Robotics : 5503


Robotics / 5503

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Dave Baum

Technically, RIS is the "entire" set, meaning the RCX, the software, and all 700+ lego pieces (plus manual, box, etc.). I doubt that there are version 1.5 lego pieces about to be released, so clearly they could release version 1.5 of RIS without (...) (25 years ago, 2-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Todd Lehman

(...) You know, I think I'm starting to get nervous about this 1.5 business. Let's say they do happen to ship a 1.0->1.5 software compatability upgrade. The first question that comes to my mind is: Is the upgrade reversible or irreversible? Any why (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Kekoa Proudfoot

(...) It has to be reversible from the RCX brick's point of view, since there is no hardware on the RCX to forcibly reprogram its ROM. Perhaps on the PC side it is not reversible, but there is always the uninstall new, reinstall old process, which I (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Chris Phillips

(...) <snip! snip!! snip!!!> (...) They already do this. Doesn't part of the process of downloading new firmware involve sending a five byte sequence of the word LEGO followed by a registered trademark symbol? Technically, they could probably sue (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Jacob Schultz

(...) Don't forget everlasting, non-toxic neuclear power, and the ability to fly. Besides from that it will be water proof and unsinkable. It will be able to read your e-mail loud to you, and answer your phone - speaking intelligent to the caller - (...) (25 years ago, 1-Aug-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Kevin Baker

I think I'm with Kekoa on this one. TLG have always been very hot on what they consider right & wrong (most of us have read the bit on www.lego.com where they take the time to list what is OK & what is not). They take copyright/patent/trademark (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Jacob Schultz

(...) I guess we'll see "variables" in the new "RCX Code". You don't have an actual programming language without those. Jacob Schultz -- Did you check the web site first?: (URL) (25 years ago, 1-Aug-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Todd Lehman

(...) OK, that's what I thought. But from that, doesn't it follow that this statment would be true?-- It is possible to write replacement firmware which, when downloaded and executed, still allows new application code but prevents the downloading of (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —John A. Tamplin

(...) That is true except for removing the firmware by removing the batteries. Since the only alterable storage is powered by the batteries, there can never be permanent changes to the brick that survive a hard power-off. (...) The ROM is in the CPU (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Todd Lehman

(...) Seriously? OK, whew! Then I *was* just being paranoid. I'll cross my fingers then and hope that 1.5 also has this property. (...) Amazing. Excellent. All is well with 1.0 then! (Whew!) --Todd (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Kekoa Proudfoot

(...) Certainly they chose to allow firmware downloads to allow for future upgrades. For a new RCX, if they really wanted to prevent us from writing new firmware, the best solution, and one we could not defeat without extraordinary means, would be (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Ralph Hempel

(...) Well, let me put in my nickle's worth as a grizzled veteran of embedded systems. I'm 37 years old and have hacked the following... 1. A Commodore PET (my first FORTH) at age 20 or so 2. An HP48 calculator. The PPC ROM and synthetic programming (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Message from TLG! —S. Crawshaw

Did anyone else get the message from TLG about a "learning day" at MIT? I'm just curious as to which group of people they sent it to - people with pages on www.mindstorms.com, or people who registered their RIS, or some other group? After nearly a (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Message from TLG! —Mario Ferrari

(...) I got it. The message comes from "notify@legomindstorms.com", which I suppose means TLG. Anyway MindFest is organized by the Epistemology and Learning Group and the Okawa Center at the MIT Media Laboratory. If I'm not wrong, the Epistemology (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: Message from TLG! —Jonathan Knudsen

This is very exciting. The page of relevant links includes both LUGNET and Russel Nelson's Mindstorms Internals page. (The event is hosted by MIT, not LEGO, so I assume no corporate myopia will limit the scope.) If anyone didn't get the email, (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Jon Shemitz

(...) I would be surprised, too. If I were doing RIS 1.5, I'd fix a few holes in the firmware (arrays and pointers, a subroutine return addr stack instead of one subroutine call per task, &c) and add some power to RCX Code without compromising its (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Todd Lehman

(...) [Revisiting and older thread] it's interesting to note what Apple has done recently... If you bought an original G3, then you can use it with a G4 CPU. But: If you've downloaded and installed the recent ROM update from Apple, you can no longer (...) (25 years ago, 5-Sep-99, to lugnet.robotics)

RE: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Iain M Barker

(...) I hope I'm not missing something obvious, but surely you just take the batteries out? That's always got rid of the firmware pretty effectively for me. Surely no software can physically alter that? iain -- iainbarker@bigfoot.com Anything is (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Todd Lehman

(...) Sorry, I was (accidentally) spreading FUD. Didn't occur to me that taking the batteries out would reset it. I assumed that "firmware" really meant firmware. --Todd (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Martin Erdelen

(...) But there must have been one! I went there (I really did), and it said "There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. Unfortunately you have encountered a web page that no longer exists on our website." duh! :-)) Martin "sorry couldn't (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall :-) —Martin Erdelen

(...) As a first humble contribution to this fascinating community, may I offer Markus a second line of defense (just in case) in the form of the name footOS I think it has a few apt connotations: -- footling (is that an English word?) approach (as (...) (25 years ago, 30-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)

Re: RIS version 1.5 coming this fall —Laurentino Martins

(...) [snip] (...) I truly doubt that LEGO in going to create a new OCX. Their strategy was always focused in creating the maximum sowtware with the less work possible. The OCX compatibility between two very different devices like the RCX and (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)