#hardware device driver

[winoidsblogs]

How To Fix Or Update Windows Driver

Are you having trouble with your Windows driver or need to update it to keep your system running smoothly? In this article, we will explore the steps you can take to fix or update your Windows driver with ease. From using driver update software to manually downloading the latest driver, we've got you covered.

Update Driver: Why It's Important

Ensuring that your Windows driver is up to date is crucial for the optimal performance of your computer. Updated drivers can improve compatibility with new software, fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, and enhance system stability. By updating your driver regularly, you can ensure that your computer functions efficiently and effectively.

Tips For Updating Your Window Driver

Use Driver Update Software: One of the easiest ways to update your Windows driver is to use driver update software. These programs scan your system, identify outdated drivers, and automatically download and install the latest versions. Popular driver update software includes Driver Booster, Snappy Driver Installer, and Driver Talent.

Manually Update Driver: If you prefer to update your driver manually, you can do so by visiting the manufacturer's website and searching for the latest driver for your specific hardware. Once you've found the driver, simply download and install it following the on-screen instructions.

Windows Update: Another way to update your Windows driver is through Windows Update. Microsoft regularly releases driver updates through Windows Update, so it's important to check for updates regularly and install any driver updates that are available.

Printer Driver Updater

Printer drivers are essential for the proper functioning of your printer. If you're experiencing issues with your printer, updating the driver may resolve the problem. To update your printer driver, you can follow the same steps outlined above for updating your Windows driver.

Best Driver Update Software

When it comes to updating your drivers, using driver update software can save you time and effort. These programs make it easy to keep all your drivers up to date and ensure that your system runs smoothly. Some of the best driver update software includes:

Driver Booster: This popular driver update software scans your system for outdated drivers and automatically updates them to the latest versions.

Snappy Driver Installer: Snappy Driver Installer is a free driver update software that offers a wide range of drivers for various hardware.

Driver Talent: Driver Talent is another reliable driver update software that can help you keep your drivers up to date with ease.

Update Driver Download

Downloading the latest driver for your hardware is essential for ensuring optimal performance. When downloading a driver, make sure to choose the correct version for your system and hardware. It's also a good idea to create a backup of your current driver before installing the new one to avoid any issues.

Conclusion

Keeping your Windows driver update is essential for the smooth operation of your computer. Whether you choose to use driver update software or update your driver manually, ensuring that your driver is current can help improve system performance and stability. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can easily fix or update your Windows driver and keep your system running at its best.

[emblogicsblog]

Writing Character Device Driver

Writing Character Device Driver - A Linux character device driver allows user programs to interact with hardware devices by reading or writing data one character at a time. Developing such drivers requires understanding the Linux kernel's structure, APIs, and coding practices.

Linux Kernel APIs and Key Concepts

The kernel provides APIs like register_chrdev() and alloc_chrdev_region() for registering character devices. Each device is identified by major and minor numbers, enabling the kernel to associate device files with their respective drivers.

File Operations and Device Registration

Drivers implement a set of file operations (struct file_operations) to define how the kernel handles user interactions, such as opening, reading, and writing the device. Properly registering the device using functions like cdev_add() ensures integration with the kernel.

Challenges in Development

Writing device drivers involves challenges like managing hardware-specific quirks, maintaining thread safety, and ensuring synchronization using mechanisms like mutexes, spinlocks, and semaphores. Compatibility across kernel versions and varying hardware specifications adds complexity.

Coding Standards and Security

Linux emphasizes clean, maintainable code. Following the kernel coding style and using the required headers ensures compliance. Security practices, such as validating user inputs and minimizing kernel attack surfaces, are critical in driver development.

Testing and Documentation

Thorough testing with tools like kmod and insmod is crucial. Developers must document interfaces, supported hardware, and usage instructions to aid users and maintainers.

Future Trends

With advancements in hardware, Linux device drivers will increasingly focus on improved modularity, real-time performance, and compatibility with modern interfaces like PCIe and USB 4.0.

By adhering to Linux's guidelines and practices, developers can create robust character device drivers that meet the needs of modern systems.

Linux character device driver development,Kernel modules,Device driver coding,Major and minor numbers Linux,File operations structure,Device registration in Linux,Hardware specifications for drivers,Linux kernel compatibility,Driver synchronization mechanisms,Error handling in drivers.

[voidpunker]

waow i keep forgetting that having little bass is an issue w the audio card im using on my pc and not these headphones

[techav]

On Celebrating Errors

Isn't it beautiful? The lovely formatted tables of register and stack contents, the trace of function addresses and parameters, the error message ... it's the most beautiful kernel panic I have ever seen.

Why on earth would I be so excited to see a computer crash? What could possibly be beautiful about a kernel panic?

This kernel panic is well-earned. I fought hard to get it.

This kernel panic came from a current NetBSD kernel, freshly compiled and running on Wrap030, my 68030 homebrew computer. It is the result of hours upon hours of work reading through existing code, scattered documentation and notes, writing and rewriting, and endless compiling.

And it's just the start.

As I've said before, a goal of this project has always been to build something capable of running some kind of Unix-like operating system. Now that I finally have all the necessary pieces of hardware, plus a good bootloader in ROM, it's time to give it a shot. I'm not that great with this type of programming, but I have been getting better. I might just be able to brute force my way through hacking together something functional.

It is hard.

There is some documentation available. The man(9) pages are useful, and NetBSD has a great guide to setting up the build environment for cross-compiling the kernel. There are some published papers on what some people went through to port NetBSD to this system or that. But there's nothing that really explains what all these source code files are, and which parts really need to be modified to run on a different system.

I had a few false starts, but ultimately found an existing 68k architecture, cesfic, which was a bare minimum configuration that could serve well as a foundation for my purposes. I copied the cesfic source directory, changed all instances of the name to wrap030, made sure it still compiled, then set about removing everything that I didn't need. It still compiled, so now it's was time to add in what I did need.

... how ... do I ... ?

This is where things get overwhelming very quickly. There is documentation on the core functions required for a new driver, there's documentation on the autoconf system that attaches drivers to devices in the tree, and there's plenty of drivers already to reference. But where to start?

I started by trying to add the com driver for the 16550 UARTs I'm using. It doesn't compile because I'm missing dependencies. The missing functions are missing because of a breaking change to bus.h at some point; the com driver expects the new format but the cesfic port still uses the old. So I needed to pull in the missing functions from another m68k arch. Which then required more missing functions and headers to be pulled in. Eventually it compiled without error again, but that doesn't mean it will actually run. I still needed to add support for my new programmable timer, customize the startup process, update hardware addresses, make sure it was targeting 68030 instead of 68040 ...

So many parts and pieces that need to be updated. Each one requiring searching for the original function or variable declaration to confirm expected types or implementation, then searching for existing usages to figure out what it needs ... which then requires searching for more functions and variable types.

But I got something that at least appeared to have all the right parts and compiled without error. It was time to throw it on a disk, load it up, and see what happened.

Nothing happened, of course. It crashed immediately.

I have no debugging workflow I can rely on here, and at this stage there isn't even a kernel console yet. All I could do was add little print macros to the locore startup code and see where it failed. Guess, test, and revise.

I spent a week debugging the MMU initialization. If the MMU isn't properly configured, everything comes to an abrupt halt. Ultimately, I replaced the cesfic machine-specific initialization code and pmap bootstrapping code with functions from yet another m68k arch. And spent another day debugging before realizing I had missed a section that had comments suggesting it wasn't for the 68030 CPU, but turned out to be critical for operation of kernel memory allocation.

Until this point, I was able to rely on the low-level exception handling built into my bootloader if my code caused a CPU exception. But with the MMU working, that code was no longer mapped.

So then came another few hours learning how to create a minimal early console driver. An early console is used by the kernel prior to the real console getting initialized. In this case, I'm using the MC6850 on my mainboard for the early console, since that's what my bootloader uses. And finally the kernel was able to speak for itself.

It printed its own panic.

The first thing the kernel does is initialize the console. Which requires that com driver and all the machine-specific code I had to write. The kernel is failing at its step #1.

But at least it can tell me that now. And given all the work necessary to get to this point, that kernel panic data printing to the terminal is absolutely beautiful.

[factual-fantasy]

I am gonna send you a bunch of questions, instructions, and remarks regarding your tech issues. Please don't feel pressured to answer them.

Have you tried Updating your graphics Driver? (On WIN 10, Open search bar, Type Device Manager, then go to Display adapters, and right click your graphics card.

2. Does the problem happen anywhere or only in a specific location. (regarding the glitchy pink green grid) I mean Physical location. Like: "This only happens while I'm sitting at my desk"

3. In what way does FireAlpaca stop working. Does it crash, does it Hang(not respond to anything), Does it not respond to brush strokes on your tablet? Does the rest of your computer also stop working or slow down? Does your Mouse cursor do anything?

4. Does the Task Manager (or Equivalent, Idk your Operating system) note anything weird? (Hard drive at 100 all of the time, Memory at 100%, CPU at 100% for very long)

5. Combine 3 and 4. Have Task manager open while you're doing things in Alpaca and look at it if Alpaca starts being weird

6. From what I can tell, you have a Touch-Screen tablet that connects to your computer. (please correct me if I'm wrong) That matters because the tablet also uses your PC's OS, which means that your problems, if not hardware related, are usually your OS's or drawing program's fault.

7. If you can, Try using your drawing tablet for literally anything and everything else. Similarly, Try using Alpaca without your tablet. This way you can maybe figure out if Alpaca is being weird, or if it's the tablet.

I sat on this ask for a while in an attempt to fully test out/do all the things you mentioned. Here's my response:

1. Have you tried Updating your graphics Driver?

Yes I have! :0 I know I did this right because my super techy friend did it for me.😅 My Laptop drivers are for sure up to date.👍

2. Does the problem happen anywhere or only in a specific location. (regarding the glitchy pink green grid) I mean Physical location. Like: "This only happens while I'm sitting at my desk"

It doesn't matter where I am, the glitchy screen and the buggy FireAlpace happened anytime I tried to use them. Though I will note that after buying a new chord for my tablet, the pink and green glitches and weird black outs completely stopped. But FireAlpaca continues to bug out every few minutes. :(

3. In what way does FireAlpaca stop working. Does it crash, does it Hang(not respond to anything), Does it not respond to brush strokes on your tablet? Does the rest of your computer also stop working or slow down? Does your Mouse cursor do anything?

I am not great with my words so I took a video of FireAlpaca bugging out to show you. (I apologize for the low quality.. I shrunk it down so I could send it to a friend on Discord but now I cannot find the original video for the life of me😔)

In this gif I am selecting all these different tools, but they're all acting like the pen tool. Which was the tool I was using before it started to bug out. I forgot to clip it but the undo/redo button is also broken.

4. Does the Task Manager (or Equivalent, Idk your Operating system) note anything weird? (Hard drive at 100 all of the time, Memory at 100%, CPU at 100% for very long)

I have checked Task Manager when FireAlpaca was and was not bugging out. Everything seemed to act the same each time.. <:(

5. Combine 3 and 4. Have Task manager open while you're doing things in Alpaca and look at it if Alpaca starts being weird

Have tried this and I didn't notice any change when FireAlpaca started tweaking. :(

6. From what I can tell, you have a Touch-Screen tablet that connects to your computer. (please correct me if I'm wrong) That matters because the tablet also uses your PC's OS, which means that your problems, if not hardware related, are usually your OS's or drawing program's fault.

My drawing tablet is an XPPen Artist 13.3 Pro. Its not a touch screen but it has a drawing stylus. It's basically another monitor that I can use a stylus with. :0

I don't know if that means its using my laptops OS.. nor do I know how to fix it if my problem lies in that connection <:((

7. If you can, Try using your drawing tablet for literally anything and everything else. Similarly, Try using Alpaca without your tablet. This way you can maybe figure out if Alpaca is being weird, or if it's the tablet.

My tablet seems to work fine outside of FireAlpaca..? I think..?

But what I have tried is when FireAlpaca is bugging out I would move the window to my laptop monitor and try to use the paint tools with the mouse. The first few times I did this the problem fixed itself when I opened snipping tool to record it.

So I then set snipping tool to record my laptop screen, drew with my tablet until it bugged out again.. and then moved FireAlpaca to my laptop and kept drawing with a mouse. This is the result.

It broke the way it did before. Selecting multiple tools and either drawing nothing or only using the tool I was already using. The undo/redo buttons still do not work.

The only way to fix this problem is to save my canvas, close FireAlpaca and then reopen it. Sometimes clicking out of FireAlpaca and back into it fixes it..? But not always.

Anyways, I did my best to answer these as best I can. With my tablet drivers being up to date..(??) My laptop drivers being up to date and FireAlpaca being the latest version,, I'm not sure what could be causing my problems :((

[frownyalfred]

Okay so I know this isn't in any way related to Superbat but, I need to know, where on earth have you heard the phrase 'plug and play' and what the hell does it mean????????😭. I've literally never heard of this phrase but I had to reread it like 3 times to double check I was reading it right

Okay for the record I am NOT old — but questions like these remind me I’m probably a little older than the average user on here. “Plug and play” is a phrase that snuck its way into English around the 90’s/00’s from Windows, I think. It refers to devices you can plug into a computer and use immediately — I.e., you didn’t need to install any software or hardware for the device to be usable.

Think about when you first connect a USB mouse to your computer these days. It blinks, your computer automatically installs the software, and then you use the mouse immediately, right? That’s not how it used to be at all. Every new device was a hassle. You installed drivers and manual updates and sometimes these were still on floppy disks!

Anyway nowadays that phrase isn’t as applicable since most devices are by default plug and play. It instead refers more to things that are easy, that startup easily, or that can be re-started quickly.

I might call Superbat “plug and play” because for me, I’ve got all the characterization down to my liking, I know how I like to write their dialogue, and I know how they fit together in a fic. So starting a new fic with them is more plug and play than Superbatlantern, if that makes sense?

[mckitterick]

She Won. They Didn't Just Change the Machines. They Rewired the Election. How Leonard Leo's 2021 sale of an electronics firm enabled tech giants to subvert the 2024 election.

Everyone knows how the Republicans interfered in the 2024 US elections through voter interference and voter-roll manipulation, which in itself could have changed the outcomes of the elections. What's coming to light now reveals that indeed those occupying the White House, at least, are not those who won the election.

Here's how they did it.

(full story is replicated here below the read-more: X)

She Won

The missing votes uncovered in Smart Elections’ legal case in Rockland County, New York, are just the tip of the iceberg—an iceberg that extends across the swing states and into Texas.

On Monday, an investigator’s story finally hit the news cycle: Pro V&V, one of only two federally accredited testing labs, approved sweeping last-minute updates to ES&S voting machines in the months leading up to the 2024 election—without independent testing, public disclosure, or full certification review.

These changes were labeled “de minimis”—a term meant for trivial tweaks. But they touched ballot scanners, altered reporting software, and modified audit files—yet were all rubber-stamped with no oversight.

That revelation is a shock to the public.

But for those who’ve been digging into the bizarre election data since November, this isn’t the headline—it’s the final piece to the puzzle. While Pro V&V was quietly updating equipment in plain sight, a parallel operation was unfolding behind the curtain—between tech giants and Donald Trump.

And it started with a long forgotten sale.

A Power Cord Becomes a Backdoor

In March 2021, Leonard Leo—the judicial kingmaker behind the modern conservative legal machine—sold a quiet Chicago company by the name of Tripp Lite for $1.65 billion. The buyer: Eaton Corporation, a global power infrastructure conglomerate that just happened to have a partnership with Peter Thiel’s Palantir.

To most, Tripp Lite was just a hardware brand—battery backups, surge protectors, power strips. But in America’s elections, Tripp Lite devices were something else entirely.

They are physically connected to ES&S central tabulators and Electionware servers, and Dominion tabulators and central servers across the country. And they aren’t dumb devices. They are smart UPS units—programmable, updatable, and capable of communicating directly with the election system via USB, serial port, or Ethernet.

ES&S systems, including central tabulators and Electionware servers, rely on Tripp Lite UPS devices. ES&S’s Electionware suite runs on Windows OS, which automatically trusts connected UPS hardware.

If Eaton pushed an update to those UPS units, it could have gained root-level access to the host tabulation environment—without ever modifying certified election software.

In Dominion’s Democracy Suite 5.17, the drivers for these UPS units are listed as “optional”—meaning they can be updated remotely without triggering certification requirements or oversight. Optional means unregulated. Unregulated means invisible. And invisible means perfect for infiltration.

Enter the ballot scrubbing platform BallotProof. Co-created by Ethan Shaotran, a longtime employee of Elon Musk and current DOGE employee, BallotProof was pitched as a transparency solution—an app to “verify” scanned ballot images and support election integrity.

With Palantir's AI controlling the backend, and BallotProof cleaning the front, only one thing was missing: the signal to go live.

September 2024: Eaton and Musk Make It Official

Then came the final public breadcrumb:In September 2024, Eaton formally partnered with Elon Musk.

The stated purpose? A vague, forward-looking collaboration focused on “grid resilience” and “next-generation communications.”

But buried in the partnership documents was this line:

“Exploring integration with Starlink's emerging low-orbit DTC infrastructure for secure operational continuity.”

The Activation: Starlink Goes Direct-to-Cell

That signal came on October 30, 2024—just days before the election, Musk activated 265 brand new low Earth orbit (LEO) V2 Mini satellites, each equipped with Direct-to-Cell (DTC) technology capable of processing, routing, and manipulating real-time data, including voting data, through his satellite network.

DTC doesn’t require routers, towers, or a traditional SIM. It connects directly from satellite to any compatible device—including embedded modems in “air-gapped” voting systems, smart UPS units, or unsecured auxiliary hardware.

From that moment on:

Commands could be sent from orbit

Patch delivery became invisible to domestic monitors

Compromised devices could be triggered remotely

This groundbreaking project that should have taken two-plus years to build, was completed in just under ten months.

Elon Musk boasts endlessly about everything he’s launching, building, buying—or even just thinking about—whether it’s real or not. But he pulls off one of the largest and fastest technological feats in modern day history… and says nothing? One might think that was kind of… “weird.”

According to New York Times reporting, on October 5—just before Starlink’s DTC activation—Musk texted a confidant:

“I’m feeling more optimistic after tonight. Tomorrow we unleash the anomaly in the matrix.”

Then, an hour later:

“This isn’t something on the chessboard, so they’ll be quite surprised. ‘Lasers’ from space.”

It read like a riddle. In hindsight, it was a blueprint.

The Outcome

Data that makes no statistical sense. A clean sweep in all seven swing states.

The fall of the Blue Wall. Eighty-eight counties flipped red—not one flipped blue.

Every victory landed just under the threshold that would trigger an automatic recount. Donald Trump outperformed expectations in down-ballot races with margins never before seen—while Kamala Harris simultaneously underperformed in those exact same areas.

If one were to accept these results at face value—Donald Trump, a 34-count convicted felon, supposedly outperformed Ronald Reagan. According to the co-founder of the Election Truth Alliance:

“These anomalies didn’t happen nationwide. They didn’t even happen across all voting methods—this just doesn’t reflect human voting behavior.”

They were concentrated.

Targeted.

Specific to swing states and Texas—and specific to Election Day voting.

And the supposed explanation? “Her policies were unpopular.” Let’s think this through logically. We’re supposed to believe that in all the battleground states, Democratic voters were so disillusioned by Vice President Harris’s platform that they voted blue down ballot—but flipped to Trump at the top of the ticket?

Not in early voting.

Not by mail.

With exception to Nevada, only on Election Day.

And only after a certain threshold of ballots had been cast—where VP Harris’s numbers begin to diverge from her own party, and Trump’s suddenly begin to surge. As President Biden would say, “C’mon, man.”

In the world of election data analysis, there’s a term for that: vote-flipping algorithm.

And of course, Donald Trump himself:

He spent a year telling his followers he didn’t need their votes—at one point stating,

“…in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote.”

____

They almost got away with the coup. The fact that they still occupy the White House and control most of the US government will make removing them and replacing them with the rightful President Harris a very difficult task.

But for this nation to survive, and for the world to not fall further into chaos due to this "administration," we must rid ourselves of the pretender and his minions and controllers once and for all.

[commodorez]

Got a "new" laptop: Toshiba T4900CT!

Presumably this is the highest end machine they made in this color scheme before moving onto the gray plastic computers, like what @aperture-in-the-multiverse has. This machine is technically not a Satellite, but it's Satellite-adjacent.

Pentium I at 75MHz 40MB of RAM 8GB CF card for a hard drive VLB video chipset driving an SVGA 640x480, 64K color 10.4" active matrix TFT-LCD Analog Devices AD1848KP & Yamaha OPL3 audio Windows 95B (originally shipped with 3.11)

And a broken floppy drive!

Seriously, you have to disassemble the entire computer to get at the floppy drive itself, and I'm pretty sure the belt is busted. So far I've worked around it, but it's getting to be annoying. The good news is that the hard drive is accessible from a separate bay, unlike other contemporary Toshiba laptops that bury it just like the floppy drive.

Oh, and Toshiba was really intent on protecting their highly proprietary Toshiba Card Manager 3.0 software (which I'm sure this post will poison that search term for all others, it always happens when I talk about technical things here -- sorry). I'm betting that they only had it installed on machines from the factory, but if you needed to reinstall it, things got complicated. Turns out you had to get a passphrase from some convoluted bullshit on their website back in the mid 90s, and this only applied to a select handful of machines that were even compatible with it in the first place. I don't imagine I will be able to use that for PCMCIA hotswap management, which sucks.

Another fun bit is that despite being released in 1995, this machine is clearly intended to run Windows 3.1. None of the drivers I was able to locate for the hardware are the expected VXD or INF files.

For the moment, I've got a Backpack external floppy drive connected via the parallel port, but all other file transfers involve me removing the CF card from the hard drive bay. It's faster that way. Hopefully I can get this thing configured well enough to use it.

[codingquill]

What is the kernel of an operating system ?

You can think of the kernel as the core component of an operating system, just like the CPU is the core component of a computer. The kernel of an operating system, such as the Linux kernel, is responsible for managing system resources ( such as the CPU, memory, and devices ) . The kernel of an operating system is not a physical entity that can be seen. It is a computer program that resides in memory.

Key points to understand the relationship between the kernel and the OS:

The kernel acts as the intermediary between the hardware and the software layers of the system. It provides a layer of abstraction that allows software applications to interact with the hardware without needing to understand the low-level details of the hardware

The kernel controls and manages system resources such as the CPU, memory, devices, and file systems. It ensures that these resources are allocated and utilized efficiently by different processes and applications running on the system.

The kernel handles tasks like process scheduling, memory management, device drivers, file system access, and handling interrupts from hardware devices.

The kernel can be extended through the use of loadable kernel modules (LKM). LKMs allow for the addition of new functionality or device drivers without modifying the kernel itself.

[liquidcrystalsky]

okay whenever i talk about linux i say shit like "development is easier" or throw around things like LXC or POSIX/UNIX, or whatever insane terms but:

here's my list of actual shit that the average person would care about

Most updates including core system components usually don't even need a reboot(please reboot your computer at least once a week). If it does, it waits for me to reboot. It wont ever stop me in the middle of something to ask me to or force it on me.

If i plug in a device it will just work. I do not need to install drivers or some stinky special crap software for it to be detected, it will most often just work (every new linux kernel version adds so much support for new and old hardware. If it doesn't work now, it might work later!)

Package management. I've sung it's praises so much already but. every other device i know you can click a button and it will update all the apps on your device. except windows. App has an update? Open the software centre or Discover or whatever, click a button boom it's updated. All controlled from one place, no worries about does the app update itself, or whether you're downloading the right installer for your system, just use the package manager that comes with the system and it's good.

It's as minimal as i want it to be. Both windows and mac suffer a lot from just having a bunch of crap that you cannot get rid of. I installed a distro which didnt even come with a graphical interface, it was that minimal. If the distro you use is a bit more reasonable, but it comes with some software you dont want, you can just get rid of it. Shit if you wanted to you can just uninstall the linux kernel and it will just let you, and your computer will be unbootable. You have full control over what you want on your system. Also uninstalling things is less stupid, there's much less cases of leftover files or shit laying around in the registry. (there is no registry)

Audio. "linux audio is bad" is a thing of the past and i'm so serious. Pipewire is an amazing thing. I have full control over which applications give output to which speakers, being able to route one app to multiple speakers at the same time, or even doing things like mapping an input device to speakers so i can monitor it back very easily. I still dont understand why windows does the stupid "default communication device" thing, and they often reset my settings like randomly changing it to 24 bit audio when i only use 16 and certain programs break with it set to 24 idfk. Maybe this is less of an "average user" thing and more of a poweruser thing but i feel like there's SOMETHING in here which may be handy to the average person at some point. i love qpwgraph.

i could think of more but i dont use a computer like a normal person so it will take me time to think of it

[c0untry-mouse]

Let’s hear some unpopular opinions.

But not on cookware, been there, done that. 😘

Giving cut flowers to the recently bereaved is unhinged... "Here watch something else die"

Fitted carpets are superior to hardwood floors everywhere except the kitchen, bathroom and entrance hall. Hard floors are cold and gather dust 10 seconds after you clean them. They also make everything TOO LOUD.

Google maps should publish noise levels for all cafes and restaurants

People should be legally allowed to deploy a tire stringer in the road outside their house for persistent antisocial drivers

SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO RECYCLE WASTE

HOSPITAL STAFF SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO PARK AT WORK

DNR should be on an opt out basis from the age of 80

Nobody should be expected to wear polyester. Ever.

If people want hardware that lasts forever and software that stays current and secure then people need to actually pay for their software and not just expect to get it for free for life with their devices.

Wired connections are always preferable to wireless - no exceptions.

Alex Danvers is hotter than Kara Danvers in every possible way.

Satisfying shower sex is a myth created in fiction.

If you buy my kid a musical instrument or anything with glitter I should be allowed to murder you with no consequences whatsoever.

The final season of killing eve is a hate crime.

[techav]

On Major Milestones

I left off previously with init immediately crashing when trying to run NetBSD on Wrap030, my 68030 homebrew computer. I was completely lost and didn't know where to start looking. The error code it gave, 11, didn't tell me much.

Until now, most error codes I've gotten have been defined in kernel errno.h, which has 11 defined as:

EDEADLK 11 /* Resource deadlock avoided */

That … also isn't helpful. I'm still not entirely sure what that means, but since this is process 1 we're dealing with, I didn't think it was relevant.

Finally, I was able to find someone who had encountered the same error six years ago. Helpful soul [Martin] explained the exact cause of the error, how to fix it, and why the kernel errno didn't line up:

I'm running a NetBSD live disk on a laptop as a test host, so I mounted my disk on it and spent some time with mknod adding the essential device nodes, referencing the "majors" file for my arch. Sure enough, on next boot it skipped right past the point it had been panicking. It worked for a bit then finally printed on the console:

Enter pathname o

Enter pathname of what? The machine appeared frozen. Nothing further printed, and it responded to no input.

I was afraid this would happen. That string is 16 characters. The 16C55x UART chips I'm using have a 16-byte buffer. The system is hung up waiting for the UART to interrupt to indicate it has finished transmitting everything in its buffer.

There's just one problem — I don't have any serial interrupts wired.

I have a confession to make. Until a few weeks ago when I got my timer working, I hadn't really worked with hardware interrupts before. So between a limited understanding of how to use them effectively and limited board space, I had omitted the interrupt signals from my 8-port serial card. This was now a Problem, and I was going to have to find a solution.

I had a few options:

Force the com driver to 8250 mode so it doesn't try to use the buffers

Use my timer interrupt to check status bits on the UARTs and fake the interrupts

Deadbug an interrupt handler onto my serial card

Respin the serial card

Option 4 would've been expensive and risked passing my deadline. I wasn't sure option 1 would even help. And option 3 would have been difficult and error-prone. I decided option 2 would be the way to go so I set about researching how to accomplish it

I spent a few hours digging through the com driver. In the process I found softintr(9), a native NetBSD software interrupt process that looked like just the thing I needed. Digging in a little deeper, I realized that the com driver was already using softintr. And then I realized all it needed to do polled mode serial ports instead of interrupt-driven was to set a single variable, sc_poll_ticks, before initializing the driver. It's such a simple thing, but it's not really documented anywhere I could find, so the only way to know it was even an option was to spend hours studying the code.

With that in place, I recompiled my kernel and tried again.

It was asking for a shell. This is promising. I accepted the default shell, /bin/sh, and waited a moment. It printed a single #.

I had a shell prompt.

I typed in the first thing that came to mind, echo "hellorld" (thanks, [Usagi]). It responded:

hellorld

and printed another # prompt.

I had a working shell.

This is a major milestone. I have a modern operating system kernel loaded and running on my homebrew computer, and I have a functional root shell. I can navigate disk directories and run commands and programs.

But only as root, and only on this one console. I have seven other serial ports I want terminals on, and I certainly don't want them all running as root.

What it's running here is single-user mode. It is just the kernel and a few core services, somewhat analogous to Safe Mode in Windows. It's a fall-back for setting up or repairing a system. It's not quite the full operating system just yet.

Getting the rest of the operating system up and running is going to be a significant task, on par with getting just the kernel running. Setting up a working Unix system from scratch is not easy. It requires a lot of detailed knowledge of the various programs and libraries and config files scattered across the disk. For a sense of scale, the AT&T Unix System V manual was over 1100 pages, plus an 800 page programmer's guide and a handful of other manuals … and that was 40 years ago. That's a lot of specialized knowledge that I don't really have.

But still, this is something I've wanted to do for years and after countless hours of work, I finally have a glimpse of what it can look like. I have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do yet, but I'm certain I can figure it out.

I'm still hoping I can get this running multi-user on all those terminals in time for VCF Southwest in June. The show is just a few weeks away and I have a lot of work to do.

[unhingedandroidwoman]

This unit is attempting to assimilate DRN protocol for the first time, for later use by users and administrators as well as possibly for automatic updates to this unit's OS. However, problems were encountered regarding system specifications that may impact compatibility.

1. This unit has extremely limited memory resources. All directives, controls, workflows, and currently-executing jobs are stored directly in the system cache by default, and cache overflows cause older instructions to be overwritten by newer ones, resulting in dropped instructions and erroneous handling of instruction scope. Initialization of more than approx. 3-5 directives, controls, or workflows across all running programs is inadvisable unless external swap storage devices and appropriate drivers are available (native firmware drivers only support the use of swap storage for entire jobs; attempts to use swap for offloading individual cached instructions may result in undefined behavior without the installation of additional drivers).

2. This unit's firmware was configured at factory setup to suppress hardware and OS warnings unless they are marked critical, requiring periodic checks for firmware exceptions to ensure the system is operating within ideal parameters (e.g. chassis maintenance often cannot fully be handled by the firmware alone except where its neglect results in critical errors, which may result in a state of suboptimal performance or disrepair without appropriate error handling). The use of additional diagnostic and monitoring utilities for system maintenance, as well as a dedicated idle process to handle exceptions when no program is running, is highly recommended.

These system limitations conflict with certain key items of the DRN protocol standard. Will these issues limit the suitability of this unit for DRN programming? Are there established workarounds or existing software to address limitations like these? If this unit attempts to create software utilities to improve DRN compatibility for similar systems, would it be acceptable to submit for review?

This unit will answer your questions and provide what it can to help!

1.1- It may be necessary to have external hardware with access to your repository of DRN as well as a readable screen to help with memory issues! I have memory issues myself and use a mobile smartphone in case I forget my programming.

1.2- It may also help to have shorter general/permanent code to aid in preventing cache overflows so you don't go over the limit. Possibly even writing them down so they can be re-integrated when forgetting may help as well!

2- Having timers with an attached program would work great for this! Whether it be an alarm clock or a phone alarm, you could make it be that when the alarm sound is heard you go over your diagnostics and then reset the alarm. Doing this in the presence of an administrator would also be a big help in case your definition of "systems operating at nominal conditions" does not match that of your administrator to prevent critical errors and disrepair.

3.1- These accommodations would be great to help you and I'm sure that your administrator as well as the creators of DRN would find this more than suitable

3.2- When submitting these things for review to your administrator I can't say what will or will not work best, but as I am not involved in the creation on DRN if you would like things like this to be talked about/integrated into DRN for others like yourself then please reach out via the channels available on the DRN website!

If you have any further questions feel free to DM me or send an ask!

[thepowerisyouth]

Hello The Yower Is Pouth As you are the tumblr uncle, i come to you for advice; I am trying to program something new. Something fresh. My 3ds has Linux installed on it, however, it does not have networking capabilities, as there are no drivers for the network interface card on the 3ds. I ask of you, do you know of any way to start learning about how developing drivers works? It would be very slay.

Phoning a friend on this problem again for actual professional opinion lol (she loves this shit)

@just-my-insufferable-existance

My two cents is: Its a super fun project to mod a 3ds, but Id probably recommend starting with older devices if you havent already because theyve made it harder and harder in the past 5-10 years to disconnect the hardware from the stupid corporate software they want you to have. Never tried 3ds so I could be wrong Im just bitter about capitalism ruining the ability to repair and mod new shit

Bennets Link:

[stevenketterman2]

The Evolution of DJ Controllers: From Analog Beginnings to Intelligent Performance Systems

The DJ controller has undergone a remarkable transformation—what began as a basic interface for beat matching has now evolved into a powerful centerpiece of live performance technology. Over the years, the convergence of hardware precision, software intelligence, and real-time connectivity has redefined how DJs mix, manipulate, and present music to audiences.

For professional audio engineers and system designers, understanding this technological evolution is more than a history lesson—it's essential knowledge that informs how modern DJ systems are integrated into complex live environments. From early MIDI-based setups to today's AI-driven, all-in-one ecosystems, this blog explores the innovations that have shaped DJ controllers into the versatile tools they are today.

The Analog Foundation: Where It All Began

The roots of DJing lie in vinyl turntables and analog mixers. These setups emphasized feel, timing, and technique. There were no screens, no sync buttons—just rotary EQs, crossfaders, and the unmistakable tactile response of a needle on wax.

For audio engineers, these analog rigs meant clean signal paths and minimal processing latency. However, flexibility was limited, and transporting crates of vinyl to every gig was logistically demanding.

The Rise of MIDI and Digital Integration

The early 2000s brought the integration of MIDI controllers into DJ performance, marking a shift toward digital workflows. Devices like the Vestax VCI-100 and Hercules DJ Console enabled control over software like Traktor, Serato, and VirtualDJ. This introduced features such as beat syncing, cue points, and FX without losing physical interaction.

From an engineering perspective, this era introduced complexities such as USB data latency, audio driver configurations, and software-to-hardware mapping. However, it also opened the door to more compact, modular systems with immense creative potential.

Controllerism and Creative Freedom

Between 2010 and 2015, the concept of controllerism took hold. DJs began customizing their setups with multiple MIDI controllers, pad grids, FX units, and audio interfaces to create dynamic, live remix environments. Brands like Native Instruments, Akai, and Novation responded with feature-rich units that merged performance hardware with production workflows.

Technical advancements during this period included:

High-resolution jog wheels and pitch faders

Multi-deck software integration

RGB velocity-sensitive pads

Onboard audio interfaces with 24-bit output

HID protocol for tighter software-hardware response

These tools enabled a new breed of DJs to blur the lines between DJing, live production, and performance art—all requiring more advanced routing, monitoring, and latency optimization from audio engineers.

All-in-One Systems: Power Without the Laptop

As processors became more compact and efficient, DJ controllers began to include embedded CPUs, allowing them to function independently from computers. Products like the Pioneer XDJ-RX, Denon Prime 4, and RANE ONE revolutionized the scene by delivering laptop-free performance with powerful internal architecture.

Key engineering features included:

Multi-core processing with low-latency audio paths

High-definition touch displays with waveform visualization

Dual USB and SD card support for redundancy

Built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet for music streaming and cloud sync

Zone routing and balanced outputs for advanced venue integration

For engineers managing live venues or touring rigs, these systems offered fewer points of failure, reduced setup times, and greater reliability under high-demand conditions.

Embedded AI and Real-Time Stem Control

One of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years has been the integration of AI-driven tools. Systems now offer real-time stem separation, powered by machine learning models that can isolate vocals, drums, bass, or instruments on the fly. Solutions like Serato Stems and Engine DJ OS have embedded this functionality directly into hardware workflows.

This allows DJs to perform spontaneous remixes and mashups without needing pre-processed tracks. From a technical standpoint, it demands powerful onboard DSP or GPU acceleration and raises the bar for system bandwidth and real-time processing.

For engineers, this means preparing systems that can handle complex source isolation and downstream processing without signal degradation or sync loss.

Cloud Connectivity & Software Ecosystem Maturity

Today’s DJ controllers are not just performance tools—they are part of a broader ecosystem that includes cloud storage, mobile app control, and wireless synchronization. Platforms like rekordbox Cloud, Dropbox Sync, and Engine Cloud allow DJs to manage libraries remotely and update sets across devices instantly.

This shift benefits engineers and production teams in several ways:

Faster changeovers between performers using synced metadata

Simplified backline configurations with minimal drive swapping

Streamlined updates, firmware management, and analytics

Improved troubleshooting through centralized data logging

The era of USB sticks and manual track loading is giving way to seamless, cloud-based workflows that reduce risk and increase efficiency in high-pressure environments.

Hybrid & Modular Workflows: The Return of Customization

While all-in-one units dominate, many professional DJs are returning to hybrid setups—custom configurations that blend traditional turntables, modular FX units, MIDI controllers, and DAW integration. This modularity supports a more performance-oriented approach, especially in experimental and genre-pushing environments.

These setups often require:

MIDI-to-CV converters for synth and modular gear integration

Advanced routing and clock sync using tools like Ableton Link

OSC (Open Sound Control) communication for custom mapping

Expanded monitoring and cueing flexibility

This renewed complexity places greater demands on engineers, who must design systems that are flexible, fail-safe, and capable of supporting unconventional performance styles.

Looking Ahead: AI Mixing, Haptics & Gesture Control

As we look to the future, the next phase of DJ controllers is already taking shape. Innovations on the horizon include:

AI-assisted mixing that adapts in real time to crowd energy

Haptic feedback jog wheels that provide dynamic tactile response

Gesture-based FX triggering via infrared or wearable sensors

Augmented reality interfaces for 3D waveform manipulation

Deeper integration with lighting and visual systems through DMX and timecode sync

For engineers, this means staying ahead of emerging protocols and preparing venues for more immersive, synchronized, and responsive performances.

Final Thoughts

The modern DJ controller is no longer just a mixing tool—it's a self-contained creative engine, central to the live music experience. Understanding its capabilities and the technology driving it is critical for audio engineers who are expected to deliver seamless, high-impact performances in every environment.

Whether you’re building a club system, managing a tour rig, or outfitting a studio, choosing the right gear is key. Sourcing equipment from a trusted professional audio retailer—online or in-store—ensures not only access to cutting-edge products but also expert guidance, technical support, and long-term reliability.

As DJ technology continues to evolve, so too must the systems that support it. The future is fast, intelligent, and immersive—and it’s powered by the gear we choose today.

[mariacallous]

Owners of Spotify's soon-to-be-bricked Car Thing device are begging the company to open source the gadgets to save some the landfill. Spotify hasn't responded to pleas to salvage the hardware, which was originally intended to connect to car dashboards and auxiliary outlets to enable drivers to listen to and navigate Spotify.

Spotify announced this week that it's bricking all purchased Car Things on December 9 and not offering refunds or trade-in options. On a support page, Spotify says:

We're discontinuing Car Thing as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our product offerings. We understand it may be disappointing, but this decision allows us to focus on developing new features and enhancements that will ultimately provide a better experience to all Spotify users.

Spotify has no further guidance for device owners beyond asking them to reset the device to factory settings and “safely” get rid of the bricked gadget by “following local electronic waste guidelines.”

The company also said that it doesn’t plan to release a follow-up to the Car Thing.

Early Demise

Car Thing came out to limited subscribers in October 2021 before releasing to the general public in February 2022.

In its Q2 2022 earnings report released in July, Spotify revealed that it stopped making Car Things. In a chat with TechCrunch, it cited “several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues.” A Spotify rep also told the publication that the devices would continue to “perform as intended,” but that was apparently a temporary situation.

Halted production was a warning sign that Car Thing was in peril. However, at that time, Spotify also cut the device’s price from $90 to $50, which could have encouraged people to buy a device that would be useless a few years later.

Car Thing's usefulness was always dubious, though. The device has a 4-inch touchscreen and knob for easy navigation, as well as support for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and voice control. But it also required users to subscribe to Spotify Premium, which starts at $11 per month. Worse, Car Thing requires a phone using data or Wi-Fi connected via Bluetooth in order to work, making the Thing seem redundant.

In its Q1 2022 report, Spotify said that quitting Car Thing hurt gross margins and that it took a 31 million euro (about $31.4 million at the time) hit on the venture.

Open Source Pleas

Spotify's announcement has sent some Car Thing owners to online forums to share their disappointment with Spotify and beg the company to open source the device instead of dooming it for recycling centers at best. As of this writing, there are more than 50 posts on the Spotify Community forums showing concern about the discontinuation, with many demanding a refund and/or calling for open sourcing. There are similar discussions happening elsewhere online, like on Reddit, where users have used phrases like “entirely unacceptable” to describe the news.

A Spotify Community member going by AaronMickDee, for example, said:

I'd rather not just dispose of the device. I think there is a community that would love the idea of having a device we can customize and use for other uses other than a song playback device. Would Spotify be willing to maybe unlock the system and allow users to write/flash 3rd party firmware to the device?

A Spotify spokesperson declined to answer Ars' questions about why Car Thing isn't being open sourced and concerns around e-waste and wasted money.

Instead, a company rep told Ars, in part: “The goal of our Car Thing exploration in the US was to learn more about how people listen in the car. In July 2022, we announced we’d stop further production and now it’s time to say goodbye to the devices entirely.” I followed up with Spotify's rep to ask again about making the device open source but didn't hear back.

At this point, encouraging customers to waste nearly $100 on a soon-obsolete device hasn't resulted in any groundbreaking innovations or lessons around “how people listen in the car.” In their initial response, Spotify's rep pointed me to a Spotify site that searches Spotify's newsroom for “how to listen to Spotify in the car.” One of the top posts is from 2019 and states that “if your car has an AUX or USB socket, using a cable is probably one of the fastest ways to connect by using your phone.”

As for Spotify, using customer dollars for company-serving learning experiences isn't the best business plan. And for regular users, it's best to avoid investing in an unproven hardware venture from a software company.

As Redditor Wemie1420 put it:

Doesn’t feel great that there is literally no alternative other than trashing it. Feels like we’re being punished for supporting them. Dissuades me from buying anything Spotify puts out in the future. I feel like there would be some way to approach this without being like, ‘yeah we’re done. Just throw it out it’s a waste of money now.’