Mac ROM-inator II Restock and Partnerships
The Mac ROM-inator II is again in inventory – get yours now on the BMOW Store. The ROM-inator II is a alternative ROM SIMM for Macintosh II collection computer systems and the Mac SE/30, including a bootable ROM disk, 32-bit cleanliness, HD20 onerous disk assist, and extra. Learn extra about it on the venture’s home page. That is the 1.27 mm (0.05 inch) customized SIMM thickness that works greatest in finicky SIMM slots like these discovered on the SE/30.
Insurance policies and Partnerships
The Macintosh ROM SIMM panorama has modified considerably since I began promoting them in 2016. At the moment, BMOW was the one vendor making and promoting customized Mac ROM SIMMs, and the “product” was a mix of {hardware} and software program. The {hardware} was the SIMM PCB and flash reminiscence chips, whereas the software program was a novel base ROM implementing on-the-fly decompression of a ROM disk picture, auto-detection of the reminiscence configuration, a brand new startup chime, and extra. Gross sales of the {hardware} sponsored my growth work on the bottom ROM software program.
In the previous couple of years, a number of different distributors have begun promoting Mac ROM SIMMs too. Pleasant competitors is nice, but it surely creates a possible dilemma for me if somebody buys one other vendor’s ROM SIMM and reprograms it with BMOW’s base ROM with the intention to get the on-the-fly ROM disk decompression and different options. It may flip right into a scenario the place my base ROM software program is subsidizing one other competing product. To compound the issue, I didn’t have any clear utilization coverage or “license” for the bottom ROM to say whether or not the sort of use was OK. Moreover my FC8 compression algorithm is free open-source, however the BMOW base ROM which includes it isn’t. This all created a big grey space.
I hope to make clear this now by making the BMOW base ROM picture explicitly free for private use with anyone’s personal Mac ROM SIMM, it doesn’t matter what vendor they bought it from. That is the best and greatest means of resolving the anomaly for the good thing about the basic Mac group. I solely ask that you just don’t resdistribute the bottom ROM picture elsewhere – come again to the BMOW Mac ROM-inator II details page if it’s essential to obtain the picture.
For distributors who is perhaps occupied with promoting a model of their Mac ROM SIMM that’s pre-programmed with the BMOW base ROM software program, I’m pleased to accomplice with you. Please contact me to debate it. CayMac Classic and BMOW have not too long ago partnered to convey the BMOW base ROM to their Mac ROM SIMM {hardware}, which you’ll be able to take a look at here. Thrilling stuff, and I’m glad to see new vitality on this area that may profit the basic Mac group at giant.
The present state of customized Mac ROM SIMM expertise is the results of onerous work by many individuals stretching again 20 years: Gamba, Jeff Walther (trag), Doug Brown (dougg3), Rob Braun, myself, and plenty of others. I want you thrilling ROM adventures, associates!