Ethan Dicks <erd_at_infinet.com> wrote:
>Been there, done that. There's a commercial program to convert .WAV
>files of C-64 data tapes back into usable files. It also works if
>you hook a real C-64 datassete to the parallel port.
I know these programs exist. There are some for the Spectrum and ZX-81,
too. However, I could generalize and say they were all DOS-based,
written in Pascal or assembler, don't come with source code, have
poor documentation, etc. and I want to roll my own in straight portable C.
I'd rather make it general to handle old S-100 tapes, C-64 tapes, etc.
instead of just hard-coding one flavor. It should be ready in
the year 2010.
Tony Duell wrote:
>I personally think I'll have more luck finding spares for my M200 card
>reader, my Trend UDR700 paper tape reader, etc in 20 year time than
>you'll have finding parts for a quickcam.
No, my point is that it's more useful to have generic tools to help
rescue old data. Sure, QuickCams are nearly disposable now. Cheap
$1,500 PCs include them these days. Five years from now, they'll be
embedded in cheap monitors. Ten years from now, they'll be in cereal
boxes. Unless the hobby of collecting computer junk is adopted by
Hollywood stars, I humbly suggest that it will be at least *more difficult*
for you to find spares for your original equipment than it will be
for me to find something that could deliver a bitmap by looking
at my punched card. :-)
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <
http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
Received on Wed Apr 22 1998 - 10:07:31 BST