So we can just stick in some ioctls() like the clockoveray did and voila, we're there!

Yeah, it looks that way. See, IMHO there's a VERY deep pool of programming expertise around here, but it's never been totally focused. Each of us has hacked in our own little things that we're looking for at that particular moment. So when new people get involved, there's no central resource to show all of what's been done in the past. This BBS is good, but searches don't always find the real gems that are buried within (this display overlay code, for instance.) I've seen other times when people wanted to code something that had already been in existence, albeit quiet existence deep in the threads of this BBS.

The riocar.org site has potential to be this... I'd love to see a really well-organized developer section in there with all of the collected works from various other programming sites. That way anyone new coming on would know everything that's been done already so they wouldn't re-invent the wheel.

In any event, the work you're doing is one of the more significant steps so far, because it really knocks down the wall that has existed between user apps and the player. We'll all be able to "plug in" our own user apps into a slick interface that works side-by-side with the player app. I'm sure as other projects progressed they would all find their ways to get input and display output on the VFD, but this middle layer is the perfect. All it needs is a slick marketing name like the Empeg Power Pack or the Empeg Resource Kit or something.

Why'd you wait so long to show up here, anyway? We coulda used you back in the early days of the MkII! :)

-Tony
MkII #554