Notes from an intuitive programmer: tool

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Cygwin on Windows XP, howto

If you've damaged your Cygwin installation on Windows XP recently by doing a normal Cygwin update (as I did), here's how to recover.

Normally, Cygwin's program, setup(-x86).exe installs the latest version of their Cygwin DLL.

However, the last release of the Cygwin DLL which still works on Windows XP was version 2.5.2-1 (released June 23, 2016). The next release was 2.6.0-1 (on August 31, 2016), and it doesn't work on Windows XP.

First, back up (perhaps using 7-Zip) your Cygwin etc/ and home/ directories to a safe location (outside your Cygwin installation).

Then rename your Cygwin directory, to get it out of the way.

Download the latest setup(-x86).exe as usual from the Cygwin web site.

Add the option flag --no-verify to the shortcut you use for it, and run it. On its "Choose a Download Site" screen, enter (as a User URL):

http://ctm.crouchingtigerhiddenfruitbat.org/pub/cygwin/circa/2016/08/30/104223/

Click the "Add" button and "Next". It will say:

"The current ini file is from a newer version of setup-x86.exe" and
"This setup is version 2.873, but setup.ini claims version 2.874 is available."

Ignore those warnings.

After you're satisfied it's working for you, you can delete your old, renamed Cygwin directory.

For more information, see these two pages by Peter Castro, the creator of the Cygwin Time Machine.

EDIT: Regarding the screen, "Choose a Download Site", I've updated the "User URL".

Copyright (c) 2016, 2018 Mark D. Blackwell.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Choirs need electronic temperament keyboard

Choirs which perform early music need, for rehearsal purposes, an electronic keyboard capable of playing in various temperaments. All these temperaments should be adjustable by a simple slider bar, so that the choir's listening experience will fall at a point which lies anywhere (at the director's discretion) from hearing each temperament fully, to hearing merely a barely-detectable taste of the "flavor" of that temperament. This slider bar must range from 100% (for full engagement of the selected temperament) to 0% (for Equal Temperament).

This aspect of the keyboard would thus follow the advice of the best experts on temperament, who generally believe that, in history, always and actually, practice has been to use no temperament only in its pure form: but instead, that the timeline of historical practice constitutes a gradual drift from one temperament to another. Further, they believe it is historically accurate for us to duplicate today these same practices from the past, by means of any degree of alteration from Equal Temperament which we desire, using our own good taste.

Since the last century represents the triumph of Equal Temperament, perhaps our use of other temperaments should remain fairly close to it. The slider would enable this.

In order to perform early music, choirs need these temperaments:

Bradley Lehman/J.S. Bach
Equal Temperament
Meantone
Pythagorean
Valotti
Victorian

Some facility to load in new temperaments would be desirable as well.

Copyright (c) 2015 Mark D. Blackwell.

Notes from an intuitive programmer

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Cygwin on Windows XP, howto

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Choirs need electronic temperament keyboard

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Visual project design & reporting & Pivotal Tracker with add-ons