MESS
Encyclopedia
Multi Emulator Super System (MESS) is an emulator
for many game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME
core.
The primary purpose of MESS is to preserve decades of computer
and console
history. As technology continues to progress, MESS prevents these vintage systems from being lost and forgotten.
MESS emulates portable
and console gaming systems, computer platforms, and calculators. The project strives for accuracy and portability and therefore is not always the fastest emulator for any one particular system. However, its accuracy makes it useful for homebrew
game development, for example on the Atari 7800
.
MESS supports 679 unique systems with 1663 total system variations and is constantly growing. However, not all of the systems in MESS are functional; some are marked as non-working or are in development. MESS was first released in 1998 and has been under constant development since.
s and source code
, either modified or unmodified, but disallows selling MESS or using it commercially. The license is similar to other copyleft
licenses in requiring that rights and obligations provided in the license must be remain intact when MESS or derivative works are distributed.
In addition to the MESS Licence, The MESS Team requires that: "MESS must be distributed only in the original archives. You are not allowed to distribute a modified version, nor to remove and/or add files to the archive. Adding one text file to advertise your web site is tolerated only if your site contributes original material to the emulation scene." The MAME license requires source code be included with versions of MESS that are modified from the original source, while the MESS legal page states that when distributing binary files "you should also distribute the source code. If you can't do that, you must provide a pointer to a place where the source can be obtained."
While MESS is available at no cost in both binary and source code forms, the restrictions on commercial exploitation cause it to fall outside of the Free Software Foundation's
definition of "free software
". Similarly MESS is not considered to be open source software if appraised according to the criteria of the Open Source Definition
.
, and specialized DSP
s such as tone generators or video sprites
. The MESS emulator does not include any programming code stored in ROM chips from the emulated computer, since this may be copyrighted software.
Obtaining the ROM data by oneself directly from the hardware being emulated can be extremely difficult, technical, and expensive, since it may require desoldering
of integrated circuit
chips from the circuit board of the device they own. The desoldered IC is placed into an expensive chip reader device connected to the serial port
of another computer, with pin sockets on the reader specifically designed to match the chip package shape in question, to perform a memory dump of the ROM to a data file.
Removal of a soldered chip is often far easier than reinstalling it, especially for extremely small surface mount technology chips, and the emulated device in question may be effectively destroyed beyond recovery after the ROM has been removed for reading.
However, if one has a working system, it is far easier to dump the ROM data to tape, disk, etc. and transfer the data file to one's target machine.
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
for many game consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME
MAME
MAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...
core.
The primary purpose of MESS is to preserve decades of computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
and console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
history. As technology continues to progress, MESS prevents these vintage systems from being lost and forgotten.
MESS emulates portable
Portable computer
A portable computer is a computer that is designed to be moved from one place to another and includes a display and keyboard. Portable computers, by their nature, are generally microcomputers. Portable computers, because of their size, are also commonly known as 'Lunchbox' or 'Luggable' computers...
and console gaming systems, computer platforms, and calculators. The project strives for accuracy and portability and therefore is not always the fastest emulator for any one particular system. However, its accuracy makes it useful for homebrew
Homebrew (video games)
Homebrew is a term frequently applied to video games or other software produced by consumers to target proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary storage methods...
game development, for example on the Atari 7800
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
.
MESS supports 679 unique systems with 1663 total system variations and is constantly growing. However, not all of the systems in MESS are functional; some are marked as non-working or are in development. MESS was first released in 1998 and has been under constant development since.
License
MESS is distributed under the MAME Licence, which allows for the redistribution of binary fileBinary file
A binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text...
s and source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
, either modified or unmodified, but disallows selling MESS or using it commercially. The license is similar to other copyleft
Copyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
licenses in requiring that rights and obligations provided in the license must be remain intact when MESS or derivative works are distributed.
In addition to the MESS Licence, The MESS Team requires that: "MESS must be distributed only in the original archives. You are not allowed to distribute a modified version, nor to remove and/or add files to the archive. Adding one text file to advertise your web site is tolerated only if your site contributes original material to the emulation scene." The MAME license requires source code be included with versions of MESS that are modified from the original source, while the MESS legal page states that when distributing binary files "you should also distribute the source code. If you can't do that, you must provide a pointer to a place where the source can be obtained."
While MESS is available at no cost in both binary and source code forms, the restrictions on commercial exploitation cause it to fall outside of the Free Software Foundation's
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
definition of "free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
". Similarly MESS is not considered to be open source software if appraised according to the criteria of the Open Source Definition
Open Source Definition
The Open Source Definition is a document published by the Open Source Initiative, to determine whether or not a software license can be labeled with the open-source certification mark....
.
Challenges
Generally the emulation only includes raw hardware logic, such as for the CPU and RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, and specialized DSP
Digital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
s such as tone generators or video sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
. The MESS emulator does not include any programming code stored in ROM chips from the emulated computer, since this may be copyrighted software.
Obtaining the ROM data by oneself directly from the hardware being emulated can be extremely difficult, technical, and expensive, since it may require desoldering
Desoldering
In electronics, desoldering is the removal of solder and components from a circuit for troubleshooting, for repair purposes, component replacement, and to salvage components...
of integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
chips from the circuit board of the device they own. The desoldered IC is placed into an expensive chip reader device connected to the serial port
Serial port
In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time...
of another computer, with pin sockets on the reader specifically designed to match the chip package shape in question, to perform a memory dump of the ROM to a data file.
Removal of a soldered chip is often far easier than reinstalling it, especially for extremely small surface mount technology chips, and the emulated device in question may be effectively destroyed beyond recovery after the ROM has been removed for reading.
However, if one has a working system, it is far easier to dump the ROM data to tape, disk, etc. and transfer the data file to one's target machine.
See also
- HazeMD, Side-project which emulates only the Sega Mega DriveSega Mega DriveThe Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
using the MAME code. - MAMEMAMEMAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. The intention is to preserve gaming history by preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten...