xyzzy @ xyzzy @lemm.ee

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2 yr. ago

Mostly? What really sent me down a rabbit hole in reading this code was the syntax:

• The == assignment
• The argument lists <...>
• PRINTX instructions, etc.

The Altair 8800 uses an Intel 8080 processor. This syntax doesn't match the instruction set for Altair or Intel, or even PDP-10 for that matter.

We have some hints about what may have happened. We know that Paul Allen wrote an Intel 8080 emulator designed to translate instructions to ones that a PDP-10 would understand.

We also know that Microsoft later released Macro-80 (M80) Assembly for Intel 8080 and Z80 architectures five years later. It turns out that M80 has <...> argument lists and .printx instructions.

So my suspicion is that Allen built some macro convenience functionality into his emulator, and that the language used is 95% Altair assembly with some macro functionality to support different kinds of Altair configurations and simplify some of the programming. Then they later evolved that into its own product offering and added Z80 support for it as well.

Building a Basic interpreter on top of a custom CPU emulator in a slightly-customized version of assembly in two months between 2.5 people and having it work correctly the first time on untested hardware is pretty damn impressive, whatever you think of Gates. It's no wonder he's so proud of it.

Assembly has variables. You can label locations in memory, then move them onto registers in order to perform operations.

A mini competitive analysis

Steam Deck 256 GB: $400 Xbox Series X digital: $435 PS5 digital: $450 Steam Deck 512 GB: $450 Xbox Series X w/ drive: $500 PS5 w/ drive: $500 PS5 Pro digital: $700 PS5 Pro w/ drive: $780

OK, so currently Switch 2 sits in the middle of the pack and competes head-to-head with a 512 GB Steam Deck. If they somehow didn't factor in potential tariffs, an adjusted price would be $550, near the top of the list.

I think it's more likely they factored in a lower tariff rate and they're now pausing to do a competitive analysis around a bump to $500. That would put it on par with the PS5 and Xbox drive versions, but it would make the Steam Deck more attractive.

It seems pretty clear Nintendo is thinking about the Steam Deck. The official Steam Deck dock also does 4K at 60 Hz. The price is the same as the 512 GB model, which has faster memory, probably like the Switch 2. That said, that Steam Deck model has double the internal storage and access to about a zillion more games. So right now they're putting perhaps a $50 premium on it compared to the 256 GB model based on access to Nintendo exclusives.

Can the US market support a $100 Nintendo premium? Most likely... but they're surely sensitive to another Wii U debacle, and that price will mean Switch 2 is unlikely to ever be as successful as the original. So these are likely some of the factors they're weighing right now.

Nintendo is fairly conservative about risk. I suspect they'll hedge their bets and pick something just shy of $500, probably $479 or $489.

Edit: A friend just informed me that during the previous Trump administration, Nintendo moved a lot of their manufacturing to Vietnam, which is subject to a 46% tariff. That changes my calculus and it may be that the price goes much higher that I originally speculated as a result.

I've seen a 30% drop since this whole thing began. I'm not looking to divest for another 18 months, but that's assuming he doesn't completely collapse the economy for years...

But can it be used as a regular webcam when plugged into a computer? 🤔

Sure, if there's a depression.

I was confused at first too, then realized these were just predictions and not an actual summary of the final product. I imagine the down votes are because people feel misled by someone's opinions presented as fact.

Yep, I checked that when I got the gift card. There's apparently no expiration for GameStop gift cards, and no expiration printed on the card. I was told as long as you have the code, you're good.

I also have a friend who did something similar at the same time and has periodically used his since then without a problem. We'll see.

Time to finally dig out my old GameStop gift card that I've saved for like five years for this day. During the early pandemic I traded in my Xbox One and Xbox One X for double credit after the Series X was released, and I just hoped GameStop wouldn't implode before then.

So yes, GameStop, I will finally take my free launch Switch 2, thank you.

On Friday, the federal employees reportedly asked the Doge workers to deliver the memo to Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, for his signature, thereby assuming the legal responsibility for the associated risks.

However, Burgum reportedly never signed the memo. [...]

Meanwhile, Tyler Hassan, the recently named interior department’s acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget and a former Doge employee, reportedly placed two of the IT officials who had resisted the Doge employees on administrative leave and under investigation for their “workplace behavior”, according to the two sources.

Thank you to the IT workers that refused to cooperate with this order and pushed back repeatedly.

Get outta here with that negativity. It's the first sign of life from Senate Democrats, and taking a moral stance against Trump is still important. We need more of this, not less.

Watch it live here.

He was just reading letter after letter after letter from American seniors who are scared about what the administration might do to Social Security. Really helps bring home that these are real people who are affected.

Edit: 15 hours now and he's still going strong. He just gave a fiery speech about how his colleagues need to do more.

Edit: 25 hours. He beat the record. At least it won't be held by a racist anymore.

You wouldn't do shit and you know it. But I tell you what, if you want to play Rambo, fly on over and give it a go.

Oh, right. It's "not your fight."

Open bribery for votes. In a society based on the rule of law, officers would be on hand at the rally to arrest him the moment he attempted to hand over the money. But of course they weren't, because only the plebeians are held accountable for their actions.

Wisconsinites, you should demand accountability.

I collect vintage laptops, and my wife makes bespoke kitten mittens. Our budget is $6.2 million.

What

The framing is really gross as well. Facing a future without Social Security? Try saving for retirement with Moneywise...

They just don't say the company directly in the calls to action because it's likely intended mainly to boost their search engine rankings. Hence the number of links...

Moneywise. There are like 5 or 6 links to it in the text, starting from halfway down the "article," and it starts to get really blatant when it starts talking directly to you, the reader. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire thing was written by AI.

This is an ad.

Destroying a car hurts a company's bottom line. The other stuff you suggested hurts workers and regular people.

It would take a 5-10 year depression for enough of them to reach the point that it would make a meaningful difference. Seriously.

Look at how it went last time. FDR and then his vice president created a 20-year presidential legacy following Hoover's complete mismanagement of the Great Depression. After that came the 5-star general who defeated Hitler (who ran as a Republican in order to block an isolationist candidate farther on the right), then back to Democrats for another eight years—until giving black people equal rights was a bridge too far for Southern Democrats.

Basically, Trump would need to destroy this country economically, and have that ruination take hold for many years, before real charge can happen.