Would the display leave images (or how ever you call it)?
You're referring to the VFD equivalent of phosphor burn, and yes, this can happen to the Empeg's display.
After they invented the "now and next" display, I fell in love with it and left it up on that screen for several weeks. Now I have some phosphor burn in the lower right corner of the screen where the time is displayed. When I switch to a visual that uses large areas of solid color (such as "Caledonian"), I can see the burn pattern. It's not really bad, but it is visible if you look closely at it.
To prevent it, simply run a full screen visual which keeps moving even when paused. Many of the visuals do this. The visuals are essentially screen savers. (Although the ones with a fixed line, such as the spectrometers, would cause burn if they stayed up long enough.)
One of the things on my personal wish list is to have the static text screens shift regularly (for instance, moving the time display around on the now/next screen) to reduce the problem.
Also, can there be a password feature on powerup?
This one's been hashed through quite extensively before. Here was my take on the password question:
If you wanted to write your own password prompt into the kernel, go for it. But that could be circumvented simply by re-installing the software.
If you want Empeg to include a truly secure password protection feature, then you're asking them to also man the telephones for every single "I forgot my password, now what do I do" call. They would literally have to add support staff just because the feature existed. I don't think such a feature is critical enough for that, do you?
And in the end, password-protecting the Empeg isn't going to stop the unit from being stolen, it would just irritate the hell out of the thief after-the-fact.
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Tony Fabris