2XL emulator

[scotty]

Anyone remember 2-XL from when you were a kid.  Two versions exist.  The original was an 8-track tape player, and the newer one was a modified cassette.    Wellllllllllllll   both versions along with every tape ever released have been emulated for you to enjoy.  https://www.2xlbot.com/.

 

Sadly, this is an online only emulator.  It would be nice if there was a way to emulate it on your own devices incase when/if this page ever goes down.

 

[Keatah]

I hate online emulators with a passion. They all need to crash and burn.

[DirtyHairy]

1 hour ago, Keatah said:

I hate online emulators with a passion. They all need to crash and burn.

I know you shouldn't feed the troll, but... what a reflected and qualified statement. Thanks for shitting on (not only) my work.

 

The browser is an application platform like many others, and javascript applications have the advantage of being platform independent. If done well they run on mobile devices and desktops alike, they work offline, you can distribute them without bothering about the App Store and Apple's review policies, and they update without you ever having to do anything. If you worry about them going away, just download a copy --- and most of them are open source anyway. Of course, they have their drawbacks --- among other things they are slightly slower, and timing guarantees are weaker.

 

If you don't like them, just don't use them.

[Keatah]

It's no secret I dislike required internet connections for X piece of software. That distaste equally applies to subscription software. That isn't likely to change. All too many times I've experienced browser updates that break things. And things that go away. So.. If they're downloadable, capturable, or preservable then that's a plus and they can be interesting.

 

In a roundabout way Stella is online. Distributed online. But eminently downloadable, far more usable, and preservable. And I've nothing but praise for it and the ongoing work put into it.

 

[bfollowell]

1 hour ago, Keatah said:

It's no secret I dislike required internet connections for X piece of software. That distaste equally applies to subscription software. That isn't likely to change. All too many times I've experienced browser updates that break things. And things that go away. So.. If they're downloadable, capturable, or preservable then that's a plus and they can be interesting.

 

In a roundabout way Stella is online. Distributed online. But eminently downloadable, far more usable, and preservable. And I've nothing but praise for it and the ongoing work put into it.

 

 

Well, just because it's browser based doesn't necessarily mean that it requires any sort of Internet connection. Now, if you can't download the javascript or whatever, and you can only run it by connecting to the Internet, then I'd have to agree with you. I despise any software that forces a live Internet connection to run the software. There's just no need for that.

 

[Keatah]

5 minutes ago, bfollowell said:

Well, just because it's browser based doesn't necessarily mean that it requires any sort of Internet connection. Now, if you can't download the javascript or whatever, and you can only run it by connecting to the Internet, then I'd have to agree with you.

Absolutely. Browser-based software running totally wholly locally is just fine. As a matter of fact I've a number of physics and celestial mechanics widgets that operate in a browser. They are capable of operating offline, 100%, without an internet connection. Without loss in functionality. Perfectly ok on that.

 

Also have a bit of vintage software called Picture-It! Photo Premium 9 from Microsoft. It a PrintShop-like greeting card and sign maker. A small section/feature of the program requires being online and connecting to no-longer-existent servers. So that portion is useless. I would have axed it years ago, but the other 90% of the program works just fine.

 

5 minutes ago, bfollowell said:

I despise any software that forces a live Internet connection to run the software. There's just no need for that.

Indeed. I avoid that as much as I can.

 

And I extend that to documentation. Some few years back I cached and localized documentation for a professional grade software package. Rather preserved the cache. Lo and behold, today, those servers are long gone. And with it the 900+ pages of instructions, tutorials, and examples.

 

 

 

[Keatah]

Now that I've demonstrated I'm not trolling. Here is one other 2XL page. http://www.2xlrobot.com/

[Ribfest]

I’m super hyped to try this out. It’s not working though… I’m trying from my iPad, would that be an issue?

[MrMaddog]

Don'tcha know some of us still have dial-up connections on our 90's Linux servers we use in our Unibomber shacks? 

[Asaki]

lol, I emailed this guy and told him I was going to send him some of my tapes many, many years ago, but all of my cassette players had busted belts so I couldn't capture them.

 

BTW, you don't -need- an emulator for 2-XL, just load the four tracks into Audacity, or your DAW of choice, and hit the "solo" button for the track you want to pick