Re: Cool new things for old computers to do..

[dmag@engin.umich.edu (Daniel Demaggio )]

In article <1993Dec8.022200.14872@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> dmahalko@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dale Mahalko) writes:
>
>I was wondering if anyone ever considered trying some novel new things to
>reuse all these 'old' computers and put them to some use elsewhere with
>current systems...
>

I don't think the //+ is going to win any SPECint battles, so putting
rending on it is not a good idea.  The //+ is great for dedicated
applications though. 
For example, go to radio shack, buy a $3.25 Infrared decoder module,
hook it up to the game port, hack out an Assembly program to read
your useless remotes... What it does when you press the button is up 
to you..

Or maybe you aren't so good at assembly.. So just write a BASIC
program to monitor the PDL ports (or buttons), and hook up your
//+ to various things (door openings & closings, tempature, light
sensors.)

Or maybe (if you have multiple ][+'s), you could connect them via
serial port and write simple network games. (or just run a bbs on
one - great for schools or social organizations because they don't
need a download section).

Maybe you just write strange graphics routines and hook it up in
a dance club or something.. Maybe you just let it run a word processor
all the time and use it to jot down random notes, instead of keeping
them on scraps of paper.

These are all doable.  I have done them. (Ok, maybe not the dace club).
But most of all, have fun & happy hacking (& Happy Holidays!).

			-=Dan "Any one wanna help me port X-windows
				to the ][+" DeMaggio=-

-- 
            -=- Dan DeMaggio -=- dmag@umich.edu -=-
"That is really incredible. That is truly incredible.  That is so
incredibly incredible that I think I'd like to steal it." -Zaphod