[Coco] Retro-momentum and disk image servers (Was: Re: MESS needs a C++ programmer dedicated to the Coco)

[Joel Ewy]

On 05/02/2011 12:26 AM, Mark McDougall wrote:
> On 1/05/2011 9:53 PM, Joel Ewy wrote: 
...
>
>> My presumption was that since, as Nick says, the C=64 originally had
>> such a huge user base, and especially considering the 64's built-in
>> serial disk protocol, there should certainly be a good, easy, current
>> floppy image server like what we've got on the CoCo. I haven't given up
>> on EMU1541 and 64HDD yet, but so far, I'm not impressed.
>
> That may be in part because there are other hardware solutions for the 
> C64 that don't involve tethering a PC to machine. My personal 
> preference would have to be a solution that is independent of a PC. I 
> suspect a lot of others feel the same way. Each to their own...
>

I agree that a self-contained storage system is conceptually 
preferable.  But I'm finding myself frequently wanting to get lots of 
disk images and individual files to classic computers.  Plus, I have 
quite a few old machines, and I'd like to use them all as cheaply as 
possible.  And I've got piles of commodity PC hardware to use as 
servers.  So for me the cable disk image server concept works well.  But 
yeah, I'd also love flash storage on a CoCo.  Both / and.

>> Likewise, I did some Googling to find such a thing for the Apple ][ and
>> found even less, though it looks like maybe ADTPro is something 
>> comparable.
>

Actually, Apple // Game Server looks more like what I want than ADTPro.

...
>
>> I wouldn't doubt that there are more new games
>> being developed for the other platforms. That may well be the case.
>
> Definitely active game development in the Atari 2600, ZX80/81, 
> Spectrum and - most prolific - C64 communities. I don't know of much 
> Apple II development myself.
>
> Most of these, however, pale in comparison to Sockmaster's Donkey Kong 
> for recent efforts on the Coco. And we all wait with baited breath for 
> Nick of course... (no pressure!) :)
>

I love Sockmaster's DK, and I'm not even a Donkey Kong fan!

JCE