Re: [mowbot] mowbot brains

Byron A Jeff (byron nospam at cc.gatech.edu)
Mon, 3 May 1999 19:08:29 -0400 (EDT)

>
> All I can say is WOW go Byron! The ability to use C in this way would be
> realy cool.
>
> Here is a possible business model - sell boards, not code. If you sell
> modules like the basic stamp, you are selling hardware (well within the open
> source/GNU concept) and support.

Again I'm really not trying to get into a sales model. I'm just thinking that
if it's useful enough to someone to sell it, then the authors should get
a nominal cut of the pie.

>
> Publish your code under license like you suggested, free for hobby and
> educational purposes, Cheap for commercial license. Charge for support.
> The honest commercial developers and real hobbyists will pay you a nominal
> fee to get support, and the dishonest ones and cheapskates would'a ripped
> you off anyway so you are not behind by giving them some code.

May work. I'll need to think about it some more.

If I find a few minutes this week I'll post the current specifications and
some code examples. If I can find it I'll post my burglar alarm system which
is the biggest piece of useful code I've written so far.

BAJ

> >The PIC basic sparked something I forgot. I have been working on (like
> forever)
> >a system similar to the Parallax BASIC Stamp. The Stamp is a small PIC
> based
> >system that lets you program the board in BASIC. The program resides on a
> >serial EEPROM while an interpreter lives in the PIC program memory. The PIC
> >runs by fetching the BASIC program tokens from the EEPROM and interpreting
> >them. You lose the speed advantage but gain programming in a high level
> >language, fast turnaround (no need to wait for a part to erase to reuse),
> >in circuit programmability, and no need for an EPROM eraser.
> >
> >My system is C based. Called NPCI (Nano Pseudo C Interpreted). It has a lot
> >of nice features: block structured (no gotos), C-like syntax, bit
> operators,
> >and my favorite: assembly subprograms that can be added to the interpreter
> >and called from a NPCI program.
> >
> >One problem though is that it's unfinished work. I'm also trying the
> balance
> >the nature of Open Source Software, which I love, and basic capitalism,
> >which I love too. So I'm trying to figure out a license where the code is
> >freely available for hobby, design, and other not or not-yet for profit
> >activities, then have a pay scheme when you sell product with NPCI
> embedded.
> >King of like a royalty where a royalty of $0.00 is $0.00 but a royalty of
> >$39.95 (the cost of the NPCI embedded product) is something other than
> $0.00
> >
> >I'm hoping to spend a couple of days on it in the next month or so and get
> it
> >back into a usable state.
> >
> >I'll keep you folks posted.
> >
> >BAJ
>