What has/will become of the Symbiface3 ?

[OCT]

The Xentrix 2011 attendance list http://hepchen.de/xzx/X/wer-hat-sich-angesagt/ (besides TFM's daily contributions to this community of course) attests to the fact that the Symbiface team is still entirely active in this scene.

However, given how far advanced the development already was 2.5 years ago http://www.retromaniax.gr/vb/showthread.php?7516-Symbiface-III&s=bbb0926cd0b30b0b51dd9ab6d6b620a9&p=138286&viewfull=1#post138286 (and that the order page for SYMBiFACE II, companion to its feature list at http://www.symbos.de/sf2.htm, has been down for a while), I wonder if the Symbiface3 (change in spelling according to Dr. Zed) is supposed to see the light of day any time soon.

Earlier questions with regard to either version from a number of people regrettably have come to nothing in several threads of this forum.

BTW, even http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/SYMBiFACE_II seems to say nothing about Plus compatibility (nor whether the cable allows for the simultaneous installation of a second connector to operate it on a Plus or German 6128 both with -i.e. behind- and without a Multiface II).

[TFM]

Well, if you meet the guys there please give us a report here later on. I would like to attend too, but have not possibility.

[OCT]

Who if not you would've gotten the first prototype?

[TFM]

Who if not you would've gotten the first prototype?

Well, not me for sure :-// To be honest I tried to get a second SF2 from the second batch, I emailed them three times to order one. But they ignored me totally. I can only speculate about the reasons... but not in public.
However if you meet Dr. Zed in person you will for sure get all needed informations.

[OCT]

Strange, I would have thought they don't have all that many developers available with an entire OS to make their hardware really shine.

And I do recall http://www.cpcwiki.eu/index.php/SYMBiFACE_II mentioning you among the few who provided support to the Symbifaces' development.

[TFM]

Strange, I would have thought they don't have all that many developers available with an entire OS to make their hardware really shine.

Well, I guess you talk about SOS. Prodatron started with SOS way earlier (2001?). Years later the developpment of the SF2 startet (I guess it was released 2005; the CPC-IDE, the predescessor of the SF2 was released 2004. In these old days Prodatron was not even a member of the developpment team).

However, it is more the hardware of the SF2 which was there "to make their software really shine" IMHO.

[OCT]

guess you talk about SOS. Prodatron started with SOS way earlier (2001?). Years later the developpment of the SF2 startet (I guess it was released 2005; the CPC-IDE, the predescessor of the SF2 was released 2004. In these old days Prodatron was not even a member of the developpment team).

However, it is more the hardware of the SF2 which was there "to make their software really shine" IMHO.

Oh, I was of course thinking of FutureOS too - there are not many OSes besides theirs and your own to make good use of all that RAM, the space for so many ROMs and the PS/2 & IDE ports.

[TFM]

Well, I must confess I lost motivation to finish FAT32 support in FutuerOS. Since I belong to a species called homo sapiens my decisions are not always in agreement with logic. Which means... I just liked it more to start coding on some games instead of doing dry boring FAT support.

However, back ot topic. It *would* be absolutely great if the SF3 will get released and we could get one. However I have honestly no idea if it ever will be released or not. May I try to contact Dr. Zed agin...

Well on the other hand, we already have now f. e. the Ethernet card from RPalmer. So slowly others catch up ;-)

[MacDeath]

The Xentrix 2011 attendance list http://hepchen.de/xzx/X/wer-hat-sich-angesagt/ (besides TFM's daily contributions to this community of course) attests to the fact that the Symbiface team is still entirely active in this scene.

Antshuldigüng, aber mein deutshes ist somewhas sheissenred....

Symbiface 3 ?

All I need is a properly fast interface to give any Amstrad CPC/Plus infinite memory (=THE interNET (tm)..)
Also managing something like Arduinos cards...
I should definitly be some king of second PCB/co-motherboard... with broad access to Datas/Ram/Networking channeling.

[OCT]

Antshuldigüng, aber mein deutshes ist somewhas sheissenred....

Anschuldigung (accusation) OMG ?!  Reminds me that for what must have been the entire lifetime of Amstrad Action, a British vendor advertised to schoolchildren a CPC program dispensing German lessons under the name of "Deutsches Gehemnis" (yup, without the i) - Hemmnis being obstacle of course - and teaching the language myself I soon found out how true that was, even at university to budding teachers of it (not that it wouldn't have remained a mystery -Geheimnis- to many of them at first either).

Symbiface 3 ? [...]
I should definitly be some king of second PCB/co-motherboard... with broad access to Datas/Ram/Networking channeling.

All I need is a properly fast interface to give any Amstrad CPC/Plus infinite memory (=THE interNET (tm)..)

Once you've bought from Bryce (for his MegaFlash has the advantage of being both real and supported, which should receive all due reward, whereas the other one's only been a promise&prototype for years), just follow the second link at the start of that thread, where you'll find it in English among some Greek: http://www.retromaniax.gr/vb/showthread.php?7516-Symbiface-III&s=bbb0926cd0b30b0b51dd9ab6d6b620a9&p=138286&viewfull=1#post138286
Approximately = Symbiface II + LAN + USB + MP3/WAV player + 4 MB of FlashROM, i.e. the whole enchilada as they say (on the rare occasions when its makers do communicate).

[TFM]

Well, I emailed Dr. Zed and got an answer... due to time problems the project SF-3 is pretty much abandoned. However, if I unserstood Dr. Zed right, then the hardware is finished. So the problem is the software. Now, I offered help to create software (for Amsdos and in a generic way, so usable for all users / OS). Currently I'm waiting for his reply. In case he wants me to contribute, then I let you know here, but the second time you will read from me is not before a finished program/source will be released.

[OCT]

Thanks a ton, would be great if he could post his status update and finalized feature list too!

Well, I emailed Dr. Zed and got an answer... due to time problems the project SF-3 is pretty much abandoned. However, if I un[d]erstood Dr. Zed right, then the hardware is finished. So the problem is the software. Now, I offered help to create software (for Amsdos and in a generic way, so usable for all users / OS). Currently I'm waiting for his reply. In case he wants me to contribute, then I let you know here, but the second time you will read from me is not before a finished program/source will be released.

Very good news indeed given his sub-150-Euro price point if it can be recovered from oblivion by organizing the tricky SMD soldering through a place like this. Hopefully he loves his design sufficiently to "set it free".
Fine by me if FutureOS and an amended AMSDOS rather than SymbOS are set to support it best, in case the Symbiface2 features at least can be used from the start (ending the unavailability we've experienced).