How about some software development?

[VMSZealot]

Poor 68k Mac.  It's two decades since you could buy one new, and I'd be prepared to bet (albeit not too much money) that it's several years since any new software was released for it.  I was seeking a bit of a break from a project that I'm working on for OS X, so I decided to rectify this deficiency.  I have written a fractal generator for the Mac 512k (with System 6) or newer.

It will draw Julias, Mandelbrots and trees, and it was written on a Mac SE/30.  I don't have a genuine 68000 powered Mac any more - so it was tested in vMac for the lower powered machines.  It's not the snazziest, or most feature complete, Fractal software for the 68k Mac - but, for the time being, it is the newest.

I'll provide a link to it - and the Think C source code (for anyone who wants to make some improvements) tomorrow, after I've made a few last minute finishing touches this evening.

 

[Elfen]

This is great! Thanks a lot for the hard work!

 

[VMSZealot]

And here it is!  Some brand spanking new 68k Mac software (and source code).  Feel free to mirror it, throw it around, fiddle with it, do what you will - but if you make any changes, please send the updated source code back to me for merging into the main branch.

http://www.45rpmsoftware.com/mandy.php

 

[techknight]

These "fractal generators" have become quite popular for some reason or another, as of late. 

The question is, Why? what use? 

 

[PowerPup]

Fractal generators have huge benefits when it comes to computer graphics, such as modeling landscapes, coastlines, river networks, lightning bolts, ocean waves, snowflakes, etc.

Fractals also occur in other natural phenomenons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal#Natural_phenomena_with_fractal_features

It's kinda been a big thing (for computers) since the 80s: https://vimeo.com/5810737

Video games with large open world maps would be practically impossible if they had to model every mountain, river and crater by hand!

Awesome program Zealot! Your efforts will inspire me to (hopefully) work on something for 68k Macs during my winter break.

 

[VMSZealot]

@techknight

Why?  Why not?  You might as well ask why I wrote it for the 68k Macs at all.  The reason is that I needed a break from writing my latest app - and writing something for an old computer, using an old compiler, seemed like a pretty good way of resting my brain without letting it idle. And, equally, I didn't want to write anything big and useful - because then my big and useful would end up taxing my brain and not being at all restful.

As to 'Why a fractal generator', I suppose the answer is 'for old time sake'.  Back in the mid nineties, there was a magazine in the UK called 'The Mac'* (it was a lightweight competitor to MacFormat, with a focus on home use and entertainment).  They published a Fractal Generator that I wrote (in Quick Basic for the Mac - I was young, it's no excuse) on their cover disk.  It was the first time that any software I wrote got published.

Sidenote: I do actually use my classic 68k Macs (mainly a Quadra 650, with 72MB RAM and A/UX) for 'real' development work still. Back in the day, I bought a Microtek scanner and it came bundled with Freehand, Xres and Fontographer. I'm too cheap to buy a new version of Fontographer for OS X - especially when it doesn't seem to be functionally more capable than my old copy - so I develop custom typefaces for my software on the Quadra.  So, in a very real sense, part of my iOS, tvOS and OS X apps are written on a 68k Mac from the early 1990s - which I think is pretty damn cool.  Technically, I could use Fontographer on my PowerMac G4 in the classic environment - but Fontographer seems to do something funky with the menus, so it looks awful on anything other than System 7** - and I don't like emulation for much the same reason.

I use a revision 1 Raspberry Pi (version 1, with a mere 256MB RAM) as a helper server for my Quadra and SE/30, since it speaks their old AppleTalk and also SMB (using Samba).  It also does all the ssh tunnelling for them, as necessary, and stores their backups.

*I wish I could find an archive of it online - I'd love to read some of those old issues again - mine got wet in a flood and became rather smelly papier mache.

** Aesthetics really shouldn't be so important to me!

 

[VMSZealot]

@PowerPup

Why thank you.  I'm very glad that you like my little effort - and feel free to modify and tweak it to your hearts content!

 

[techknight]

All I asked was a simple question for my own curiosity and lack of knowledge in the area. Nothing more, nothing less. No harm, no foul. I didnt know what a fractal was, and why the mandelbrot has gotten so popular. 

And, my question was answered for the most part

 

[rsolberg]

I think some of the popularity comes from the visual interest and "sciency" look of fractal generation. It can be an interesting demo of vintage machines. I particularly like this kind of thing when outfitting machines as props for exhibits, theatre, still and film.

 

[Bunsen]

They're also relatively simple to write, and will use all the CPU/FPU and video power you can throw at them, so they're a decent test of performance.

 

[VMSZealot]

@Bunsen

Simple to write = nice and relaxing to play with!

 

[techknight]

Yea, I can see the point for performance. Looking at mandelbrot kinda reminds me of some of the computer scenes for the movie "hackers" 

 

[onlyonemac]

And here it is!  Some brand spanking new 68k Mac software (and source code).  Feel free to mirror it, throw it around, fiddle with it, do what you will - but if you make any changes, please send the updated source code back to me for merging into the main branch.

http://www.45rpmsoftware.com/mandy.php

Have you thought of posting it on github? You're likely to get a lot more contributors that way (and those who do make changes are more likely to give them back to you).