slower and more feeble as he perishes in the corrosive environment. Sometimes the pilot found is an Ace Pilot, indicated visually by their purple helmet. These are worth ten times the score awarded for a normal pilot to the player.
As a twist on this relatively straightforward premise, added at the suggestion of George Lucas, some of the "pilots in distress" are actually hostile aliens in disguise; this twist was kept out of the game's manual and marketing. After landing near a downed pilot, the player watches him run off-screen, and then has to wait for several tense seconds—if it were human, the familiar, frantic "tap-tap" noise would be heard from the ship's hatch; otherwise, the alien Jaggi would suddenly jump back into view, sans helmet, roaring and trying to smash into the cockpit. Unless the player restores the ship's shields, the windscreen cracks open and the pilot is killed. Likewise, inadvertently letting a Jaggi pilot into the player's ship has disastrous results — it begins to dismantle the ship. In early levels, the Jaggi can be distinguished by their green heads versus the white human helmets. However, in later levels the aliens evidently learn to don the human helmet and become identical in appearance. This, along with an unpredictable pause between the human/alien approach and the tap-tap/alien jump makes for a very tense experience. According to head developer David Fox, this shock moment made "Rescue on Fractalus!" "the first computer game to really scare people".
Reception.
"Computer Gaming World" stated that "Fractulus" and "Ballblazer" "are slightly weak in the finer points of game design, but ... set a new standard for arcade-style games that will set out future expectations". In 1996, the magazine named "Rescue on Fractalus!" the 82nd best game ever, with the editors remarking that "many keep old computers around just to play it." "Commodore User" thought the game was "nothing special" and said it "provides reasonable, if unchanging, gameplay with a good flight simulator, but it lacks something, probably a proper identity." "Zzap!64" were impressed by the game, awarding it a score of 91%. They said that it was an excellent shoot-em-up.
Trivia.
During development, "Rescue on Fractalus!" was named Behind Jaggi Lines!. This name refers both to the Jaggis, the fictional race of hostile aliens in the game, as well as the lack of spatial anti-aliasing in the game's graphics, resulting in jagged diagonal (or curved) lines, colloquially known as "jaggies". The squiggles visible on the Jaggi's suit when it attacks are actually the initials of the development team rotated by 90 degrees; Atari at the time famously barred developers from having their name displayed in games.
A poster of the game appears in "Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders".
The original developers of "Rescue on Fractalus" wanted the game to be set in Star Wars universe but were not allowed to do so by George Lucas.
Unreleased Atari 7800 version.
In 2004, an unreleased prototype of "Rescue on Fractalus!" for the Atari 7800 was found in the possession of its original programmers. While most of the core elements of the game were intact, the project was cancelled before the gameplay could be completed.
Legacy.
LucasArts and Factor 5 began work on a sequel titled "Return to Fractalus" for the Amiga in the late 1980s, however it was decided that the hardware couldn't handle the concept being worked on. An Amiga port of "Rescue On Fractalus" to be published by Rainbow Arts was announced in a February 1991 issue of "The One", but was never released. By 1994, Factor 5 believed that the current generation of 3D consoles had the technology the "Fractalus" sequel required and again began work on the game. Eventually, the work on game was converted to "" for the Nintendo 64 instead.


IBM 4300

The IBM 4300 series were mid-range systems compatible with System/370 that were sold from 1979 through 1992. They featured modest electrical and cooling requirements, and thus did not require a data center environment. They had a disruptive effect on the market, allowing customers to provide internal IBM computing services at a cost point lower than commercial time-sharing services.
Models.
Each model - 4331, 4341, 4361, and 4381 - had various sub-models, such as the 4341 model 1 (or 4341-1) and 4341 model 2 (4341-2).
The 4381-13 through 4381-24 (announced in 1987) were entry-level machines for the 370-XA architecture. They were positioned between the IBM 9370 and IBM 3090 in performance at the time of announcement.
The 4381-3, 4381-14, 4381-24 and 4381-92 are dual-CPU models. Other models included 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 90 and 91.
IBM 4321.
The IBM 4321 was announced on 18 November 1981.
IBM 4331.
The IBM 4331 (and the 4341) were announced on 30 January 1979. It came with an integrated adapter that permitted attaching up to 16 of two newly introduced direct-access storage devices (DASD):
The 4331 was withdrawn on 18 November 1981.
IBM 4341.
The IBM 4341 (and the 4331) were announced on 30 January 1979. Like the 4331, it came with an integrated adapter that permitted attaching up to 16 of the newly introduced IBM 3370 DASD. The 4341 did not support the much lower capacity IBM 3310. The 4341 Introduced the Extended Control Program Support:VM (ECPS:VM) and Extended Control Program Support:VS1 (ECPS:VS1) features. The 4341-2 introduced the Extended Control Program Support (ECPS:MVS) option, a subset of System/370 extended facility.
On 20 October 1982, IBM announced a new entry-level 4341 model, Model Group 9 and a new top-of-the-line 4341, Model Group 12. Model Group 12 included the Dual Address Space (DAS) facility.
The 4341 was withdrawn on 11 February 1986.
IBM 4361.
The IBM 4361 Model Groups 4 & 5 were announced on 15 September 1983.
Model Group 3 was announced the following year on 12 September 1984.
New features.
Among the new/optional features for the 4361 were:
High-Accuracy Arithmetic Facility.
While Floating-Point Arithmetic capability has long been part of computing history, and was present in System/360, this feature's advancement, conceptualization of which, as Karlsruhe Accurate Arithmetic, had been under development for decades, was implemented as an optional feature on the 4361.
The 4361 was withdrawn on 17 February 1987.
IBM 4381.
The IBM 4381 had a greater longevity than any of the above systems.
Model Groups 1 & 2 were announced Sep 15, 1983 and withdrawn on 11 February 1986.
Model Group 3 was announced on 25 October 1984 and withdrawn on 11 February 1986.
Model Groups 11, 12, 13 & 14 were announced on 11 February 1986.
Model Groups 21, 22, 23 & 24 were announced on 19 May 1987 and withdrawn on 19 August 1992.
Operating systems.
New releases of:
supported the 4300 series as well as other System/370-compatible processors.
For the 4321 and 4331:


Power 3000

Power 3000 was a Sinclair ZX81 clone from Creon Enterprises. Identical with Lambda 8300 and PC 8300.


H.E.R.O. (video game)

H.E.R.O. (standing for Helicopter Emergency Rescue Operation) is a video game written by John Van Ryzin and published by Activision for the Atari 2600 in March 1984. It was ported to the Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit family, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum.
The player uses a helicopter backpack and other tools to rescue victims trapped deep in a mine. The mine is made up of multiple screens using a flip screen style.
Sega released a version of the game for its SG-1000 console in Japan in 1985. While the gameplay was identical, Sega changed the backpack from a helicopter to a jetpack.
Gameplay.
The player assumes control of Roderick Hero (sometimes styled as "R. Hero"), a one-man rescue team. Miners working in Mount Leone are trapped, and it's up to Roderick to reach them.
The player is equipped with a backpack-mounted helicopter unit, which allows him to hover and fly, along with a helmet-mounted laser and a limited supply of dynamite. Each level consists of a maze of mine shafts that Roderick must safely navigate in order to reach the miner trapped at the bottom. The backpack has a limited amount of power, so the player must reach the miner before the power supply is exhausted, in which the player restarts the level from the beginning if that happens. The player only needs enough power to reach the trapped miner - not to return with him as well.
Mine shafts may be blocked by cave-ins or magma, which require dynamite to clear. The helmet laser can also destroy cave-ins, but far more slowly than dynamite. Unlike a cave-in, magma is lethal when touched. Later levels include walls of magma with openings that alternate between open and closed requiring skillful navigation. The mine shafts are populated by spiders, bats and other unknown creatures that are deadly to the touch; these creatures can be destroyed using the laser or dynamite.
Some deep mines are flooded, forcing players to hover safely above the water. In later levels, monsters strike out from below the water. Some mine sections are illuminated by lanterns. If the lantern is somehow destroyed, the layout of that section becomes invisible. Exploding dynamite lights up the mine for a brief time.
Points are scored for each cave-in cleared and each creature destroyed. When the player reaches the miner, points are awarded for the rescue, along with the amount of power remaining in the backpack and for each remaining stick of dynamite. Extra lives are awarded for every 20,000 points scored.
Reception.
In a review of the ColecoVision port, "Electronic Games" wrote, "Activision has wisely used the superior graphics of the CV units to provide a breathtaking underground panorama," and concluded, "Congrats Activision! "H.E.R.O." is a real champion."
In the June 1987 issue of "Zzap!64", Julian Rignall wrote—of the C64 version—""HERO" looks awful, sounds terrible but plays absolutely beautifully."
Legacy.
"H.E.R.O." is included in the retrogaming compilation "Activision Anthology".
In 1985, "ANALOG Computing" published a clone called "R.O.T.O." for the Atari 8-bit family.


Usermin

Usermin is a web-based user interface for Unix-like systems. It is a simplified version of Webmin that is distributed under the BSD licence and can be used by any user on a Unix system. Along with a simple web server, Usermin consists of CGI programs in Perl that directly updates configuration files. The package is written in Perl 5 and uses the Authen::PAM Perl module. It runs by default on port 20000.
Usermin is designed for normal users for the simple tasks of:


Gorenje Dialog

Dialog was a microcomputer system developed by Gorenje in 1980s. It was based on the 8-bit 4 MHz Zilog Z-80A microprocessor. The primary operating system was FEDOS (CP/M 2.2 compatible), developed by Computer Structures and Systems Laboratory (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana) and Gorenje.
There were 3 variants of the Dialog microcomputer system, distinguished only by minor changed: home, laboratory and personal (PC) (in Slovene: hišni, laboratorijski, osebni). Three types of external memory can be connected with Dialog: cassette recorder, floppy drive (5,25" and 8") and hard drive. The home variant of Dialog used resident FEBASIC (a variant of BASIC).


Casio fx-3650P

Casio fx-3650P is a programmable scientific calculator manufactured by Casio Computer Co., Ltd. It can store 12 digits for the mantissa and 2 digits for the exponent together with the expression each time when the "EXE" button is pressed. Also, the calculator can use the previous result to do calculations by pressing "Ans".
Modes.
The calculator is available in 6 modes:
Complex number calculations.
In this mode, if the result has both real and imaginary parts, an "R↔I" symbol will appear at the top right corner.
Standard deviation calculations.
This mode is for statistical calculation. For some input data, the sum of squares of values (Σx2), sum of values (Σx), number of data (n), sample standard deviation (xσn-1) and population standard deviation (xσn) can be calculated.
Regression calculations.
This mode is for statistical calculation and can be divided further into:
For some input ordered pairs, one of the below can be calculated. (The availability differs from modes.)
Σx2, Σx, n, Σy2, Σy, Σxy, formula_1, xσn, xσn-1, formula_2, yσn, yσn-1, Regression coefficient A, Regression coefficient B, Correlation coefficient r, formula_3, formula_4, Σx3, Σx2y, Σx4, Regression coefficient C, formula_31and formula_32
Program.
The calculator can hold up to 4 programs with a total capacity of 360 bytes.
Program commands:
Conditional jumps.
Conditional jumps should be used in the syntax:
"condition"formula_7"statement 1":"statement 2"
When "condition" is true, statement 1 is executed, then statement 2 is executed. If "condition" is false, statement 1 is skipped and statement 2 is executed.
E.g.:
...A=0formula_7A+1→B:C+5→D:...
If A=0, both A+1→B and C+5→D is executed. If A≠0, only C+5→D is executed.
Unconditional jumps.
Unconditional jumps use Goto and Lbl to operate.
When Goto "n" (where n is an integer in 0-9) is executed, the program will jump to Lbl "n". Loops can be created with unconditional jumps.
System check.
The calculator will perform a system check when shift, 7 and ON are pressed together. The system check has 3 parts.
Part 1: Elements check - All display elements are turned on when the system check is initiated. Pressing [SHIFT] turns the elements off. Press [SHIFT] to proceed. The next 2 screens have similar functions.
Part 2: display check - The dot matrix screen will display "24      PRG13" and the LCD screen will display "0000000000 00". Press shift to proceed. Then the display becomes "BBBBBBBBBB" and "1111111111 11". Then "CCCCCCCCCC" and "222222222 22" and so on up till "JJJJJJJJJJ""9999999999 99". Press shift to proceed to part 3.
Part 3: key check - Press shift, the LCD will display 1. Press alpha, up, down, left, right in order. The display will increase by 1 each time you press a button. Next, press MODE, prog, formula_11dx, x−1, x3, and so on up till Ans. When EXE is pressed, the display becomes "24      OK""13" (The display differs from version, the above is for version 4 of the calculator which is the latest version). Press ON to end the system check.


Sony Alpha 68

The Sony Alpha 68 or Sony ILCA-68(named internally; ILCA- although coming from the "Sony SLT camera" line of cameras) is a mid-size DSLT camera announced by Sony on November 5, 2015 and available for purchase starting April 2016 (US) and March 2016 (Europe). Sony markets it as having "4D FOCUS for fast, accurate tracking autofocus".
Camera packages named with additional letter K ship with the 18–55 mm and 18–135 mm Zoom Lens in a kit, similar to model/kit variants of the SLT-A58Y and SLT-A58K.
Specifications.
24.2 MP APS-C Exmor CMOS sensor. "4D" focus system as introduced on the α77 II, Bionz X and more efficient XAVC S codec HD video encoding at a higher framerate (1080/30p vs. 1080/24p on previous models).
 ISO ranges from 100 to 12800 (in video) and 25600 (in still image mode). Video resolution is limited to 1080p60.
References.
Full specs


IBM 6400 Series

The IBM 6400 series is a series of four calculating and accounting machines produced by IBM starting in 1962. The IBM 6405 was a desk-size calculator, and the 6410, 6420, and 6430 were more advanced accounting machines.
The output for each machine was facilitated a keyboardless IBM Selectric typewriter mounted above the CPU. Programming was done by a control panel. Calculations were done by electronics (SMS) and program steps were controlled by relays.
Optional input/output devices included a card reader and punch, a paper tape reader and punch, and a magnetic card reader. The magnetic card reader used a large card (30 cm x 35 cm) with the top part used as a printer ledger. A 2.5 cm 4-track magnetic strip was across the bottom of the card.
The 6405, 6410, and 6420 were developed by IBM in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, in the early 1960s. Manufacturing was done by IBM in Lexington and by IBM in Don Mills, Ontario, Canada. In 1966 all work was transferred to Don Mills.
In 1968 an IBM 6430 was developed in Don Mills. The programming was done on cards and the programs steps were controlled by electronics (SMS).
Production of all models in the 6400 series ended in the early 1970s.


Common Address Redundancy Protocol

The Common Address Redundancy Protocol or CARP is a computer networking protocol which allows multiple hosts on the same local area network to share a set of IP addresses. Its primary purpose is to provide failover redundancy, especially when used with firewalls and routers. In some configurations, CARP can also provide load balancing functionality. CARP provides functionality similar to VRRP and to Cisco Systems' HSRP. It is implemented in several BSD-based operating systems and has been ported to Linux (ucarp).
Example.
If there is a single computer running a packet filter, and it goes down, the networks on either side of the packet filter can no longer communicate with each other, or they communicate without any packet filtering. If, however, there are two computers running a packet filter, running CARP, then if one fails, the other will take over, and computers on either side of the packet filter will not be aware of the failure, so operation will continue as normal. In order to make sure the new Active/Primary operates the same as the old one, the packet filter used must support synchronization of state between the two computers.
Principle of redundancy.
A group of hosts using CARP is called a "group of redundancy". The group of redundancy allocates itself an IP address which is shared or divided among the members of the group. Within this group, a host is designated as "Active/Primary". The other members are "Standby". The main host is that which "takes" the IP address. It answers any traffic or ARP request brought to the attention of this address. Each host can belong to several groups of redundancy. Each host must have a second unique IP address.
A common use of CARP is the creation of a group of redundant firewalls. The virtual IP address allotted to the group of redundancy is indicated as the address of the default router on the computers behind this group of firewalls. If the main firewall breaks down or is disconnected from the network, the virtual IP address will be taken by one of the firewall slaves and the service availability will not be interrupted.
History.
In the late 1990s the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) began work on a protocol for router redundancy. In 1997, Cisco informed the IETF that it had patents in this area and, in 1998, pointed out its patent on HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol). Nonetheless, IETF continued work on VRRP (Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol). After some debate, the IETF VRRP working group decided to approve the standard, despite its reliance on patented techniques, as long as Cisco made the patent available to third parties under RAND (Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) licensing terms. Because VRRP fixed problems with the HSRP protocol, Cisco began using VRRP instead, while still claiming it as its own.
Cisco informed the OpenBSD developers that it would enforce its patent on HSRP. Cisco's position may have been due to their lawsuit with Alcatel. As Cisco's licensing terms prevented an open-source VRRP implementation, the OpenBSD developers begun developing CARP instead. OpenBSD focuses on security. They designed CARP to use cryptography. This made CARP fundamentally different from VRRP and ensured that CARP didn't infringe on Cisco's patent. CARP became available in October 2003. Later, it was integrated into FreeBSD (first released in May 2005 with FreeBSD 5.4), NetBSD and Linux (ucarp). While Cisco's US patent expired in 2014, the two incompatible protocols continue to coexist.
Incompatibility with IETF standards.
OpenBSD uses VRRP's protocol number and MAC addresses. The OpenBSD project requested unique numbers from IANA but was denied.
To allocate numbers, IANA has several requirements. At the time, these were specified in RFC 2780. Requirements include participating in a collaborative, lengthy discussion process within the IETF and producing a detailed textual specification of the protocol. The OpenBSD developers met neither requirement. OpenBSD's website states the following:
IANA had assigned protocol number 112 to VRRP (in 1998, via RFC 2338). Protocol number 112 remains in use by VRRP.
CARP also uses a range of Ethernet MAC addresses which IEEE had assigned to IANA/IETF for the VRRP protocol.
In spite of the overlap, it is still possible to use VRRP and CARP in the same broadcast domain, as long as the VRRP group ID and the CARP virtual host ID are different.


Nikon D60

The Nikon D60 is a 10.2-megapixel Nikon F-mount digital single-lens reflex camera announced in January 2008. The D60 succeeds the entry-level Nikon D40x. It features the Nikon EXPEED image processor introduced in the higher-end Nikon D3 and D300.
Like a number of other entry-level Nikon DSLRs, the D60 has no in-body autofocus motor, and fully automatic autofocus requires the use of a lens with an integrated autofocus-motor. With any other lenses the camera's electronic rangefinder can be used to manually adjust focus.
New features.
Compared to the D40, new features of the Nikon D60 include:
Continuity.
The Nikon D60 body is very similar to the Nikon D40, with the placement of several key buttons being the most notable difference. Like the D40, the Nikon D60 has no secondary display on top of the body (common in higher-end DSLRs), but instead displays shutter speed, f-number, and other information on the main LCD screen.
Reception.
"Digital Photography Review" said that the D60 is more of a "subtle upgrade" to the D40 and praised its boost in performance, and new features such as D-Lighting and the dust-reduction system. They criticized the lack of mid-range features, such as a vertical grip and poor performance at high ISO when compared to Canon.
Ken Rockwell criticized the slower flash sync, more megapixels, and lower base ISO. However, he praised the camera's manual focus indicator, saying it was better than his D3.
Both "Digital Photography Review" and Rockwell noted that the lack of an in-body focus motor was not a problem due to the wide availability of AF-S lenses and their belief that serious photographers using more exotic Nikon glass would be shooting with a D200 or higher, not the D60.