As I sit here hacking away on my VDC-II web content for my website, I found yet another 80-column display controller for the RC2014 bus: https://hackaday.io/project/189225-80-column-video-for-rc2014 .

Most recent project update was 4 days ago.

Meanwhile, in the three years I've been working (on and off) on and advocating for my VDC-II project, ..., I think I got exactly one person who asked any kind of questions about it? Even there, they asked if it could be used as a replacement for the C128's VDC (not w/out KERNAL changes), and if it could support NTSC (yes, non-interlaced only) and when I can start shipping units (I'm not Motorola). Literally zero interest from the #RC2014 community at large.

"But, Sam," I hear you say, "you haven't worked on it in over a year. Of course nobody will be interested!" To which I'm going to call total and utter bullshit. Just straight up, fucking bullshit, because I worked nearly continuously on the project for the two years before that. Remember when I got laid off from Electriq Power because of COVID? Yeah, that's what I did during my "time off."

Those who follow me here know I wouldn't shut up about the VDC-II project. I was actively working on starting a home-run side-business around this project.

I got it to a real-world working state. Is it finished? No. But it does work, as the pictures on my project page clearly shows. I have a PCB design, and sample software written for it. (Note: I will be moving the repo over to my SourceHut account, as my old crew73 Gitlab account no longer exists. Coming shortly.) People who I know had the resources could have asked, "Hey, how can I contribute?" Or, "What bugs need fixing?" Or, "Can I put this on my TinyFPGA BX?" Etc.

At this point in time, I really don't see any reason why I should continue with the VDC-II project at all. I mean, I love the design. It is by far my most complicated HDL design yet. It was lots of fun to work on. But, it is also more complicated than my old CGIA video interface concept. Working with the VDC-II is like working with the 9918A and 6845 CRTC combined. Working with the CGIA is more like working with the Atari ST's Shifter chip.

Like all of my other projects where I tried to be a nice guy and support an existing community, I got my usual treatment from the rest of society. I'm not Alan Fucking Cox, Dave Fucking Haynie, nor am I Bunny Fucking Huang, so why the fuck should anyone care what I do? I should just shut up, sit in the corner, know my fucking place, and use a TMS9918A like everyone else. This is, directly or indirectly, the message the community at large gave me.

(Not to disparage Alan Cox, Dave Haynie, or Bunny; I actually look up to these three individuals as role models. But, I am nonetheless jealous when someone like Bunny sneezes and suddenly the whole maker and crowd-funding communities go fucking ape-shit over what becomes of it.)

The old advice of, "You need to have something working first before people notice you," has been thoroughly and utterly debunked at this point. I have something that works. Nobody cared, nobody cares, and nobody will ever care in the future.

So, why bother?