KINOX INTERVIEW #16 WITH SEAN DOIDGE BY MGANDHI

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Disclaimer
This interview is part of Kinox - The Emu Scene Dump, one of the best and reliable source for news about the Emu Scene. If you have stumbled here through a direct link (from another site), we advise you to access our main URL (http://www.kinox.org/), so there you can use our menu to access all interviews and the site.

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I. About the Interview
MGandhi has interviewed Sean Doidge (or Barbarian Wookie as he is called in IRC). He works for SEGA in the IRC division, which keeps an IRC network available for the DC'ers. I consider this interview as the best interview done by me. I want to thanks Sean, and all people from SEGA IRC Network, they were nice.
II. Thanks
I want to thanks (again) Sean Doidge, because I sent this interview with 18 questions and he answered them without any doubts.


1. Firstly, who is Wookie? :)
Sean Doidge

2. You're admin of SEGA IRC Network.  Do you work for SEGA? If yes, since?
I'm a Sega Employee since 1994.

3. Where is located this division which keep Sega's IRC network working?
We have a system admin, a techie guy, and a wookie guy. Between the 3 of us, we keep IRC alive.

4. Some years ago, SEGA employees received a TeraDrive, a PC with a Genesis built-in.   Is SEGA continuing with these gifts for their employees?
Sounds like a myth to me :P We all have Dreamcasts at least :)

5. When we talked in IRC, you were working in something, can you tell us what you were doing?
I handle QA of Dreamcast discs at Sega. Making copies mostly, but also mastering the finished product for the factories.

6. SEGA IRC Network is interesting, I liked the IRCd and the #trivia channel.  But why #PSX channel can't be used?
Some channels get banned when topic rules are not followed. We keep certain areas of the IRC server kid friendly, topics being one of them. I'm sure that channel got banned for abusive topics and that the ban on the channel has probably timed out by now.  Several other PSX or Nintendo channels were in existence, and no one complained so we were unaware.

7. I bought an Asian DC, but sold it.   SEGA IRC Network can be accessed by DC? How?
pwchat://irc.sega.com and by links on the dreamcast.com site.

8. Do you think that IRC Network was a good idea?
It has it' good side, and it's bad side. Overall, the users love it, it opens up a new world of communication for them. There is plenty of freedom on non-moderated channels, and other IRC networks, but people tend to view it as a "free speech" area, , and DEMAND their right to speak as they please. If they just observed the boundries for where you can cuss and where you can't, things would be alot smoother :)

9. What is the purpose of this IRC Network? The target has already been reached?
To provide a place for Netlinkers and then DC'ers to chat at, regardless of the status of IRC networks such as DALnet and EFnet and IRCNet. A place for new chatters to get started and meet other game players and Dreamcast owners. A temporary home until plans for a Dreamcast game network could be finished (much more ideal than IRC)

10. If I own a DC with modem, but live in a location where AT&T doesn't serve, Can I access Internet over a DC through another ISP? If no, why?
You can access the internet through almost any ISP account the same as a PC. You just need your settings from your ISP to enter in the options of your Browser on the DC.

11. When I joined the network, the server changed my mode to +x. What is this mode?
Mode +x hides your IP automatically so others cannot look up your DNS or IP and be able to "nuke" you (disconnect or freeze you). This stopped alot of the problems we had from IMMATURE users who have nothing better to do than be lame :)

12. The SEGA IRC Network staff (IRCops) are SEGA employees?
None of the operators on irc.sega.com are sega employees (with a few exceptions). Most of these people donate their time to help keep the place a civilized and fun place to chat. Without them, there would be no IRC server to hang out on. See www.seganet.net for more info, staff, rules, etc

13. To use the IRC network and other Internet stuff on a DC, what are the accessories that I need and their average price?
Dreamcasts come with a 56k modem in the US for $199. These means more developers are likely to make internet or modem play games for the Dreamcast. All you need is an internet account from your local ISP, and you are on the internet :). AT&T has an automatic sign up process if you do not already have an ISP.

14. Genesis already had a similar project as DC in connectivity field, with some interesting features as send e-mails. Is the DC already has some  built-in softwares to connect in the network, select the player and start the multiplayer game?
Network details are not revealed, but just about anything is possible at this point. Email is already a reality, and the new features of the 2.0 browser should make it very similar to PC browsers.

15. SEGA will provide free web space for their costumers?
I am unaware of this at this time, as it would not be handled by my department.

16. Some days ago I was talking with guys from #dreamcast of Efnet, and they told me that each GD-ROM comes with Win CE on it, and DC reads audio CDs. So, is it possible to write my own programs for DC using Win CE Dev Kit?
If you had a Dreamcast Dev Kit (Katana) then I suppose you could do that :)

17. Have you already heard something about emulation? If yes, please talk for us what are your preferred emulators and why?
Emulation has always been a touchy subject, moreso for Japan than the US. We have pushed for Saturn emulators, but the sale of rights to make Saturns and Genesis for cheap may prohibit that. Again, you never know what the future may bring, though.

18. DC already beat the millionaire PSX selling mark, what do you foresse for DC?
Perhaps 2 Million by the time you read this, and definitely more than double that in the next year. The quality of the software will definitely have a lot to do with that, and we are focusing on all areas that will make the Dreamcast the best gaming experience for the consumer. Games are meant to me fun, right? :)