Re: [LAD] [64studio-users] MIDI jitter

Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Saturday 19 June 2010, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>
>> Hi Gene :)
>>
> [huge snip]
>
>>> Being an ardent purist can bite you. As another friend of mine would
>>> say, use what works.
>>>
>> No Windows! If needed I'll write to your friend and get that Atari-VGA
>> interface, get a SMPTE interface again and an anlog audio recorder
>> again. I also would change the SCSI hard disk in the Lacom interface,
>> it's a 42 MB Seagate, without any free space and it sometimes fails on
>> startup. The main problem is, that I don't have the money jet and it's
>> not that easy to get the money. Another issue is, that I guess it's time
>> to use modern software, because it also comes with some advantages
>> compared to 80ies software made for the Atari and to the very old
>> hardware. E.g. what would happen if one day a chip in the Steinberg
>> dongle should break?
>>
>
>
> It has been my experience that such dongles have a lifetime of about a year.
> Or less.
>
> Story time: Years ago, we setup a graphics system that involved using the
> A&B Roll Editing (or something like that name) amiga software to control 2
> editing S-VHS vcr's, Panasonic 7750's. That came with a parport dongle,
> without which it would not work. And it was a $25,000 package.
>
> They, after lots of argument, and receiving the old dongle, would replace it
> when it failed. eventually that program was sold to RVS, Ring Video
> Systems, some fly by night down in FL.
>
> The dongle failed again (there was no printer attached to its output port
> ever) and they screwed around for 6 months, finally going to the original
> authors house to get the last dongle in existence after we threatened to
> sue. It lasted about 3 months. By then the hacking business was running
> full tilt in the amiga world, so when they said no more dongle, we said
> we're gonna hack it, sue us if you dare. We sent it off to one of the
> hackers, and had a working system back on-line in 3 days. RVS in turn had
> one of their programmers try to take it out, and 3 copies later over about 2
> weeks, they failed. And we laughed at them on the phone when the last one
> they sent didn't work.
>
> To this day, I believe we only have one dongle protected system at the
> station & that was because they said there wasn't one, but there was. We
> simply do not consider for purchase, any system that uses a dongle for copy
> protection. And we are not exactly silent when we tell some vendor, sorry,
> you use a trouble prone technology so we will not even consider your
> product/equipment. When we are writing checks for $100k and up for the new
> digital stuff, we are justifiably being picky. If the vendor doesn't like
> it, the exit door is that way, come back when you can offer us something
> that Just Works(TM). Its been remarkably effective at separating out the
> rectums in the business.
>
>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> Ralf
>>

The Steinberg dongle seems to be ok, since it's from the 80ies or
beginning 90ies and was used for several years without getting broken.
But exactly because it's that old I fear it could break one day.

I 'guess' that I also could get cracked versions of Cubase for the
Atari, but while the dongle version is 100% stable and the latest
version ever made for the Atari, there aren't cracks for the latest
version and the cracks I know were '99%' stable.

For Windows there are dongle hacks available by torrent, they do work
'99,9999999999999%' ok and can be used with cracks, 'I heard'. Dunno if
they would work with bought software too, this might be interesting for
people who bought the original and wish to use it on wine.

I 'guess' I could get all I need for Windows as a crack, but I don't
like cracks and I can't pay for legal versions and I don't wish to have
USB dongles. Btw. I don't like the 'philosophy' of Microsoft.
While bus dongles using oldish gate chips, are less damageable, I don't
trust USB micro controllers.

When I was young I tuned my motorbikes and cracked software and used
software other people cracked. Juvenile law isn't valid for me today,
just one reason not to use cracks.

While open sources might not be important to everybody, people also
might not care about malign US major corporation, at least keeping our
own slates clean is a reason to get Linux more capable for music too.

2 cents,

Ralf
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Received on Sat Jun 19 20:15:02 2010