Interview
Handle: YIP of Pure-Byte
How did you come up with your alias ?
Its acronym for Y - I - P (wai ai pee). As I was an enthusiastic coder, I used to drink lots of beer, and had to interrupt my work often to take a leak. Very annoying. So, with my friends I often brought up the subject, trying to figure out how to drink more and pee less!
City / Country:
Helsinki, Finland
Born year:
1968
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
It was a programmable calculator, Sharp. I got it in 1978. I also did my first BASIC program with that bloody thing.
My first "real" home-computer was VIC-20 around the time it was released.
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
Pure-Byte has always been the only one for me. It was founded some time before I joined in, but I was the first member to code real "well planned" demos with self-composed music and self-drawn graphics.
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
No doubt about that. I coded a music-playing routine for C64, and it was the first one capable to playback 4 digital samples simultaneously. So I composed a heavy-metal piece, and it was published in a game called "Netherworld". The music scored 92% in ZZAP64!'s review of the game. I still have that copy of the mag somewhere...
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
Mostly my music, I think. I have also had lots of positive feedback for my demos "Fifth dream about happiness" and "Scrollmachine"
What would you like to be remembered for ?
I'd like to be remembered as one wild crazy sunnofabitch party-animal, who also coded and composed well, dispite of drinking so much alcohol.
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
I was in the scene a long long time, and during the time I realized that making demos, music and getting drunk all the time is not what life is for. So I started to code business-software. It was around 1992.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
I should have tried harder to get my music published.
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
Spelunker (C64), Turrican (Amiga)
DEMO(S)
I really can't remember, sorry.
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
Boys Without Brains (Mario Van Zeist, programmer)
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
Swedish Cracking Crew.
OVERALL GROUPS :
BWB, Boys Without Brains, we were true friends. I visited them one summer during my Inter-Rail.
COMPOSER(S)
1. Rob Hubbard (I have remixed lots of his songs with my MIDI equipment. Brilliant composer!)
2. Jeroen Tel (very productive and professional)
BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S)
Hubbard's Master of Magic
BEST GRAPHICS
Sorry, can't recall
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
No idea of the name, again... it was somewhere in Sweden around 1988
MEMORY(S)
Coding around the clock with other Pure-Byte fellows. I'd really like to to that again sometimes.
DRINK ?
Beer.
What are you doing nowadays ?
I work at my own company, coding for money.
What are you doing on your spare time?
Play billiards, go rollerblading in the summer and skiing in the winter. I still play guitar and compose music, maybe I will publish an album sometimes.
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
Here goes: ARTHUR VAN JOLE (BWB) : If you're reading this, please send me an E-MAIL!!! We had a nice thing going back in the old days, it would be nice to meet again!!! My address is YIP@AIT.FI
What is the meaning of life?
Every coder knows that it is 42.