Printer...

Saturday June 07, 1997 00:59, Vyacheslav Mednonogov wrote to Yury Matveyev:

VM> The worst thing in this whole matter is that F. Peters _will not_ write software
VM> for it. The motto is something like this: “We made a new computer for you, _you_
VM> write software for it.”

That is, as I understand it, you can’t even dream of a free machine for work or pay for programmers who promote their computer? Well, I see that the Peters turned out to be suspiciously cheap...

VM> Warm greetings, Slava.

Regards, Dmitry (OLDMAN).

VM> The worst thing about this whole thing is that F. Peters _will not_ write software
VM> for it. The motto is something like this: “We made a new computer for you, _you_
VM> write software for it.”

DG> That is, as I understand it, you can’t even dream of a free machine for work or payment of
labor
DG> programmers promoting their computer? Well, I
see
DG> the Peters turned out to be suspiciously cheap...

You don’t understand correctly!
1. They will _give_ a car for a specific project.
2. Do you mean payment or salary?
3. IMHO it turned out to be cheap because people approached the development smartly.

And about the fact that payments to programmers should be included in the price
of the computer :) that’s interesting, I’ll have to talk to the Peters about it.

Monday June 09, 1997 04:21, Denis Parinov (812/08.16) wrote to Dmitry Grigoryev:

DP> You don’t understand correctly!
DP> 1. They will _give_ the car for a specific project.

And then they won’t take it away? Just kidding...

DP> 2. Do you mean payment or salary?

What kind of payment can we talk about when the machine has not yet been mastered? Unusual
screen structure, memory, a lot of restrictions. It will take
time to figure it out... In short, the salary is better... ;)

DP> 3. IMHO it turned out to be cheap because people approached the development smartly.

Yeah. By making it less compatible with existing software :(

DP> And about the fact that payments to programmers should be included in the
DP> cost of the computer :) that’s interesting, I’ll have to talk to the Peters about this
DP>.

So, they’ll still take it away if you don’t work? Or do you think that it’s worth
first writing software for the Sprinter, and only then going to buy a car? ;)

DP> Sincerely, Denis.

Sincerely, Dmitry (OLDMAN).

They once said:

DP> Well, the train has left only for models that do not comply with modern
DP> technologies, 16 color screen memory < 1Mb and. etc. What can’t be said
DP> about Sprintere!

Does Sprinter comply with modern technologies? Don't be ridiculous... However, that's not the point. It's a matter of software...

YM>> of the year the PC will go so far that the current pisish graphic modes
YM>> will seem ridiculous.
DP> But you forget that the Peterses will not stand still either. They already
DP> have plans for the future in terms of computer development.

Well, well... If they cannot create a base for their computer in terms of software -
what kind of development can we talk about?

YM>> needs and requirements for standards? At our base, in our society
YM>> broken down into cogs?
DP> Let's hope that this will not always be the case!

Uh-huh. We will build communism, and Sprinter will become the car of the future...

DP> The fact is that having Sprinter you still have the same Speccy, and not some
DP> emulator :).

Why the hell do I need this Sprinter, if Speccy has been in the closet for a long time?

DP> And you still have all the wealth of software for it plus
DP> the screen is superior - VGA, which is superior in its capabilities!

Yes, even EGA - as long as there is something to work on and the necessary programswere...

DP> Plus the ability to listen to CDs (more expensive than the cost of a CD ROM),

On a PC we listen - and nothing...

DP> watch flicks, work in Fido, the Internet (plans :-( ),

That's it - plans... You won't be satisfied with promises.

DP> connect a scanner, a normal printer, etc., etc.

And you get the price of a PC with the same equipment.

DP> The Peters consider it _obligatory_ that the computer does not fall out of the ZX price category.

This is something new. What is the ZX price category? I mean, how much?

YM>> For the average person, the determining factor will be the availability of software.
DP> Well, here you are completely wrong. Today's coders make their creations for
DP> General Sound, and they really ask for 256K.

Coders!! These are not ordinary people :) Ordinary people don't understand anything about General Sound
or 256 K... They only understand how to pass the fifth level of the Prince or how to
kill Targon...

DP> Here comes Slava (Cooper Feet) is going to move from 128 what to do
DP> progress. So, try running such programs on a regular 128
DP>.

A person will not buy a new
computer for the sake of a couple of programs written for 256K...

DP> And the average person, already looking at the PC and Amigu, is not satisfied with the ZX graphics, well, except
DP> for those, of course, who are already so used to it :).

Here namely, that looking at the PC and Amiga, and not at the Sprinter ;)

YM>> So, you needsoftware Who will write it? Peters company? Alone? With
YM>> labor
DP> In extreme cases, yes. If everyone else is of the opinion
DP> “You try it there, if it works, I’ll support you, but no - that’s not really what I wanted
DP>, I have enough of the Amigi” (for example).

Uh-huh... “Keep up with your comrades”! Times are different... :(

YM>> Peters for the development of software. They will need to allocate 20 machines. And this is at
YM>> the moment when forces are running out, profit is needed to organize
YM>> production, new investments are needed. It will be difficult. Or offer
DP> Why is it running out :-), well, really, the Peterses took on the project if they weren’t
DP> they were confident in their capabilities.

God willing...

DP> Apparently this is due to the fact that someone in the
DP> echo said that they are working with full enthusiasm - this is not entirely
DP> so. Everyone is paid a regular salary.

This is good. This means someone is funding this project. In any case, hardware developers. Now it would be very good if the programmers were also financed. Otherwise, this is only half the way...

DP> Just don’t draw conclusions that
DP> is now f. Peters has to pay everyone a lot of money so that they
DP> start writing something.

There are no other ways to _seriously_ promote the company.

DP> They are already trying to please"dying" market for home
DP> computers.

:))) The PC is making quite successful steps in this market... So let's not get too excited about the dying
home computer market...

DP> Well, this option is not the best. A pussy can't emulate all the possibilities
DP> Sprintera.

Moreover... We need machines...

DP> But what about programmers, will everyone retrain for Amigu?

We all learned little by little, someday and somehow... :) (c)

DP> at a much cheaper price!

The difference of 100-150 bucks will not be decisive for thinking layman...

DP> P.S. We'll see in many years.

I think this will happen faster than you think...

══════ All the best! Yupiy ════════════

They once said:

DP> Well, don’t be so categorical. Isn’t it more naive to think that f. Peters
DP> owes something to someone.

But no one thinks so. It’s just that if you promote a computer, you need to do it
all together, and not according to the principle - “here, we made a machine - and you write software for it.” In the end, Sprinter needs the authors of programs more than these authors need Sprinter itself...

DP> People have made a sophisticated, inexpensive Spec, and their
DP> now everyone is criticizing them and saying all of this is in vain. But
DP> listen! f. Peters can continue to collect, repair,
DP> sell IBM's, but after some time, spektrumists may
DP> find themselves in a deep #op!

They are already in a deep #op... The further - the deeper... If you look at this
objectively from the outside...

DP> So, isn't it better not to attack each other, but to unite for
DP> revival of Spectruma?

Nobody attacks Sprinter, but simply expresses their skeptical opinion. And
slogans of unification for the “revival of the Spectrum” are from the evil one...

DP> P.S. From all of the above, one should not conclude that the Peters
DP> will release Sprinter and wait for programmers to think of writing
DP> programs for it. So express your opinions on how you would like
DP> to cooperate with f. Peters.

IfSprinter will be able to provide the authors of the programs with a normal standard of living (I
have already written about minimum wages) - then... Which I personally am not at all sure of.

══════ All the best! Yupiy ════════════

The other day, June 15, 97, at 12:19, Yury Matveyev wrote to Denis Parinov:

Glad to welcome you, Yury!

DP>> owes something to someone.

YM> But no one thinks so. It’s just that if you promote a computer, you need
to do it
YM> all together, and not according to the principle - “here, we made a machine - and you write under
it
Well, Slava got excited, the principle is different ;)

YM> software.” In the end, Sprinter needs the authors of programs more than these authors -
himself
YM> Sprinter...
Well, tell me, they both need him!

YM> There are no other ways to _seriously_ promote a company.

Well, let's count. Around St. Petersburg, in the first months, it is expected
to sell/replace/upgrade about 300 computers - these are the people who cut off all the
Peters phones + other cities + whoever else. By the way, the process of assembling
Sprintera will be so simple and cheap that I advise someone from 5020 to
support it.
Take the board (it’s beautiful, the user’s eyes will light up :)) insert it into the minitower
the keyboard connector appears exactly where you need it, install the sims, the necessary
cards,
3.5/5.25/hard drive/CDROM drives tighten the screws. Everything, you can use it,
no need to configure anything, everything will be determined automatically.
Well, okay, I got carried away :), so we have 300 computers, a good
program
will cost 20,000 in total 300*20000=6000000/5800=1000$ and this is only for St. Petersburg
so think about whether you really need financing!

DG> So, they will still take it away if you don’t work? Or do you think it’s worth
DG> to first write software for the Sprinter, and only then go buy a car? ;)

While reading all sorts of thick magazines, I came across this statement - it is more profitable
to work on a rented computer, and based on common sense, this is really
so.

Andrew

YM>> how much?

DP(1> I don’t know. The ceiling is 900.000/5800=155$

+hdd 30-150$
+cdrom 30-60$
etc :)

skp...

DP(1> Everyone? Everyone needs somewhere $1000, on average there are 3
DP(1> people working on a project and at the same time everyone wants $1000. Although the same Slava (Copper Feet)
DP(1> writes everything alone and focuses on the future, and not on who will pay more
DP(1>, and then everything burns with a blue flame. Why can you write under the 128th Spec
DP(1> without requiring money, but there is no money for Sprinter. Or is there a principle, well, since you
DP(1> have taken it upon yourself to pay you for everything?

The principle is completely different: Specs up to ©;% - Sprinters not ©;% :)

skp...

DP(1> Well, let's count. Approximately in St. Petersburg, in the first months
DP(1> it is expected to sell/replace/upgrade about 300 computers - these are those people who
DP(1> cut off all the Peters phones + other cities + whoever else. By the way
DP(1> the Sprintera assembly process will be so simple and cheap that I advise
DP(1> someone from 5020 to support this. Take the board (it’s beautiful for the user
DP(1> eyes will light up :)) insert the keyboard connector into the minitower
DP(1> appears exactly where you need it, install the Sims, the necessary cards, disk drives
DP(1> 3.5/5.25/hard drive/CDROM, tighten the screws. That's it, you can use it,
DP(1> nothing needs to be configured, everything will be determined automatically.Well, okay, something
DP(1> I got carried away :), so we have 300 computers, a good program
DP(1> will cost 20,000 in total 300*20000=6000000/5800=1000$ and that’s only for
DP(1> St. Petersburg so think about whether that’s what you need financing!

Sorry, where is the promised $150? It’s really worth calculating:
case $30
simms $5-20
keyboard $10-15
mio $10
fdd $20-30
hdd $30-150
cdrom $30-80

total from about 135 to... and that’s without the cost of the motherboard :) Or are the Peters
developing a project for recycling pisish waste?

skp...