Author Topic: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses (Read 19177 times)

DJ Omnimaga · « **on:** August 29, 2010, 11:46:43 pm »

Since our Axe Parser programming contest started, there have been a drastic increase in amount of calculator projects being lost in RAM clears or hard drive failures. So much that there are currently 0 entries submitted so far for the contest ending in 2 weeks.

In order to give people a chance to submit something without suffering the same problem again, we have decided to write a guide on how to prevent your wonderful game progress from being obliterated while you are programming it. So here, below, is the answer to project lives, the programming universe and everything related to TI calculators:

1) Do not change your calculator batteries until they're completely dead. Save your money and our planet.
2) Do not create backups. They waste too much space and are time-consuming.
3) If you choose to backup anyway, group files are 100% reliable.
4) The archive memory is safe from any form of corruption. Unlocking flash is a myth, anyway.
5) Contrary to popular belief, TI-OSes are bug-free.
6) If during Garbage Collecting, the run indicator stops moving, pull a battery.
7) Same if you update your OS and it stalls at 0% for 3 seconds.
8) Feel free to upgrade or downgrade to another calculator OS at any time. 3rd-party OSes are the huge thing in the community, now.
9) With Axe Parser, you got 32768 bytes of RAM to save your temporary data into.
10) TI-Connect is 100% reliable for calculator->PC file transfer.
11) Loan your calculator to random people.
12) When BrandonW finds a new TI-OS bug, attempt at recreating it on your calculator immediately.
13) The TI-83 Plus uses Flash technology. Go to your favorite Flash game website, download then rename the SWF to 8XP. You're set!
14) When tired of coding, keep your stuff in RAM and make a few Super Mario levels with MEDIT.
15) You can also play a few of your other favorite ASM games otherwise.
16) Have fun with OSKill.
17) Same with CalcSys. By the way the readme is useless.
18) When making BASIC games, add the ":" character at the beginning of all 250 sub-programs that comes with it, for MirageOS compatibility.
19) Run A.8xp before installing Ion then go impress all your friends, who are scattered all over the school building, with color on-calc.
20) Code while waiting for the school bus under the rain.
21) Leave your calculator in the car during Summer during your entire trip to family in Texas.
22) Use Omnicalc RAM Recovery after Garbage Collecting.
23) Rely on Omnicalc RAM Recovery even if you have a TI-84+ missing 5 extra RAM pages.
24) Under Omnicalc's Virtual Calc, archive/unarchive stuff then switch to the other calculator.
25) Leave your game running when not programming
26) Use 2nd+STO to recall strings of 2 byte tokens when running low on RAM.
27) Unlock ASM games in your favorite shell then attempt at executing each weird character contained in the program individually.
28) Install a TI-84 Plus OS on your TI-83 Plus or vice-versa.
29) Skim through DoorsCS7, xLIB, Omnicalc or Celtic III readme then use the additional BASIC add-on commands in a trial and error fashion.
30) Use a sub-program containing "AsmPrgm" and run it with Asm(prgmNAME) at the beginning of your BASIC game as an attempt to increase its speed.
31) Bring your calculator to restricted calc program usage math test.
32) Use no anti-virus (or use Norton) while downloading copyrighted material for free.
33) Experiment with actual viruses.
34) Use Windows 98, ME or Mac OS 9.2 to develop calc softwares.
35) Program on your desktop during lightning storms.
36) Computer processor is too slow to compile your ASM program? Unsolder it from your motherboard then replace it.
37) After uploading your grayscale adult game to ticalc.org, delete it from your calc to free up space for math programs and rely on ticalc.org for backup purposes.
38) Need more archive? Delete the OS certificate.
39) Use the following program to speed up your calculator: http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/293/29350.html
40) Press the LCD with your fingers or bend the calc to create all sort of awesome animations on the screen.
41) Play S.A.D Alpha 2 while your project is unarchived, taking most RAM.
42) Jpizzle1122 is awesome.

Hopefully, a sarcastic version of this topic posted (and stickied with an all-caps title) several months ago may help more!

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2010, 01:47:14 pm »

On a side note, 36 happened for real in the TI community, before. However, the user appears to have gotten his UTI account deleted along with all posts, because I could not find anymore trace of him and his topic/posts anywhere on that site.

Hot_Dog · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2010, 01:51:24 pm »

#41 happened to me

DJ, this is an awesome "Top 10" kind of list

Deep Toaster · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2010, 02:52:04 pm »

#20 for me

We should eventually move this to Randomness so we can make another 1000 Ways list

#43: #29 with Axe Parser
#44: If you have a TI-84 Plus, the OS protects your groups as backup files if you press the left, right, and ON keys simultaneously.

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2010, 03:37:53 pm »

Nah it will remain in the news section I think. It will probably go down fast, though, with Mapar retirement news, the contest deadline, the 9th anniversary and the tribute video, not to mention potential releases/updates.

Feel free to post 1000 ways here as long as it isn't just stuff like "lolifying Netham45 with a Genolo"

souvik1997 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2010, 06:05:29 pm »

Quote

36) Computer processor is too slow to compile your ASM program? Unsolder it from your motherboard then replace it.

What kind of computer processor is soldered onto the motherboard? In my computer, all you have to do to remove the processor is remove the processor fan and lift up the processor.

apcalc · « **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2010, 06:07:53 pm »

lol

Great job thinking of all of these reasons DJ!

MRide · « **Reply #7 on:** August 30, 2010, 07:24:35 pm »

We should compile all these similar articles (this one, submitting files on ticalc, writing reviews on ticalc) into one place.

And we should make more! How to *not* write a game, (you lost) anyone?

FinaleTI · « **Reply #8 on:** August 30, 2010, 08:59:02 pm »

#45: Run a bunch of BASIC programs from MirageOS v1.0 or earlier. It has to be safe, because it's MirageOS.

Michael_Lee · « **Reply #9 on:** August 30, 2010, 09:43:23 pm »

I kept wincing as I read this.

My brother actually asked me why I was twitching.

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2010, 01:09:09 am »

Quote from: souvik1997 on August 30, 2010, 06:05:29 pm

Quote
36) Computer processor is too slow to compile your ASM program? Unsolder it from your motherboard then replace it.

What kind of computer processor is soldered onto the motherboard? In my computer, all you have to do to remove the processor is remove the processor fan and lift up the processor.

There are some that are, I believe.Maybe not anymore, though. The guy who unsoldered his CPU or processor from his motherboard did it 3 or 4 years ago. Maybe it was a laptop, though.

TsukasaZX · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2010, 04:13:08 am »

I'm guilty of (3) but I'm also backing up to my computer. So far, so good `-`
Also guilty of (10) by default and (35) because I have a laptop and I'm surge-protected when using the AC>DC adapter anyway.

A long time ago, I used to use MirageOS exclusively. Then my friend introduced DoorsCS ... 5? ... and I used both MOS and DCS. Then MOS ate ProtoType and FUBAR'd (exclusive events) so I nixed it.

LordConiupiter · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2010, 05:06:06 am »

for#3: I created allways backups from my BASIC progs, but once I created a BackUp group, which was pretty large, and got a RAM clear the next day or so, and when I tried ungrouping my backup, it said

Code: [Select]

UNGROUPING...
            Done

so I lost everything, which was about 6 weeks work :'(

but now I started the project again, but in Axe. This time I create backups as groups for portability, and for safety on my PC...

Deep Toaster · « **Reply #13 on:** August 31, 2010, 12:45:29 pm »

Quote from: LordConiupiter on August 31, 2010, 05:06:06 am

for#3: I created allways backups from my BASIC progs, but once I created a BackUp group, which was pretty large, and got a RAM clear the next day or so, and when I tried ungrouping my backup, it said
Code: [Select]
UNGROUPING... Done
so I lost everything, which was about 6 weeks work :'(

but now I started the project again, but in Axe. This time I create backups as groups for portability, and for safety on my PC...

Ouch. I've seen that one too. Yet another grouping bug

#46: Your calculator doesn't actually turn off when you press 2ND+[OFF]. To save battery life, you should remove all five batteries when not in use.

DJ Omnimaga · « **Reply #14 on:** August 31, 2010, 01:45:37 pm »

I think I had that one happen only once, but not again afterward

Author Topic: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses (Read 19177 times)

DJ Omnimaga

42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses

DJ Omnimaga

Re: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses

Hot_Dog

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Deep Toaster

Re: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses

DJ Omnimaga

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souvik1997

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apcalc

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MRide

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FinaleTI

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Michael_Lee

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DJ Omnimaga

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TsukasaZX

Re: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses

LordConiupiter

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Deep Toaster

Re: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses

DJ Omnimaga

Re: 42 ways to prevent a project from dying due to data losses