> The skillsets we need for the things that aren't being done are different, otherwise > I'd be doing them. For example, the Fruit Machines really need somebody good with > documentation to go through the CPU manuals implementing every last little detail of > the SoCs that are on there.
I'll be doing the 68xxx MCUs this fall, and if someone wants to finish them before then, they're certainly welcome to as long as they don't make a hash of it. > Likewise progress on something like PGM2 requires an improved ARM core before looking > for avenues to do trojans
Thumb-2 and ARMv6 would be pretty easy projects for someone who's motivated; there aren't a *lot* of new instructions in either, compared to the v5TE we currently support.
> Really old hardware where reading schematics is needed isn't my thing either
I'm marginal at it at best; the really good guys at translating schematics are all retired for the most part.
> There are times when I have left drivers (just put the initial rom loading in and > done little more) and they've also just been left, not picked up by anybody, so I've > ended up going back to them months (or sometimes years) later to finish them off.
No arguments here. This is why I'm not submitting my new drivers until they're done, because it barely matters anyway in the large majority of cases. > I've noticed that if dumps don't get processed in a timely manner then the dumpers > lose interest too, so processing them, and giving them results works out for the > best.
Sure, but a 48-hour window for non-critical dumps (e.g. clone sets) would still be a timely manner. If a dumper can't handle even that much time, they need another hobby. I mean, some of the old-time dumpers did stuff that didn't run until many years later after PCs were fast enough to make it practical.
> There are other dumps I've not checked myself, and ended up coming back to later and > thinking 'wtf, who added this so badly' for example that Wonder Boy bootleg I just > fixed the loading of in system1.cpp
Shit's going to happen with people still learning MAME, but it's very easy now for submitted changelists to be reviewed before they're applied, unlike in the past. I'd much rather have someone make a few mistakes and then grow to become a valuable contributor, possibly someone who can handle those things listed above, then to go all robot and not allow inexperienced contributors because they might make mistakes.
> Further case in point, there was that 'SMS Super Game' thing, I left it a few weeks > before picking it up (it had been suggested maybe it was something for Robbie so I > didn't initially look) within that space of the the board got sold
Again, for stuff where there's some kind of time pressure on reselling it that should be communicated so that someone like you or me gets it in quickly. Otherwise, when there's not that pressure, we *need* to try and let some of the younger people at it or else there won't *be* any MAMEdevs in another 20 years.
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