217 replies to this topic

[Sarlix]

I think we have a nice selection of emus/games/apps already. Certainly enough to keep most people busy, and enough to make it worth buying a pandora. I think this is the first week since I got mine (May 29th) that there hasn't been anything new released.

At the moment I'm sitting on these forums hitting refresh and reading every new post. The only rest-bite was seeing new YouTube video's of emulators. And I haven't seen anything new in a while.

No wonder your feeling frustrated...Take a break, forget about it for a while. I mean blimey you don't even have one on pre-order!

If seeing some youtube vids would really make you feel better I'm sure I could put something together. Was there something in particular?


edit: did that last sentence rhyme? it wasn't meant to..

edit2: I think I just wrote a Haiku!

edit3: dammmn now that rhymes too!

edit4: Arrrrrgh sub edit: (I take it back, that last one didn't rhyme after all.)

Edited by Sarlix, 07 July 2010 - 08:25 PM.

[carlgeorge]

I have the exact opposite view to Prometheus regarding my Pandora. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and I have hardly used it.

[Alpha2]

Just get rid of Windows. You don't need to use windows on your netbook you know. If I bought a netbook, I wouldn't bother uninstalling the bloatware - i'd just format the drive and get Linux on there.

I'm not a linux geek though,It's not so simple to me as you make it sound. As much as it might sound easy to some to just switch out the OS, I see it as replacing the engine of a car, if I dont know what I'm doing I feel like I'm sure to destroy it and then it WOULD be worthless, I know how to get rid of Norton antivirus, I know I can get free virus protection, I know I can download open office and just start using it, I have old copies of photoshop that I can install. Plus as I said I wanted it for a trip and I would have to deal with a learning curve that comes with a new OS. Pandora, while it uses linux, it's in a way where it's friendly enough to non-native linux users that you can turn it on and just know what to do (I really like the PND system, it's like software cartridges). It's the best gateway into learning how to use linux when you think about it because it's a brand new platform, you're learning as it grows. I didnt even understand what a repository was until the recent debates over the Pandora having one were brought up and I'm still not sure I can comfortably say I truly understand it.

And then also like I said there's the price, size and battery life issues. for 330 bucks (or even 360 after shipping) I'm still getting a computer with a longer battery life, at half the size of the netbook I bought ($306 after tax with a 70 dollar battery to give it a possible 9 hour battery life compared to the 11+ confirmed hours of a pandora)

Edited by Alpha2, 07 July 2010 - 08:04 PM.

[Geuben]

I have the exact opposite view to Prometheus regarding my Pandora. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and I have hardly used it.

I'm in a similar situation. I can't take it to work and I haven't been on any long journeys (when I haven't been driving) to effectively use it.

I really want to develop for the Pandora but a lack of ideas and more so motivation are making it hard. Anybody got any tips on improving motivation?

[cbox]

I think there is a general lack of motivation and maybe with time that will change. I certainly don't mind helping out with developing, either porting or writing, but what do people really want? Obviously Im not talking about Amiga, PSX or N64 emulation as people are already working on these. And please nobody suggest PS2 and xbox as this will never happen, unless you like playing at less than 1 frame per second.

I really can't think of much that is actually worth porting - it might be my age because I've seen it all before over the years, or it might just be a general thing. I suspect it's partly because like everything, the Pandora is a gadget. I have quite a low threshold these days to gadgets where I will buy them, use for a few days then put at the back of the cupboard. It doesn't stop me from buying them however.

For me, the Pandora is not something I will necessarily never use. I do see it's potential for emergency use, but I can't see it being used as a mainstream tool for anything serious.

For those who have just recently received their Pandora in the last week or so, see how you feel after say a couple of months. Then 6 months. Will you use it often, or will it just become another ornament like most devices which end up collecting dust on the shelf?

I first ordered the Pandora to primarily be a music player (at work, lounging at home, etc.) and secondarily for emulation/games. With the proper software and SD cards it could be better than an iPod or other portable player. And don't tell me the iPod is a good music player, 1) it's tied down by Apples draconian rules and 2) does not offer removable/expandable storage. I've tried several different other non-iPod mp3 players and they all have their limitations as well. My current player is a 16 gig Creative Zen MX, it's nice and has a SDHC card slot for expandable storage, but you can't play from the entire library (internal + sd card), you can only pick from one or the other (it's also kinda buggy, crashes often). So I figure I get a Pandora, fill a 32 gig card with my music and put it in the 2nd card slot. Use the first one for utilities/games/roms/etc.

[cbox]

Just get rid of Windows. You don't need to use windows on your netbook you know. If I bought a netbook, I wouldn't bother uninstalling the bloatware - i'd just format the drive and get Linux on there.

I'm not a linux geek though,It's not so simple to me as you make it sound. As much as it might sound easy to some to just switch out the OS, I see it as replacing the engine of a car, if I dont know what I'm doing I feel like I'm sure to destroy it and then it WOULD be worthless, I know how to get rid of Norton antivirus, I know I can get free virus protection, I know I can download open office and just start using it, I have old copies of photoshop that I can install. Plus as I said I wanted it for a trip and I would have to deal with a learning curve that comes with a new OS. Pandora, while it uses linux, it's in a way where it's friendly enough to non-native linux users that you can turn it on and just know what to do (I really like the PND system, it's like software cartridges). It's the best gateway into learning how to use linux when you think about it because it's a brand new platform, you're learning as it grows. I didnt even understand what a repository was until the recent debates over the Pandora having one were brought up and I'm still not sure I can comfortably say I truly understand it.

And then also like I said there's the price, size and battery life issues. for 330 bucks (or even 360 after shipping) I'm still getting a computer with a longer battery life, at half the size of the netbook I bought ($306 after tax with a 70 dollar battery to give it a possible 9 hour battery life compared to the 11+ confirmed hours of a pandora)

You know, installing Linux is not hard. I used to be wary of that as well, then I got a laptop that crawled under Vista and I installed Linux on it as a dual boot, it was MUCH faster. It's as simple as downloading the ISO from the web, burning it to a disc, sticking it in the dvd drive, setting boot priority to dvd and then it pretty much handles itself. I set it as a multiboot because I figured I'd need Windows for something, but I rarely ever used Windows on that laptop after that.

[Grench]

It feels all very anticlimax to some people. The following, the waiting, the anticipation. Then.... well, it's just another device really.
Honestly, I feel the Pandora makes a really nice portable 8 and 16 bit emulator. If that's all you want, great. For me however, there has to be more.

Either you don't have a Pandora, in which case you have no ground on which to comment, or you did receive one but simply can't figure out how to take full advantage of it, in which case I will buy it from you at cost plus expenses because it does so much more than be just an 8 and 16 bit emulator that makes it well worth it to me and many others even if you don't see it.

You are wrong on all counts. I regularly use Linux and write shell scripts, as well as C and C++. My comments are all in my opinion - I feel it is good for 8 and 16 bit emulation particularly, however the other things it does has indeed all been done before. It's not that hard to understand. If I say I am not making much use of the Pandora, then I am telling the truth. Do you want me to say I am glued to it 24 hours a day every day when I am not?

So put it on Ebay and go do something else. There are many of us who have been waiting a long long time for the experience that underwhelmed you. Give us our chance.

[SomeGuy99]

Just get rid of Windows. You don't need to use windows on your netbook you know. If I bought a netbook, I wouldn't bother uninstalling the bloatware - i'd just format the drive and get Linux on there.

I'm not a linux geek though,It's not so simple to me as you make it sound. As much as it might sound easy to some to just switch out the OS, I see it as replacing the engine of a car, if I dont know what I'm doing I feel like I'm sure to destroy it and then it WOULD be worthless, I know how to get rid of Norton antivirus, I know I can get free virus protection, I know I can download open office and just start using it, I have old copies of photoshop that I can install. Plus as I said I wanted it for a trip and I would have to deal with a learning curve that comes with a new OS. Pandora, while it uses linux, it's in a way where it's friendly enough to non-native linux users that you can turn it on and just know what to do (I really like the PND system, it's like software cartridges). It's the best gateway into learning how to use linux when you think about it because it's a brand new platform, you're learning as it grows. I didnt even understand what a repository was until the recent debates over the Pandora having one were brought up and I'm still not sure I can comfortably say I truly understand it.

And then also like I said there's the price, size and battery life issues. for 330 bucks (or even 360 after shipping) I'm still getting a computer with a longer battery life, at half the size of the netbook I bought ($306 after tax with a 70 dollar battery to give it a possible 9 hour battery life compared to the 11+ confirmed hours of a pandora)

A) Go the Linux Mint website
B.) Download Mint 9-> http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
C) Burn or mount the ISO. Open 'Mint Windows Installer' and 'install inside Windows'.
D) Reboot machine
E) Select Linux Mint on the boot menu
F) Create a user, settings etc.
G) Mess around with Linux
H) Does it work okay? If not ditch it.
I) Hardware all working? If not ditch it.
J) Working at a decent speed? If not ditch it.
k) Go into the software centre thingy. Install some programs and try them out.
L) Did you like the programs on offer? If not ditch it.
M) Linux too weird for you? Ditch it.

How to Ditch it:

Go into Windows, Control Panel->Add Remove Programs->Linux Mint and just uninstall. All gone! No mess.

Edited by SomeGuy99, 07 July 2010 - 08:10 PM.

[mvickers03]

I have the exact opposite view to Prometheus regarding my Pandora. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and I have hardly used it.

Wow! really? I use mine every day, too much in fact, Even on lunch at work! on the train, in bed, on the sofa. I love it to bits!!

[crade]

I have the exact opposite view to Prometheus regarding my Pandora. It arrived a couple of weeks ago and I have hardly used it.

I'm in a similar situation. I can't take it to work and I haven't been on any long journeys (when I haven't been driving) to effectively use it.

I really want to develop for the Pandora but a lack of ideas and more so motivation are making it hard. Anybody got any tips on improving motivation?

Start taking the bus?

[Exophase]

"A comment made by craigx shocked me: Replies #8 onward
80% of developers have done nothing with their hardware, yes 20% are amazing but the stuff I want looks like it was shown on YouTube by some of the 80%

That made me think that maybe developers wanted a free bit of kit.(who wouldn't) Surely the kit should be returned to the OPT and re-distributed to other developers. (Come on OPT grow some balls and get the hardware back)"

I am surprised that OPT, did not get the devs to justify, them having one by by what they would give back to the community.

I say this as I donated to the dev fund, and some of those leeches (so far 80%), better give me a return for my donation. To any sponge reading this get coding or planning now, and redeem yourself (I can understand if you want to get a feel for the system first).

I want a list of these sponges, (name and shame - Craig). I understand Craig, wants to offer the carrot to the devs, but for all the "something for nothings", get the stick out. Nothing worse than an angry disgruntled community.

PS - I feel for you, and all the rest this position.

pfft

I can't speak for everyone else, but I sure as hell wasn't looking for a handout. Quite the opposite - craigix asked me to take a dev unit and I said that I didn't want a board w/o controls. Then a couple months later (September/October 2008) I was out of work and he says he'll pay me if I do work for it (lolz, yeah right) and I said I'd think about it.. no follow up on that any time soon and I got a job shortly thereafter. Some time later I get an e-mail asking me to receive one and I figured I'd take one if they were offering. It turned out I had much less time than I realized; afterwards I only did a little bit on it, then a few months later I sent it out to someone else who said he'd do kernel work. Now I can't speak for what happened to this guy; OP were okay with me sending it so it really isn't my responsibility anymore. But I doubt OP really is losing a lot of value by not having a few boards now, especially since most of them were 128MB of RAM and had other bugs.

Similar thing happened with other people who were too busy to work on it (like Svartalf), they sent it back or sent it to someone else.

I think you should take craigix's comment with a grain of salt anyway, because I think way more than 20% did a substantial amount of work, and very few did absolutely nothing (even if I did some NEON routines for zodttd).... as if people were really that desperate to get a raw board and too cheap to buy a Beagleboard instead, if that's what they seriously wanted. Personally I was utterly delighted to rid myself of it - I was really never excited to receive one in the first place, I just hoped I could be of some use.

Edited by Exophase, 07 July 2010 - 08:24 PM.

[Alpha2]

You know, installing Linux is not hard. I used to be wary of that as well, then I got a laptop that crawled under Vista and I installed Linux on it as a dual boot, it was MUCH faster. It's as simple as downloading the ISO from the web, burning it to a disc, sticking it in the dvd drive, setting boot priority to dvd and then it pretty much handles itself. I set it as a multiboot because I figured I'd need Windows for something, but I rarely ever used Windows on that laptop after that.

I havent had enough experience with switching OSs to say it's as easy as people claim to say, I'm just saying that because I've never done it I wouldnt risk the attempt because I dont know the first thing about doing it. I wouldnt even know if the netbook could read the disk from an external drive since it doesnt have a built in optical drive, would it require partitioning the drive? Maybe in the future I might try it but as an average end user type who knows somethings and not others, it's easier for me to buy a device with the OS pre-installed and chop off what I dont need or want.


You know, the one thing I give windows props for is the community of people eager to make it do things that MS never intended out of spite for a huge faceless corporation (well actually it does have a face, Bill's smug shitfaced grin makes me want to pirate something just for the hell of it alone. I think that makes people even more vicious towards windows and trying to rub his nose in it). Maybe that's why things seem quiet around here, there's no rush because the number of people with the ability to push the hardware is so low (not counting the people spending all their efforts on the FW or course, they just dont have the time to do much else) and the need to fight some perceived corporate evil is non existent. There are few goals to reach, no firmwares to hack.

Edited by Alpha2, 07 July 2010 - 08:29 PM.

[silverspring]

You are wrong on all counts. I regularly use Linux and write shell scripts, as well as C and C++. My comments are all in my opinion - I feel it is good for 8 and 16 bit emulation particularly, however the other things it does has indeed all been done before. It's not that hard to understand. If I say I am not making much use of the Pandora, then I am telling the truth. Do you want me to say I am glued to it 24 hours a day every day when I am not?

It is hard to understand. Why purchase something when you know everything it can be done has been done before, and the only thing you seem to be interested in using it for is, as you said, 8 and 16 bit emulation? Why not get a different device if that's all that you want to use it for?
It doesn't matter to me that whether other devices have done something before or not: the Pandora is the only device which does the collection of things that interests me in a single package available right now.
If your opinion is that it will not be worth very much to you, why did you buy one?

I tend to buy many things. I regularly use around 10% of my purchases, with the other 90% being shelved. I do also have a GP32 and PSP which don't get used much, but the Pandora is better with respect to 8 and 16 bit emulation simply because of the screen, and that was one of the primary reasons for purchasing it. I suspect many many people have bought, or are in the process of receiving their Pandoras for 8 and 16 bit emulation. The problem is simple: despite the better screen, the gameplay is no better. I feel people will be expecting the Pandora to be an incredible device when they finally receive it after all this time, but once they do get it they will wonder what the fuss was about. Does this make any sense? I know people buy things for the sake of it, me being included to an extent.

It's quite simple in that humans like buying things, especially gadgets, but the love is soon lost. The Pandora to me was meant to be a device for playing retro games - it sort of got my interest back in the memories I have of the old days. Whilst following the Pandora, I hardly played old games on either the GP32 or PSP as I was saving the experience for the Pandora. But now when I play an old game, it's sort of like "bah, this game is not the way I remembered it. It was fun back then, now it's just bah". I suspect many people will feel the same.

[Viral18]

I tend to buy many things. I regularly use around 10% of my purchases, with the other 90% being shelved.

Can I have your shelved stuff? XD

It's quite simple in that humans like buying things, especially gadgets, but the love is soon lost. The Pandora to me was meant to be a device for playing retro games - it sort of got my interest back in the memories I have of the old days. Whilst following the Pandora, I hardly played old games on either the GP32 or PSP as I was saving the experience for the Pandora. But now when I play an old game, it's sort of like "bah, this game is not the way I remembered it. It was fun back then, now it's just bah". I suspect many people will feel the same.

I dunno, I think there's more than just nostalgia to retro games -I'm probably younger than a lot of you guys, so my 'nostalgia' period ranges across the Game boy colour, N64 and PS1 period, with a few earlier Dos exceptions from when I was younger still. I now play a lot of much earlier games than I grew up with, purely because it's a different type of gameplay that is unique and interesting in comparison to a lot of modern games. Old RPG's tend to be much more involving, and theres much more attachment to the characters than in a lot of modern games. I've read from a few people that the retro stuff isn't as good when you get past the nostalgia, but I loooove a lot of 80's-90's games I wouldn't have even experienced before -and the Pandora's just such a great platform for trying older games for the first time

Edited by Viral18, 07 July 2010 - 08:46 PM.

[Ian_J]

I think we have a nice selection of emus/games/apps already. Certainly enough to keep most people busy, and enough to make it worth buying a pandora. I think this is the first week since I got mine (May 29th) that there hasn't been anything new released.

At the moment I'm sitting on these forums hitting refresh and reading every new post. The only rest-bite was seeing new YouTube video's of emulators. And I haven't seen anything new in a while.

No wonder your feeling frustrated...Take a break, forget about it for a while. I mean blimey you don't even have one on pre-order!

If seeing some youtube vids would really make you feel better I'm sure I could put something together. Was there something in particular?


edit: did that last sentence rhyme? it wasn't meant to..

edit2: I think I just wrote a Haiku!

edit3: dammmn now that rhymes too!

edit4: Arrrrrgh sub edit: (I take it back, that last one didn't rhyme after all.)

Thats very kind of you, I posted a list here: Link of the stuff I'd play.