[Coco] DriveWire and CocoNet (was Preserving old CoCo diskettes...)

[Aaron Wolfe]

On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 5:23 PM, Roger Taylor <operator at coco3.com> wrote:
> At 03:41 PM 5/19/2010, you wrote:
>
>> So.. in a nutshell... Coconet supports things in BASIC that DriveWire
>> likely never will (and I hope I've given an acceptable explanation for
>> why this is).  DriveWire does things in OS-9 that Coconet currently
>> cannot, but I look forward to seeing where Roger will take his system
>> in the future.
>>
>> -Aaron
>
>
> Now I remember, the networking stuff came right after the last Cloud 9 spat
> we had here and they decided to give DW3 away.
>

When I met Brother Jeremy at the CoCoFest, he told me that the CoCo
community is like a big family, one that he is obviously very proud
of.  It's a family that I've just met but one that I hope to be part
of for a long time into the future.  Every family has its quarrels,
and it seems the riff between you and Cloud9 goes back a good ways.
Sometimes good can come from bringing our differences out into the
light, and I hope that will be the result of the recent threads
between you.

That said, I'd appreciate it if you left me and DriveWire out of it.
I have a feeling your dismissive and superior attitude towards the
hard work that had gone into DriveWire 4 has roots in something I had
no part in.  While DriveWire 3 was (and remains) a Cloud9 product,
DriveWire 4 is 100% open source, released under the GPL version 3.
Although everything DriveWire 4 can do is possible because of the
excellent design and coding done by Cloud9, no Cloud9 code is used in
the DriveWire 4 server.  It was written from scratch with the help of
many experts in the community.  Some were from Cloud9, some were not.
All were kind and patient with me, and together we have created
something we can all be proud of.  DriveWire 4 belongs to the CoCo
community, and would not exist without the great support I've received
from so many people in our "family".  When you attempt to belittle the
design and capabilites of DriveWire, kindly consider who's work you
are degrading.

> Either way, keep up the good work.  It's not for me, but then I'm not the
> average customer.  I did try to get DW4 working and ended up yelling WTF at
> least once, but then I saw your messages about it not being 100% ready yet,
> and I can relate to that with some of my projects over the years.  Sometimes
> it's fun to put it out there and get some feedback, unless people start
> attacking, "why isn't it ready you rat bastard!"  :)

Interesting that you determined it's "not for you" without getting it
to work.  You really should have asked for my help.  I've assisted
many folks from the list in getting it set up, and used their feedback
and ideas to make each version easier for the next guy that wants to
check it out.  Lately I've heard about several installs that people
did without any help from me at all, which I hope means DriveWire 4 is
getting better and better.

As always, anyone who'd like to try DriveWire 4 and needs some
assistance is welcome to email me directly.  You can often find me and
other DriveWire users on the CoCo Chat IRC channel, #coco_chat on
irc.freenode.net, or via web at:
http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=coco_chat

I've never had anyone call me a "rat bastard" or demand anything at
all, perhaps because I don't take anyone's money and generally don't
make any promises as to when something will be done.  These are the
luxuries of doing something for the sheer joy of it, I suppose.  From
the earliest days of the DriveWire 4 project, everyone has been great
and supportive.  Since DriveWire 4 is an open source project, anyone
who wants something "right now" is free to go ahead and write it.  No
one has to wait on anyone else for something.  If I were to be hit by
a bus tomorrow, the code is all available on the internet, ready to be
taken up by anyone who enjoys working with it.  As I've mentioned
before, you are welcome to use the code in Coconet as well.


>
> The developer's life.
>

Not mine, thankfully :)

> One other thing:  there has been a lot of notes comparing CoCoNet with
> DriveWire, or DriveWire with CoCoNet.  Let me reiterate that the simple
> scheme that DriveWire did to give remote virtual disks over a bitbanger
> cable, and the grand scheme of CoCoNet, were not even on the same chart or
> page and although I found it a major insult to be told I was undermining
> another product, I kept quiet for the most part.  I laughed, but not to the
> class, mind you.
>

Again, it seems you cannot resist degrading DriveWire (simple scheme)
and promoting your own product's "grand scheme".  I suppose there is
not much point in addressing the relative complexity and capabilities
of the two protocols here.   I'll let the capabilities of DriveWire 4
speak for themselves.

> CoCoNet currently "networks" multiple drive systems together which is a
> luxury I haven't seen yet for the CoCo.  Web disks.  HTTP/FTP requests.
>  This was already in CoCoNet before DW4 gained any similar features.  If DW4
> wanted the same features, I say go for it.  Make CoCo users happy with more
> choices.
>

Still more "I did it first" and touting of your product.  This is pure
silliness.  I've posted plenty of times talking about the things you
can do with DriveWire 4, and I've seen no mention of Coconet doing
them.  Many of these things were done for the first time ever on a
CoCo thanks to DriveWire 4. There is no need to reiterate these
accomplishments here.  You can find more information about DriveWire's
unique features on the DW4 site:
http://sites.google.com/site/drivewire4/


> None of this really matters that much to me more than it matters that We've
> Got Some Damn Good Stuff today and I'm hooked on developing CoCo stuff,
> period.  I'm not going away, so get used to more cool stuff for years to
> come, and whether or not people find it competitive doesn't really affect
> any outcome.
>

The sooner you realize there is no competition here, the better our
community will be.  I don't add new features to DriveWire because I
want to beat you to it, I add them because I think they are cool and I
have fun doing it.  I give it away because I figure other people might
have fun with it too.  Simple as that.

I have offered to support your coconet ROM with the DriveWire 4 server
in the past, and that offer still stands.   I think Coconet users
would benefit from the capabilities DriveWire provides, and I am happy
to help that happen.

-Aaron



>
> --
> ~ Roger Taylor
>
>
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