[HN Gopher] The WeeCee - Tiny Vortex86-Based DOS Gaming PC
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The WeeCee - Tiny Vortex86-Based DOS Gaming PC
Author : nickt
Score : 64 points
Date : 2021-11-19 19:39 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.vogons.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.vogons.org)
| ryanmercer wrote:
| Saw this via LGR's patreon earlier this week, I want one so bad.
| kcb wrote:
| The craziest thing is this guy built a soundcard from schematic
| to pcb in hand in a section of a youtube video.
| nickt wrote:
| via LGRs video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USHvvSbYmJA
|
| rasteri also did a couple of build videos: Part 1:
| https://youtu.be/aJEp4ZUG7BI Part 2:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P1E2vjpcRo
| tmaly wrote:
| That forum is what looks even more interesting than the hardware
| being reviewed in that post.
| gattilorenz wrote:
| It is. It's also a community of packrats that have a copy of
| every driver and bios under the sun, including huge dumps of
| FTP archives that have been lost to the sands of time (e.g. NEC
| or Acer's support FTP)
| mrweasel wrote:
| Vortex86 is just as interesting as the WeeCee. Surely they must
| have an x86 licens, where did they get that? They don't appear to
| have a license for AMD64, but could they get one?
| zozbot234 wrote:
| Vortex86 implements i586, which should surely be IP-
| unencumbered by now? Why would they need a license?
| shakna wrote:
| > Vortex86 implements i586, which should surely be IP-
| unencumbered by now?
|
| Even if you go from the launch date and not the last errata,
| the i586 architecture is only 28 years old. In today's world
| of copyright, that's practically an infant.
|
| To be clear of most patents, you generally need at least
| thirty years, and copyrights are generally more than twice
| that number.
|
| You will probably require a license from Intel. (Though
| whether or not they care enough to enforce things is another
| matter entirely).
| gigel82 wrote:
| I was always confused about patents, copyrights and
| licenses when it comes to hardware.
|
| Surely if you do a (clean-room) implementation of hardware
| that is interface compatible with existing hardware that is
| ok? Isn't that how we got the IBM PC Clones?
| shakna wrote:
| > Isn't that how we got the IBM PC Clones?
|
| IBM encouraging developers to target their BIOS and not
| the hardware, and BIOS clean room designs is where we got
| the IBM PC clones - but that's still the world of
| software. (Note: IBM managed to take clones by Eagle
| Computer and Corona Data Systems off the market because
| the software wasn't a clean room design).
|
| The IBM PC's pluggable design with already existing
| standard ports made it easy to build clones, because it
| wasn't the hardware that was being interfaced with. If
| you could clone the BIOS and have that speak to your
| components however you wanted, then you could make an IBM
| compatible.
| Teever wrote:
| From my understand this is correct to a point but a more
| pressing issue is that some specific implementations of
| algorithms in hardware may be under patent.
|
| If this is the case it means a competitor can use an
| alternative design that is less efficient at the cost of
| space/heat but that can result in substantially less
| competitive product.
| badsectoracula wrote:
| I can understand patents (though i thought it'd be 17-20
| years, not 30) but why would they need to worry about
| copyright to make new implementation of the x86 instruction
| set?
| R0b0t1 wrote:
| Using AMD as an example you shouldn't? But the oracle
| ruling calls that into question. An instruction set is an
| interface.
|
| But, that ruling is extremely whack as it means nobody
| but the ISA originator can make an assembler, for
| example.
| monocasa wrote:
| The final oracle ruling is that it was fair use.
|
| That being said, back in the day there was concern about
| all of that, hence why a Z80 is binary compatible with an
| 8080, but has different mnemonics. It's all LD this ST
| that, as opposed to the 8080's MOV.
| pantalaimon wrote:
| Afaik they got it from SiS
| fouc wrote:
| > It's a mini PC capable of running MS-DOS and Windows off a
| MicroSD card that plays well with tons of classic PC games and
| software, boasting Sound Blaster Pro and Wave Blaster/GM
| compatibility, along with SXGA 32-bit color graphics with VGA out
|
| https://circuitmaker.com/Projects/Details/rasteri/weeCee
| snvzz wrote:
| A pain re: no kicad or PDF schematics.
|
| I just gave up on looking at them.
| tyingq wrote:
| The SOM datasheet without having to fill out a form:
| https://tech.icop.com.tw/manual/som304rd-vi_datasheet.pdf
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(page generated 2021-11-19 23:00 UTC)