Ubuntu 11.10 64bit mplayer/mencoder compability problem

[Spekkio]

Hello!

I run Ubuntu 11.10 64bit version, and I have many questions

When I install zsnes with "apt-get install zsnes" it wants to remove some libraries, also mplayer and mencoder

The following packages will be REMOVED:
libsdl1.2-dev libsdl1.2debian libsdl1.2debian-alsa mplayer mencoder
The following NEW packages will be installed:
libsdl1.2debian:i386 libsdl1.2debian-alsa:i386 zsnes:i386

So I cannot use movie recorder and dump a movie. I was thinking, maybe I can compile mplayer and mencoder myself
and then install zsnes. But it still wont work to compile a 64bit version of mencoder, because it wants 64bit version of all the libraries too, libsdl1.2 wich also zsnes needs.

I have also tried to compile zsnes myself, I had to add -march=i686 -m32 to CFLAGS. But I still couldn't compile it correctly.

Is it possible to build a version of zsnes with static libraries ? Or will that cause problems with compability when using a 64bit version of libsdl and other libraries simultaniously?

I was also thinking, has anyone considered the task to port zsnes to 64bit ?
Do you have to rewrite all the asm code that has been written to?
Maybe it would be a good thing todo anyway since 32bit is slowly being replaced by 64bit.

[grinvader]

It makes little sense to -remove- packages. A sane multilib distro has both 32- and 64-bit libs, and links to the appropriate one, ZSNES against the 32bit libraries, and mencoder/lame/whatever against the 64bit ones. At least that's what we get here (debian and gentoo multilibs). The dumping process is currently done by calling the various encoders/compressors 'outside' of ZSNES, and it doesn't conflict.
Please report the issue to your distro package maintainer.

I was also thinking, has anyone considered the task to port zsnes to 64bit ?
Do you have to rewrite all the asm code that has been written to?
Maybe it would be a good thing todo anyway since 32bit is slowly being replaced by 64bit.

Yes.
Yes.
Maybe it would be a good thing to cure cancer and aids.

[Spekkio]

Ok thanks, I was just thinking. Is assembler programming really needed with todays computers anyway.

Couldn't those parts be rewritten in C instead, since computers are so damn fast these days, writing in assembler isn't really necessary. It's also possible to write C-code so that it takes use of MMX, SSE and all those things, wich I think GCC is able todo?

Zsnes was the best back in the days, snes9x for example was too damn slow on my computer. I don't remember how long time ago it was, but I think I had a 200Mhz pentium, non MMX. And Zsnes was the only snes emulator that was possible to use, it is still good.

[Spekkio]

Maybe it would be a good thing to cure cancer and aids.

I understand it is not and easy thing todo, I see that zsnes has damn much asm in it. zsnes was something that led me to get interested in asm programming myself. I made a simple IRC client in asm for win32 once. But I have not programmed for PC in a long time, I went to MCU's and VHDL instead.

[Gonzo]

Ok thanks, I was just thinking. Is assembler programming really needed with todays computers anyway.

Couldn't those parts be rewritten in C instead...

The next version of zsnes, Zsnes 2.0, will have no assembly code. It's being rewritten in C or C++ or something(I'm clearly not a coder).
Just don't ask when it's being released because you're likely to get slapped. Seriously.

[Spekkio]

It would be fun if you would just rewrite it in x86-64 asm anyway just for nostalgic reasons, but,

I dunno, wish I could help with development anyway. Would be interesting to get into the chips programming, I'm an electronic engineer and always had interest in hardware. I have always wondered how you got the info on the snes internal workings, I have tried to reverse engineered the NES, but there are no datasheets on the chips, some seem to be nintendos own stuff, seems impossible to find out, love to hear to someone about that.

[grinvader]

I have always wondered how you got the info on the snes internal workings, I have tried to reverse engineered the NES, but there are no datasheets on the chips, some seem to be nintendos own stuff, seems impossible to find out, love to hear to someone about that.

Official docs, coupled with hard work from people who spent weeks dissecting the stuff.

[Spekkio]

Official docs, coupled with hard work from people who spent weeks dissecting the stuff.

Not very suprising response

Is there any way that work and knowledge can be shared. Or do they wish to remain anonymous and silent to not be interfered by nintendo too much?

Is the sourcecode all there is to read about it, no documentation or notes ?

[grinvader]

Is the sourcecode all there is to read about it, no documentation or notes ?

Source code and some other stuff.

[Spekkio]

Thanks for the info!