🍵 
The sheer number of people who do not understand that you can access the photo gallery on any mobile device directly without first accessing the camera truly scares me.
@rl_dane It always bugs me... it feels like it wastes energy and puts unnecessary wear on the camera.
But I tend to use computers like we share the same pantry or something.
Have you given any more thought to migrating instances?
@rl_dane Yeah... I want to self-host but I don't want to get DDoS'd or something either.
A friend I texted suggested I use an "isolated VLan", whatever that is. I've had enough trouble running a mailserver.
I think I'll just move to Fosstodon or BSD Cafe today. I can always reconsider. (Thanks for reminding)
@rl_dane Hmm...
I like the 500 char limit actually, vs a 5000 char limit; it means I run across shorter posts more often.
But I wish the limit was 1000 characters or 750 characters or something, as 500 just feels too small for me.
At any rate, I'm going to go with Fosstodon (for now, anyway), as I already have a Fosstodon account. I also have a Fosstodon sticker on the back of my laptop, LOL.
Next I'm gonna need a "my other computer is a Commodore 64" sticker...
Fosstodon is good people.
Are you going to get the new C64?
https://www.commodore.net/
I'm a little tempted ;)
@rl_dane I just finished ordering the beige one! I'm very excited (e.g. https://social.librem.one/@golemwire/114967865235188088 ).
I don't usually make big purchases; I just save up for nothing specific, and then when I see something I really really want, I go for it. Last big purchase was earlier in college when I bought my System76 laptop (and sold my previous one to compensate). I'd always wanted a Serval or Bonobo System76 computer, since I was younger, then I saw it on eBay. Bam!
@rl_dane But I moved to Fosstodon. Still waiting for the other 20 accounts to move over (I was just at a nice round 100 followers)
Sweet! They haven't published much in the way of specs. I'm guessing it has a CF card slot and all that good stuff in it?
@rl_dane They have a specs section at https://www.commodore.net/product-page/commodore-64-ultimate-basic-beige-batch1 .
It is FPGA-based, so the 6502 (or whatever exactly) and the other chips are inside there (they say that the FPGA is configured to mimic the C64 hardware). 128MB DDR2 RAM, 16MB "NOR flash".
@rl_dane MicroSD card slot inside (why nobody uses full-size SD anymore I have no idea).
It has the connectivity of the original C64, but with some added ports like HDMI [with DVI support], USB (type-A and type-C), and Ethernet (i.e. RJ45). It has 'Wi-Fi game sharing' (!).
I think the idea is they're using modern standards where applicable. E.g. trying to make a sort of successor to the C64 that is built with the same line of thinking, but with modern standards?
@rl_dane I'm also experiencing right now why 500 characters can be so small.. :)
I really like its design, actually. I never used 80s or 90s micros so I don't have the nostalgia per se, but I still want a more traditional "home computer" that is just about computing (and retro-gaming, apparently).
My least favorite part is that it is FPGA-based -- while that's great for me wanting to try my own CPU designs, it definitely makes it less low-level....
@rl_dane I'm also experiencing right now why 500 characters can be so small.. :)
It drove me up the wall, man. XD
I really like its design, actually. I didn't grow up on 80s or 90s micros so I don't have the nostalgia per se, but I still want a more traditional "home computer" that is simple and just about computing (and retro-gaming, apparently).
There's just something pure and unassuming about it. I'm extremely tempted. I'd really need a special wrist rest for it, though. The breadbin is waaaay to tall for me to comfortably type on. :P
My least favorite part is that it is FPGA-based -- while that's great for me wanting to try my own CPU designs, it definitely makes it less low-level....
To me, the only difference between an FPGA and an ASIC is that the FPGA can be modified after the fact.
To my (admittedly quite limited) knowledge, an FPGA relates to an ASIC exactly the same way an EEPROM relates to a ROM. It's not emulation, it's circuit-level simulation.
@rl_dane That's probably the best explanation I've seen for FPGAs. Makes total sense to me.
I'll definitely be sharing my experience once I eventually have my hands on it (provided nothing goes wrong). I should have it by Christmas break, actually.
I may be incorrect to describe it as "circuit level simulation." It might be more accurate to call it logic-level or gate-level simulation, but I'm not totally sure.
It is very low level, nevertheless, and almost indistinguishable from the real hardware.
@rl_dane I just did some research, and yeah, FPGAs don't really *simulate* anything, but instead "rewire"/reconfigure themselves internally to become a digital logic circuit of your choosing. So, pretty low-level (certainly not comparable to emulation, that's for sure, thankfully).
But being able to re-configure the FPGA to something else... really cool.
Not that the whole C64U is on the FPGA; it has 2 SID sockets and what appear to be other goodies on the motherboard. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2056c6_fe164cd3b7924273816de5bf5ad3c12e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_827,h_551,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/2056c6_fe164cd3b7924273816de5bf5ad3c12e~mv2.png
Oh dude, please tell me it has (or will have via firmware/FPGA update) wifi modem functionality. That would be bitchin'.
It is FPGA-based, so the 6502 (or whatever exactly) and the other chips are inside there
That makes a lot of sense.
128MB DDR2 RAM
WHOA. What are they using all that RAM for?!? Can we access it from within the "simulated" hardware, like an REU-from-heck??? :D
16MB "NOR flash".
That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. I don't recall what the advantages of NOR were over NAND, but I know NAND allowed flash sizes to get much bigger, which is why it became dominant.
@rl_dane I think you can enable or disable the extra RAM. It looks like the rocker switch on the side can be used to bring up a boot menu where you can configure memory and such.
The CPU has "48Mhz Turbo mode" -- that's, like, 48x the speed, isn't it?
@golemwire
You're welcome!
There's always https://masto.host/, although you lose a lot of configuration potential there.
Also, in case this is important to you:
~ $ curl -sL "fosstodon.org/api/v1/instance" |grep -o '"max_characters":[0-9][0-9]*' "max_characters":500 ~ $ curl -sL "bsd.cafe/api/v1/instance" |grep -o '"max_characters":[0-9][0-9]*'~ $ curl -sL "mastodon.bsd.cafe/api/v1/instance" |grep -o '"max_characters":[0-9][0-9]*' "max_characters":5000 ~ $