 Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me. |
Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Maximite BBX
Page 1 of 2   |
|||||
| Author | Message | ||||
Nick Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
Interesting... https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/818225433/maximite-bbx- the-modern-day-basic-language-compute |
||||
vegipete Guru Joined: 29/01/2013 Location: CanadaPosts: 1110 |
Interesting indeed. You have to read a long way through to find mention of Geoff's name, and they show a CircuitGizmos CGColorMax2 as the circuit board. Should I be miffed that a screen shot of my MaxiBrick game is used in their write up, although they've never asked? Well, it does show my website in the screen shot, so that's good for traffic... Visit Vegipete's *Mite Library for cool programs. |
||||
atmega8 Guru Joined: 19/11/2013 Location: GermanyPosts: 722 |
Someone should kick ihm into his ass ;-( |
||||
| JTR0701 Regular Member  Joined: 10/07/2013 Location: AustraliaPosts: 71 |
Above URL does not work for me. Has been corrupted with an extra space me thinks. Here is a fix: link Have to say that this is somewhat cheeky IMHO... |
||||
Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 761 |
Hey Nick... The link doesn't work.. and not sure what you guys are talking about... (but I think I can guess)... EDIT: Wow.. Took a look.... Bit slanted.. Maybe he should stick the big superman "S" on his chest now... not.... 
|
||||
psergiu Regular Member Joined: 09/02/2013 Location: United StatesPosts: 83 |
Hmm ... someone selling a manual (presumedly a copy of the official MMBasic documentation ) and/or a CGColormax2 + case for a large markup, letting people believe that it's their own invention and providing links to outdated olimex documentation. for $1, as a kickstarer backer, you can publicly comment on their page. I'll wait for what Geoff and CircuitGizmos have to say about this before commenting there. |
||||
Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
Yes indeed - me too. 
What a prick. Unfortunately, ill-gotten-gain and plagiarism are a fact of life. You invest a large part of your life developing something as Geoff has done, and there will always be someone around who with think they can make a quick buck out of the idea at the developers expense. Sucks, sucks, sucks. 
I am all for commercial ideas - hell, I run my own company, and many of my products use things such as PICAXE(and soon uM chip), but I would NEVER take someone else's code, PCB designs and concept, and claim that it was mine. Ikky yukky puke puke. Is there any way a site like that can be contested or otherwise shut-down for fraud? Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Lads, The `Author' of this kickstarter is one of our regular contributors to this forum.. I wont name/shame them as I havent looked deeply enough into what the project actually is, (is it adds ons or the maximite itself) or if he has sought appropriate permissions to the product but it isnt difficult to work out who it is.. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
If he has obtained permission, that is a different kettle of fish, and is fine. 
I never thought for a second, it would be any member here! Just goes to show, that I should not jump to conclusions - I tend to over-react a bit with these kinds of "They stole the idea!" topics. If he is a member here, I seriously doubt that he would NOT have the relevant go-ahead from Geoff and CG, although it seems that vegipete certainly has not been asked about using his game as a screenshot, but we'll see what others post. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
He has never approached me about including my Donut Dilemma game in his promo video. I know he hasn't contributed any donation to it's freeware donation fund. I guess if he has permission from Graham, that's fine. I guess a bit of extra marketing of the Maximite won't hurt. I am curious though how this whole kickstarter works. He's asking for $10000. I assume this to cover costs to produce. So, if he gets it and sells 100 units, doesn't this mean he would recoup his production money (and maybe make a profit)? Doesn't this mean he has $10000 profit as well? Nick |
||||
| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Welcome Back Nick, I havent seen your posts for a while.. I suspect this one might get... Errrr ..... Interesting Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
I posted the statement that: "If he is a member here, I seriously doubt that he would NOT have the relevant go-ahead from Geoff and CG", as I would ASSUME that he would have obtained that, or else there would most likely be something of a forum backlash - biting the hand that feeds you?(rhetorical) Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3196 |
Well, he (who shall remain nameless) did not seek my endorsement - but I am not really worried. The project uses my software but it is unmodified and the copyright is intact so, under my licence for the compiled hex file, that is OK. There could be much more acknowledgement of everyone's contribution but, hey, why spoil a good sales pitch! What does worry me is that so many people would invest so much money in something where the only original component is the box. This is not really an investment in a new invention, it is just an expensive purchase. I suppose that it says a lot about Kickstarter and the motto "caveat emptor" (let the buyer beware) applies - just like everywhere else. By the way, the promoter of this is not a bad guy. Just an enthusiastic advocate of things computing including the Maximite. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
If you're happy, and CG is happy, then I am too - not that my 2c is really worth anything other then my stated opinion here. MY only concern was that perhaps he is not acknowledging the source - that's pretty much all those who contribute to open source want - an acknowledgement. Credit where credit is due. Whoever he is, does mention Geoff, but it would have perhaps been nice if he had PM'd the others involved, just to get their OK?
Only my opinion again - I am a bit of a stickler for correct due process. Not that I am pedantic, but acceptable due process. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
CircuitGizmos Guru Joined: 08/09/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 1425 |
If you read the words on the page you can easily see that the campaign is for two things: The box (fancier than what I offer) and much more importantly (in my opinion) a book or series of books about the Maximite. My personal opinion is that this will go a long way toward mainstreaming the Maximite. It will widen awareness and increase the users of the Maximites in all of their forms. Again this is my opinion but I feel that this effort should be supported by this community. After all, it will help make the community larger. Bring in more Maximite fans. The author is one of our own and is giving back to this community in this way. It is for this reason as much as commercial interests that I support this Kickstarter effort. I hope that others here see it this way and promote this Kickstarter so that Maximite books will be published. I discounted the cost of the part of the hardware that I provide. Micromites and Maximites! - Beginning Maximite |
||||
| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9308 |
Okey dokey then. I officially retract my earlier harsh-ish jumping-to-conclusion remarks.  It appears that CG knows all about it, and Geoff is OK with it.Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
||||
| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Lads, I dont wish to denigrate the possibilities of this kick starter but what really annoys (too harsh)/disappoints (too soft) me is that it hides the actual `new product' behind a lot of of already well established `existing' product. Yes! I realise Rob has given his OK for his Color MM board to be used but to a `non enlightened' person reading the Kick Start project you would think that this is a `from the ground up' new product and to me that is quite misleading.. I would have preferred something along the lines of `taking the CMM to its Full potential'. Or a kickstarter for the BOOKs themselves, which in reality is all that it is really about. I have some misgivings about it.. but then I am NOT the owner of any product or software that has been used in this `promotion' nor the owner of any competing product. I feel that the emphasis should have been on the BOOKs and the Case as a kick starter project. Also it is interesting that the `Author' chose not to broadcast it here.. Enough said it really is none of my business and I dont wish to lose friends over it. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
||||
kiiid Guru Joined: 11/05/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 671 |
I didn't read very carefully the whole thing but it looks to me you guys are judging the author too harshly while probably his intentions are completely genuine. I didn't see him claiming that as his own complete development or that he had made the examples shown there, and hey, every invention in this world is made on the basis of others made before it. I haven't invented a single letter from these using right now to write my post. Geoff hasn't invented the Basic language; the inventor of it hasn't invented the computer; the inventor of the computer hasn't invented the electronics, and so on. I think he only tries to find some funding and make a few more of those and wish him luck in that. Failures always sore. I agree that he should have sought some approval from the original authors, though. http://rittle.org -------------- |
||||
MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
I am not convinced unfortunately that this kickstarter will take off. I pledged though as i like to support the effort. I did a lot of research about a year ago to see if there would be enough interest for a color maximite packaged as a cheap general purpose computer. I found that the objections were always the same. Not enough memory, not enough resolution, not enough games, etc.. When the focus is put on using it as a controller things change. Suddenly it is a 'arduino' with a vga screen and keyboard, lots of memory, sound and etc... Microblocks. Build with logic. |
||||
| Nick Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 512 |
Yes. I think you're right. The thing is that everyone already has a computer (PC or MAC) and they're use to lots of RAM, high resolution, lots of software etc. But they don't have a controller that is easy to interface and use such as the Maximite. Hence the Maximite as a computer has a slow uptake but is popular as a controller. I also found that most Maximite users have a monochrome Maximite, the uptake of the Colour Maximite has been slower. Further proving that most users are using it as a controller not a computer. The higher price is a factor too. I would like to see this Kickstarter project succeed. If he does it well, maybe it will boost the market share of the Maximite. I personally doubt it but I'd love to be proven wrong. And as long as Geoff is ok with it, then we have happy faces all round. Nick |
||||
| Page 1 of 2 |
|||||
 Print this page |
