Nicron #88 07 мая 1998

Интервью

Interview - an interview with Dmitry Grigoriev (Oldman).

              "On-Line":
        Dmitry Grigoryev
              recalls

(C) Wlodek Black
Photo: (c) Wlodek Black,
scanning and processing -
(C) Dmitry Grigoryev (Oldman)



  Name Dmitry Grigoryev (Oldman-a) is certainly known to all
or almost everything. Someone knows him as a programmer and 
"hacker" anyone remember "spectrophone. A network spektrumisty 
probably first of all say: 'Chief Editor' On-Line '", and

will also be right. Going to a meeting with Dmitry, I asked to 
talk to him just as the chief editor of the first network 
Spectrum newspaper. Why so and it is in these days - will 
become clear from the interview itself. Although the term 
"interview" here, perhaps, not quite appropriate - Dmitri 
showed his professional journalistic skills, and interview 
turned into a story, which is twice bigger than our 
conversation. Finish the same preface standard phrase - 
"Contents of the paper Editorial and opinion may not coincide 
(sometimes ;-))). 



          Dmitry Grigoryev (Oldman) and his son.

WB: Two and a half years from the date marks the first issue of 
On-Line. 

DG: Yeah, so. The fourth number is dated 10/02/1995, and 
considering manic regular issues (in at least the first year), 
it is possible with sufficient certainty that the "day birth 
"On-Line - 2.9.95. 

WB: Dima, tell us how the idea of ​​On-Line; why in
the form of newspapers, not as something else?

DG: That's easy. Efficiency. Ease of manufacture. While
people like the air was necessary and reliable information. 
Then I started looking for like-minded people. At that time I 
have had some "weight", so rather quickly joined me a few 
sisopov and two guys from the hacker group FFC. Thus, the 
responsibilities were divided, the envelope was written, the 
publication started.


WB: You're hand in hand with Alex and others raised ZXNet ...

DG: This is, in some ways, a myth. Perhaps Alex is another point
view, but I do my part in the organization ZXNet assess fairly
modestly. I have never had a station (only if
Speccy operated for 16-20 hours a day), I have never in
Life did not attend the "sisopok" and did not take any 
decisions. Of course, it is On-Line began to systematize 
information on available if the stations, making them 
accessible over a wide range of users and, ultimately, led to 
an increase sisopov authority and, in general, has increased 
interest in the modem connection. Of course, when the idea to 
convert several bibiesok a full-fledged network, I became her 
ardent admirer and voluntary agitator. Of course, I gave a lot 
of tips (I hope at least some of them brought some benefit). Of 
course, many present-day users of the network first learned 
about it from my newspaper. But the father ZXNet "has always 
been and will remain Alexei Ivanov (Alex (R)), and the rest of 
us - journalists, sysops and users - just to help him, and I'm 
in a much lesser degree than many others. I can not but mention 
also Paul ROBERT-E - author support programs CDOS modems and 
holder rights to the modem itself.


WB: On the first numbers, as far as I know, there was also a 
famous span newspapers, a simplified version of which was 
subsequently used by many. 

DG: Yes. True, a simplified version frivarnaya shell was made 
only a few months later, when the On-Line appeared followers. 

WB: "List of BBS" became one of the main headings. How many BBS
then?

DG: It is hard to say. Yes, as I mentioned, one of the reasons 
for the creation of the newspaper there was a need to 
streamline the fragmented while the stations, to inform users 
about new BBS and a different schedule. But sysops understand 
the charm This service is not immediately. Some did not 
consider it effective, while others, conversely, feared an 
influx of users and refused to publicize their activities. 
However, the number of the eighth and surrendered those, and 
these;). Then the number of "unaccompanied" edition stations 
exceeded ten. 

WB: And when the On-Line has spread not only in Moscow?

DG: I have no idea. The first letters and calls from other 
cities began to arrive in three months or four, but I have data 
that already the first rooms scattered across the country the 
traditional "pirate-hacking" means. Unfortunately, here On-Line 
could not overtake the development of a network - to offer free 
distribute the newspaper Inforkom said something like "we are 
not interested in hacking disassembly" ... Then I remember, 
huffy on them and even predicted the imminent closure of the 
firm, which caused a flurry insult in his address, given to me 
by trusted people, a small newspaper ad in the next issue of 
the ZX-REVIEW,) and increasing activity Inforkoma at Spectrum 
arena. Recently, however, still did not save them from ruin. I 
say this already with regret. 

WB: Style, Design On-Line quickly became a kind of standard, 
and to So far the Moscow newspaper network easily recognizable 
vertical scrollers, almost standard management, even the 
shipping set_up made compatible.


DG: I'd like to look at a newspaper with a horizontal scroller
:) Yes, most of my followers did not distinguish imagination - 
at the beginning of the newspaper "BBS News" or "BBS News", at 
the end - Word for word copied ominous warnings about copyright 
... But seriously - a normal phenomenon. Why reinvent the 
wheel. There is, incidentally, is another "fashion" - Topic 
"From Authors", which in fairness should be called "from 
Editor. "bullshit, and a clear sign of incompetence, in my 
opinion. If the chief editor has something to say, let him 
speak on the case, write the article, analysis, review ... But 
shipping rasskazkami readers about the weather, favorite song, 
or how how long and hard preparing for the next number ... 
However, I understand how difficult it is to resist this, 
especially with a shortage of material, he frequently asked the 
editors to dilute the fresh material "(the same" BBS News "). 

By the way, If we are talking about the "reader" ... The first 
"reader" was done ... in one day! Over the style and design, I 
thought much, most importantly, it was convenient to read and 
can be quickly (literally in minutes) to collect the number. 
Remember me then a RST # 7 laughed and said: "pathetic! Would 
look like in INSULT-e done? ". But in the" stroke "is done it 
was a sprite, and explain the difference between a newspaper 
and demoy I decided. Smart man and he should have known that 
for those conditions that I set myself, developing shell (35 
kilobytes of text, availability to 48 kilobytes of memory, 
shared size of the program - no more than 100 sectors, a few 
minutes assembly rooms ...), about any sprites could not be 
considered. 

WB: A RST-something to do with it? :-) Or Rooms On-Line has 
already spread, or he saw them here? 

DG: At the time, the main "independent distributor" was
Andrei Isayev (Kano), but this man could be if you want a very
operativen. Yes, and RST often dropping in Moscow. So, do not
I know. Yes, and was never interested in the circumstances of 
the surface RST assessment of my abilities as a coder. But I 
still thank him for it - after On-Line compared with megademoy, 
I could no longer be upset by comparison with electronic 
journals, followed later:) 

WB: Logo "On-Line" have you decided?

DG: Well, who is! :-)

WB: Do you remember the joke: Why On-Line is the name? - Because
the first issues of the text is displayed in one line, running 
from right to left, with the symbols of size 128 * 128 pixels! 

DG: 8-()???

WB: It was April Fool's joke, it seems, (c) Vyacheslav 
Mednonogov (not sure). 

DG: Well, thank you can not break off, and even on occasion:) Oh
what to say! The name means "contact bond", even there is no 
need to translate it. Certainly implied, above all, efficiency 
and competence. As well as a "nation", opportunistic, and if 
you want. 

WB: I think everybody understands this. :-) In my opinion, the 
name of a successful. The first newspaper to be called 
otherwise simply could not. 

DG: In addition to speed, it was hoped to make the newspaper 
more interactive, that is ... Like that would be "all the time 
readers have written for us, and they always something to 
respond. "impossible dream wrote very little, and it's not 
true, as it turned out ... For this newsgroup exist. 

WB: This is now the same way. More active readers of newspapers 
that have specific topics - for example, "Proton" - Newspaper 
zhelezyachnikov, "Modern" - more artistic and entertaining, 
IMHO. 

DG: It is reasonable to sound, I must admit ...

WB: "Nicron" - information as to the socio-political
Newspaper network ...

DG: Let's just say I have taken over the baton. :-)) National 
newspapers to tell the truth. Actually, I've never seen in 
other publications of competitors. Like-minded followers, yes - 
but not competitors, rivals.


WB: "Nicron" now at 60 percent - 70 to the regions do not
in Moscow.

DG: That's right! Yes, and it is now more urgent.

WB: We have already developed a common information space, the
where T o r e a, probably only dreamed of.

DG: Exactly. It all started with an ordinary association 
bibiesok. I myself have one of the first server opened (not 
himself), he unraveled, called Paul, begging for the server 
version ... 

WB: Alex told me that ended up being forgotten drive STS
in the drive, and he had "taken away" the server version ...

DG: By this time I convinced Paul that the expected official 
interest in the program is useless and should be "let go" - so 
it is more good will. He had two of some bibieski, Polytech 
want to do, but, as usual ... 

WB: Well, it was already on my mind ;-))


DG: It is easier for people - all "pisyuki" and then ... 
Although Paul if such had already worked on a PC; CDOS itself 
is written in C. 

WB: You have a PC, too, was then?

DG: No, I got it about half a year ago.

WB: Alex I once said that the editor of "Word and Deed" is 
famous because it made the first issues of On-Line. 

DG: Oh, and Alex, of course, thank you very much, because
First, we started without him, he joined, somewhere, the fifth 
number. Later, he helped me a lot, but difficult for me times 
(when a son was born and I was torn between him and the toys on 
the Pentium), self-released a few numbers. He Incidentally, the 
first suggested format text. Why and used the same "Word and 
Deed";) 

WB: Well, it now is, we have some people suggest ...
:-)

DG: Typical Spectrum mentality ;-) Unformatted
text - it just looks ugly and disrespectful to the readers.

WB: The newspaper - not an echo, not a letter, it should be a s 
r l i g e r b. 

DG: Absolutely.

WB: The more that have already reached that newspapers are a 
shell close to the magazine. 

DG: It's insanity, I always thought. As already mentioned, the 
first version of the shell was a fairly simple-and brake. Well, 
how - can be read and thought: why fast? After numerous

to accelerate the scrolling, I still took the time to work 
through new algorithm for fast printing. By this time the 
newspapers just began to multiply like mushrooms after the 
rain;) Kodera began asking for viewers. I'm from KSA, even the 
competition turned out - who rapidly done. KSA was a very 
talented coder, now such a handful can. I won, by the way :-) 
But we enjoyed with him frivarnye version about the same 
popularity. Since then, by the way, nobody had done the viewer 
does not only faster and smaller than ours, but even, at least 
in half catching up to speed. And weird. After all, reserves 
have remained unused, as I later realized, and the speed can 
raise, even with the coloring ... 

WB: I think, go into the technical details will not ... The 
newspaper is not interested in it. 

DG: Just a shame that now all the beauty blows, and coding
worse ... And the design of something no one (I mean newspapers 
and do not mean Nicron;), so - fussiness solid. Is that 
infoshkah by Digital Reality sense of style and real coding. 

-
WB: Dima, and you're on sisopnikah happened?

DG: No, never. Then once, then laziness. I'm generally a very 
"heavy on recovery "and is" not rave "people. In an Internet 
even IRK not stand;) Number of my friends have long exceeded 
one hundred, but I have seen units ...


WB: How long has there ZXNet, as there are people around her, 
and you're still quite a mysterious person. Many are 
interested. Maybe, tell me how you're on Spectrum has come, 
when? 

DG: C BK shki "floundered. I had a BC, a friend of mine bought
Spectrum. Then, as usual, brought me to fix :-). I looked ... 
and fell in love:) By the way, BC has been a lot of newspapers, 
although their quality at the time was simply shameful. 

WB: By the time the ZXNet, On-Line you were qualified
coder.

DG: By the time I have, the 3.2 encoded on the Spectrum, where 
almost all the time working just for himself, and only in 95-m 
felt that it's time to "declare itself the world";) rang 
SOFTSTAR'u, he told me, like, "come on the market - let's see 
what you can do ... But I'm too lazy for such trips ... Then 
Spectrum is one of the friends introduced me to Kano. By the 
time I became a member of the legendary Mortal Kombat Hakers 
Group, y I already had finished work, the order of hundreds or 
restorennyh just obessmerchennyh games, some copyright system 
software (not necessary now to talk about them - they had lost 
relevance for the prescription of years). Almost immediately, I 
decided to abandon this "konveynernogo production," and began 
remixing - of the global refining, upgrading and gaming 
systems. Worth mentioning that I started on the cassette.


WB: Yes, "Copyright / Copyleft :-) by Oldman" - a fairly well 
known. 

DG: First of all, though, Copyright. It is not necessary to 
deprive them of hackers copyrights to their own code only on 
the basis that Some of them are engaged in more purely 
commercial burglary software. Secondly, I put my copyright on a 
par with the author only if you really did the hard work

of restoration and modernization program. For example, in Sample
Tracker'e I streamlined and wrote two times more code than
was in fact "madzhike" that I got significantly altered
Editor and completely - players. Usually, I put the inscription 
in intro type "Disk version by Dmitry Grigoryev", and so on 
copyrights my intro, I will not give it:) By the way, I was 
just Oldman'om in Mortal Kombat'e ...


WB: Yes, you have a stage with MKHG, but was also the stage 
with a group of "Step"? 

DG: Yes, I MKHG long delayed, the role of mere "Membury"
known group I never suit. And now I'm
I think stupidity is a formal membership. All the work I've 
done myself, but music, which provided me with KSA for 
Outrun3Remix, and the games should be MKHG ... illogical for 
non-profit organization and just nonsense for my ambitious 
nature;) Period from Step'om? Yes, it is ... Interests of the 
hacker and "Hakeronenavistnika" converged when the first took 
up the restoration known adventyurnoy game Capitan Blood, which 
is available for his edition of the latter was interested. Then 
I made for are still a couple of works - Sample Tracker and 
Enterprise, a new viewer, intro and a few shells for the 
magazine Spectrofon, in which I 19-th number of working as a 
designer, and then became a technical and editor and a full 
partner in the publication. Few months, I went in and in the 
group. This happened after Step left Sergey Shishliannikov, but 
we still left with Yura a little courage and we decided to do 
the same "Star Heritage 2" ... Unfortunately, bankruptcy 
spectrophone 21-22 and, especially, uncleanliness of our 
business partners, showed us all the naivete of those plans, 
and after we are faced with disregard for our work from people 
who never anything decent on Spectrum did not, it was decided 
to disband and close all planned projects.


WB: We have increased generation of talented writers ...

DG: And that it grew, "guilty" is Step, it was he
produced the first domestic competitive game (a discussion 
which is still from time to time starts at fidoshnyh ehah 
SU.GAME *, along with a discussion of the immortal Elite), all 
their "spectrophone" proved that we can and should be on the 
Speccy releasing the game and not get involved in the 
production of an epidemic and we shall intro. Well, maybe, 
Glory Mednonogov went his own way, I do do not say - is a 
giant:) 

WB: What do you do now on the Spectrum?

DG: Now, I almost left the platform. Why did almost - will 
explain later, now try to explain why the left ... Say like 
this: I believe that we can not rest on our laurels. Somehow 
Yura said, "I'm on the Spectrum itself proved everything." I am 
too. That is, I gained credibility, the popularity of your 
project, I unscrewed the newspaper, more spin it's nowhere. 
Need to go further, should not limit yourself. If I had stayed 
at Spectrum, continued to be free to publish a newspaper ... 
say, it would have been better and better ... what next? 
Contingent of readers have long been changed, today's 
newspapers look very differently and write about something 
else, and I changed too late. They do not understand me, I do 
not understand them. Why annoy each other? More one important 
aspect: I'm thirty years old already, I'm married, I child, 
that'll be to old to engage in free journalism? Need to earn 
money to feed his family, raise a son than I am now doing. Here 
are two reasons for this and was purchased PC - the desire to 
excel and a desire to receive financial reward for their labor. 
But half years ago, it was a pity to throw too much running 
project as On-Line and, in addition, there was hope that the 
money possible and with the help of commercial spectrophone, 
and then the commercial game. The latter circumstance has 
ceased to exist by itself and I looked at the PC not only as a 
helper in the work on Spectrum projects. And do not regret it. 
It turned out that it's not a stupid machine that it is very 
beautiful set software. Now I do not feel their imagination 
limited - I would think of something to draw or make, I can sit 
down and to realize the desired, and then another, and get paid 
for it. On Spectrum I "had long rested in the ceiling. Yes, you 
can encode at assembler, you can paint pixel by pixel, the text 
is processed manually, and to feed himself, laboring on 
uninteresting work. Possible. But it is also called a 
"ceiling". Moreover, the stress for me. I not going to dictate 
to someone their point of view, to call, as one amizhnik, 
blaming everything on a different platform. Well I understand 
that for someone Spectrum - an excellent school, someone just 
satisfied with this position, he is comfortable. Me and itself 
is not so long ago, all arranged ... 

WB: But you did not throw, continues to keep abreast of 
developments. 

DG: I'm trying to score, but I did not get! This is the question
about the "almost." When there is spare time, I immediately 
begin to echo reading, Spectrum media and so on. Moreover, 
positive emotions I still do not feel ... Old friends all less, 
and the "new generation" ... It is, by definition, is capable 
of just annoying. One hope - soon, I do not stay free time ...


WB: And you've got it takes?

DG: Last year - the work on the Internet. First, just got 
carried away ... so much information freely lying, then became 
interested in finding one that is deeper, not so openly. You 
know, captured the excitement hunter) Now I earn it. Recent 
months has been working in the gaming magazine "Game Attack". 
New, young edition, yet virtually nothing stands out among 
these, but I was impressed by his desire for efficiency, 
accuracy of information. "On-Lin'ovost, you can tell;) 

WB: Do you keep in touch with old friends, who started?

DG: Sure. In KSA, for example - a living legend! He is now also 
increased, wins first place in musical competitions, to a 
certain group of works. Music CD is going to produce. Long ago, 
however, going ... From those with whom the newspaper released, 
calls back ... Great men are! Now there are none about. "Old 
men" Spectrum is now involved "in so far as." You, Alex ... You 
do also need to earn money. 

WB: We have something Spectrum is now purely as a hobby, not 
associated with receipt of income ...


DG: Who is it they never received.

WB: And here in Belarus have released a new terminalku - EMS 
... And they want make money.


DG: What is money? And Belarus is now generally very 
"fruitful". It seems that "spektrumsky Center has long been not 
in Peter ... Peter slowly "catches up" Moscow, dies there 
Spectrum life rather, goes online, in virtual reality ...


WB: How do you see the future of the Spectrum?

DG: Never mind now I can not say. I do not understand anything. 
In my opinion, agony. On the background of the slow fading of 
the platform in general occur m and k and e violent outbreak of 
enthusiasm, that all our "old" achievements pale and seem to be 
something insignificant, however, flash go off, and the 
achievements are:) But I can predict the fall of the level of 
coding (it is already evident, except in demah able to 
survive), perhaps an appearance on Speccy high-level language 
and programs written in it that, given the technical 
characteristics of the machine and the apparent impossibility 
of indiscriminate upgrade (Sprinter - the lot of units, the 
fanatics), is likely all the deaths "a real Spectrum. In 
general, sooner or Speccy later become virtual, but it will 
happen soon, within a few years, 3-4, maybe. Where a year ago 
was the turning point of progress to regress, and the first 
stage lasted approximately seven years ... but the appearance 
of HLL will inevitably accelerate the latter. 

WB: Do you agree that there is a "phenomenon of the Spectrum?

DG: Absolutely. Here's the "pisyuk 'worth - is a tool, nothing 
more. I I can not talk about any feelings for him - this is 
ridiculous. A Spectrum ... Coding it brought real joy to me

enjoyed everything I did on it, ZXNet ... Although what did I 
do in ZXNet? 

WB: Well, how? A On-Line??

DG: Several months ago I had the idea in general, all 
resuscitate! 

WB: I, actually, and not trying to hide the fact that "rolled" 
to you with this interview in light of the episode a month ago, 
when, albeit with a "smiley", appeared to echo the phrase: "And 
what will happen after 85-th Nicron-eh? - 86 th On-Line! ".


DG: Do not calculated the force ... And could not find anyone 
capable of doing newspaper with the same energy as I did. He 
himself did not have so much time. I'm still a child, I was in 
front of him is responsible. 

WB: Yes, it's certainly understandable. But be that as it may, 
at any If you remain forever first. As the song Makarevich:

"... And glorifying the first of these, all these first 
remember." What do you you could wish for those who now come to 
the Spectrum? 

DG: To say someday: "I'm here to prove myself." And most
decide - go on to enjoy fame, comfort, or move on to new 
heights ... The main thing is to solve the time, do not bump 
your head against the wall, too speeding ... 

WB: Thank you!