EXCLUSIVE: 20 Questions With Coldbird

Continuing with our "20 Questions with a Dev"  series we decided to reach out to Coldbird.  Coming off the release of the 6.XXPRO-C Beta we figured who better to ask to answer our 20 Questions and he was more than willing to come out and talk with us and share his thoughts on homebrew, the scene, and the future. This is what he had to say when we asked him our 20 Questions. Enjoy.

1.  How long have you been developing your own software?

To be honest I don't remember when I started, it's been so long, about 10-12 years ago?

2.  What's your favorite development language and why?

 Plain and simple C, my biggest achievements were coded in that language and it remains useful even to the very day, be it in Android, Apple Products, PC or other embedded devices.

3.  Are there any suggestions you would give to people who are just starting to write code?

Start with C and Hello World, work your way into Variables, Memory & Pointers as well as Structures. If you understand that much you should be able to handle things quite nicely already.

4.  What's your Favorite video game system of all time?

That's difficult... I'm a big RPG gamer so I tend to jump on consoles that fit that need best. If I had to pick I suppose it would be PlayStation (the original one).

5.  Whats your favorite video game?

Single Player: Wild Arms, Multiplayer: God Eater Burst.

6.  You've been hard at work on PRO online for quite some time.  Was there a point where you thought about giving up?

There've been several times I thought it was impossible to pull of... PRO Online is in fact older than PRO CFW itself.

In 3.X CFW times the problem was the lack of full firmware control, caused by the closed source approach of M33.
Later on it was the lack of a universal adhoc loader that made my code too specific to a single title (God Eater only).

And then the multithreading issues popped up... also let's not forget the whole bunch of people in ps2dev forums that, back in the early days, said it was impossible to do.

It took me about 20 full code rewrites from ground zero to get to the state it is in now and it makes me smile every time I think back to those times when I nearly gave up on it.

7.  Back in September 2011 it was announced you would be leaving the PRO Team.  Would you like to elaborate on why you left and why you returned?

There has been a trollraid on my blog, something I usually wouldn't care about, but they hit my weak spot by taking their attacks out on my fiancé instead of me.

It got me into a rush of fury, making me think "What a bunch of unthankful bastards am I coding for?".

I eventually returned because I caught myself working on things in secret and passing it on to other coders every few days.

So I thought it might be best to stop being a hypocrite and just openly say I never stopped in the first place so that the scene doesn't have to worry about it.

8.  What do you think the future of CFW on PSP is?

CFW wise we pretty much explored everything we can explore with a few exceptions...

TV Output Tweaks (for 3g+), GE-Hooking and PC-Rendering of GE-Lists via USB, Bluetooth Hacks (on Go) and Online Gaming via Adhoc over Infrastructure Tunneling (what is currently being explored with PRO Online).

Our Future in CFW probably lies with community themed things like PRO Online, as we are close to finishing our hardware exploration adventures with PSP.

With community aspects like free online gaming of hundreds, maybe thousand, Adhoc Titles - we can keep the system alive way beyond its official peak, as long as enough donations flow in to keep the thing afloat (due to the server costs involved).

9.  Do you have any plans to work on any other consoles?

Of course, I'm very interested in exploring other consoles next to PSP too.

10.  Do you think its time to walk away from the PSP and move on?

I don't think so. What gives the PSP potential to live past its prime is its Adhoc Library, as it's possible to 1:1 tunnel that into Infrastructure Packets. This makes the PSP the console with the - potentially - highest amount of online multiplayer games, once PRO Online has been completed that is.

We are nearing codewise completion of PSP work, that is true, however with homebrew developers out there creating fun games to play, the big array of online titles to come, etc. it will always remain a cheap-to-get but very enjoyable handheld 2d/3d console.

11.  What Dev do you think is someone to watch in the future?

Good question. Sadly I was too absorbed in my own work lately, so I probably missed a few things that are going on right now. However what SKFU & Co. are working on seems very interesting. Things are moving in the PS3 scene too from what I can tell, but spoiling things wouldn't be fun.

12.  What do you love / hate about the current state of the Mod community as a whole?

What I hate... hm.. Faker & Teaser. Damn if you don't want to release things don't tease about them on YouTube. Don't act like a bunch of 12yo kids trying to compare e-penis sizes. Other than that the usual stuff, trolls, etc.

What I love... I suppose the tightly knit bond between serious sceners. Aiding each other and helping out where they can. I find this trait not only in the big names like wololo, VF & co. but also in people from the "normal crowd" - like aznk41, HeroKing, kakarotto and a whole bunch of other people.

If I could I would go listing names now forever but that would end in this interview exceeding its maximum allowed size easily, but I'm sure the people that I mean know it anyway.

13.  Is there anything you would like to undo in the mod community?

TrueBlue for PS3, nothing to add to that really.

14.  What do you think of the Vita, and do you think it will survive the same scale piracy as the PSP?

PSP obviously did, So why not Vita.

Looking back into history I don't know a single console that remained "Piracy-Proof" through its whole lifetime. It will happen, no denying it, and it will survive it. People interpret too much nonsense into the whole piracy kills console thing.

15.  What is your proudest moment?

Hm... getting the very first internal prototype of PRO Online (back then still having a different name) to work, and playing my very first match of God Eater online with aznk41. Or maybe getting our very first build of PRO CFW booting successfully... I really don't know which of those two count as my proudest moment.

16.  Whats the scariest thing that ever happened to you?

I had just finished watching some horror movies and I was terrified, as they made me a bit jumpy. My cat then crawled under my bed without me knowing and as I walked by pawed at me from beneath it. I tell you my pulse was skyrocketing.

17.  Xbox360 or PS3 what do you prefer?

Tough choice, I already had both and I liked both. The reason my 360 had to go was because I needed money badly and I'm a poor fella. For now I will just say PS3.

18.  Whats your favorite TV show?

IT-Crowd. Moss is my hero.

19.  What kind of music do you like to listen to, and whats your favorite band?

Electronic, Rock, Folk & Classic, I also listen to relaxation tapes once in a while as I love the sound of raindrops. My favorite band would be Schandmaul.

20.  Lets finish this off with an Easter theme.  What kind of chocolate rabbit do you like most?

I love Java Bitter Chocolate for some reason. So I guess a Easter Rabbit made of that would be awesome.

For more on what Coldbird and the PRO Team guys are up to check out his blog and the PRO Teams site and as always stay tuned to DashHacks.com.  Once again we want to give a big shout out and thank you to Coldbird for taking the time to give us some insights into his work.  Keep up the great work Coldbird and we are certainly looking for more great things from you and the rest of the talented devs that keep the scene moving forward.

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