On 09/06/2010 08:29, John Sadler wrote:
The QL Community is steadily reducing in size.
So what can we do to stop the QL disappearing into oblivion?
Other old computers have survived by ensuring that emulators& programs exist
in the public domain.
The QL does have public domain emulators but they are a haste to use.
The problem is in either they do not work with all programs or else by the
time the person has learnt to convert the program so that i will run they
have already decided the QL is not for them.
There is one emulator which overcomes this problem and that is QPC2.
However when you have bought it you find you need QPrint to use a printer!
Then you find some of the best programs are commercal& thats more expense.
George Gwilt suggested at the Quanta AGM that Quanta should buy the rights to
QPC2& Qprint with its surplus cash so that they could be part of the public
domain and people could appreciate the QL for nothing.
Unfortunately these seeds of wisdom fell on stoney ground.
SO are you content to see the QL disappear into oblivion
OR are you going to do something about it?
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It does depend to some extent on resources, but also enthusiasm. From
the last Quanta survey, it appeared that most of their members do not
use emulators, but rely on original hardware. It will be interesting to
see what sort of response levels they get to the latest survey and
whether this has changed.
I would like to see Quanta work together with its members and the rest
of the QL community to decide on how best to promote the QL and secure
its continued future.
I have made a few suggestions in the past, but unfortunately, the Quanta
committee did not appear to grasp the concept behind the ideas, or how
they can help to promote the QL.
But then, it is not just Quanta who lack motivation to do anything about
it...
A case in point is the QL Wiki at http://www.rwapadventures.com/ql_wiki
There are several ideas behind this site, which work together:
a) To promote the QL, by increasing the amount of information available
on the internet about its hardware, and software
b) To preserve copies of QL documentation and help to make them more
widely available.
c) To preserve copies of commercial QL software, so that if users buy a
second hand piece of software, to find that the microdrives will no
longer load, or if they have moved onto emulators, they can readily
purchase a working copy (on production of proof that they own the original).
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the main contributors to the QL
Wiki remain myself and Dilwyn Jones.
When I ask for comments / feedback or assistance, the only response
appears to be "You have not included any information about [x]"
The QL Wiki is not designed to remain my site - it is for the whole of
the QL community, yet why don't others pull their fingers out and
contribute information to it / help to preserve images of software?
From my own point of view, I am bound to concentrate on entering
information which helps me to ensure the commercial viability of RWAP
Software. This works and various people have come to my site as a
result of the QL Wiki. However, none of the other traders or even
Quanta have entered any information about their own products (I say
traders, but we all know how many there are left in the QL community!).
So, I have to agree with John's comments - "are you content to see the
QL disappear into oblivion, OR are you going to do something about it?"
--
Rich Mellor
RWAP Services
http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk
http://www.rwapservices.co.uk
-- Try out our new site: http://sellmyretro.com
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