>Hi and good morning everybody, >my name is Alex, coming from Germany and just found my old QL in the >cellar... after blowing the dust off the keys I recognized it again. >How cool it looks... still one of the most beautiful devices I've >even seen.
Hi Alex - and Welcome to the QL mailing list. Agreed. I remember seeing one for the first time circa 1986, and recall thinking it looking like it fell off the back of a low flying millennium falcon :-) Coming from a humble ZX Spectrum, it was a different world. It was only when I got a PC several years later I realised how bad that keyboard was... :-)) Jochen Merz of JMS Software is in Germany - see his website on : http://smsq.j-m-s.com/main.htm >When I bought it in 1989, I was fascinated by this machine, but in >this pre-internet-time I was not able to make some contacts to get >some news or software. Indeed - one good thing about this list is it has helped a lot of people blow the dust off their QL. >So now, I fell somehow "retro" and want to make a new start. I >already looked through the net and found a lot of unsorted infos, >most of it too complicated for me to understand. I'm not interested >in excessive hardware expansion. I just want to learn to code this >machine, because I think there's a lot of things possible with the >standard capabilities... >And of course, I want the feeling. So here come my questions: >- Is there a way to get software from the net onto microdrive >cartridges, e.g. with a cable or something? Probably, but in this day and age though the way to go is to pick up a cheap disk interface for a few euro - a trump card would be ideal and are often given away free at shows on even on this list from time to time... This allows up to 4 disk drives to be attached, but only supports DD disks. It also gives you an extra 768K of memory. A gold card, the next step up, gives you HD floppy support, a 68000 processor giving a huge speed increase, and 2Mb of additional RAM. Both also come with toolkit 2 (a piece of software giving you very useful additional commands) These are available for peanuts nowadays, and almost an essential purchase. All you do then is download the file to disk, use QLtools or get SMSQ/E to read PC disks on the QL, unzip on the QL, and away you go. - Where can I find good FTP Servers with QL Software? (Most links that I found seem dead) Dilwyn Jones website is the best source of sortware I find. A huge collection of QL software, and he also has a links page to all the other major sites of QL interest with more software, and its written in Dilwyn's easy to understand way of doing things, so a beginner can easily get the info he needs. The URL is : http://www.dilwyn.uk6.net/index.html - I found some QL-World Scans with some game reviews in it. I'm interested in collecting games for the (standard) QL, as most of them don't seem to be just conversions from other systems but QL-specific developments. Is there some source on the net for this or do I have to buy them all, the real old stuff too? Well, this is an issue that comes up time and time again. The status of most games is unknown (ie. Is it freeware, still commercial, charityware or whatever) as most authors have slipped into the unknown and cant be traced. Most of these games are now 2 decades old, and would yield the authors little are no financial gain now, but yet as the status is in the dark the legal implications (and good manners) prevent us from releasing them. Many can be picked up on the original microdrives cheaply, and some have been updated and are sold again (RWAP software do a range of games) while a lot are available free to download on the Dilwyn Jones' site I mentioned above. - Is anyone out there who would transfer software onto my own microdrive cartridges, if I sent them to him? I personally don't use a "real" QL anymore, so don't have access to microdrives. I as many people nowadays, use an emulator called QPC2 and use a PC instead. So, now I have some hardware questions: >- Does a normal atari-compatible joystick work with the QL? Yes, but you need to change the 9-pin D connector to the phone-plug style of the QL's Control ports if you have a UK QL. I cant recall, but didn't the german QL come with 9-pin D style connectors? A wiring diagram is available from Dilwyns website, and you can also get pre-wired adaptors to do the job for you if you have UK QL - I have one somewhere if you would like it....? >- Is there a kind of SCART-cable available? (The TV output is so >terrible...) Tony Firshman can do this for you. I have a QL to SCART cable, and I'm sure Tony knows the wiring - He is on this list - Tony? >- How much effort is neccessary to connect a cd-rom-drive to the QL? >(Because I think it's the easiest way to get new software) You'll need a disk drive interface like I mentioned above, probably a Gold card or Super Gold Card for extra RAM at least. An ATAPI CD-ROM drive can be connected via a QubIDE interface (a hard disk interface for the QL) and using software by Thierry Godfroy (ATAPICD) and Duncan Neithercutt (QCDEZE) it is possible to read CD's on a QL. >I'd be glad if someone could help me for a good start... >I'm curious and want to spend some fun time with this machine - don't >want to spend much money on hardware and stuff. Hopefully you would have to - is there some generous sort out there with a disk interface and the like they'd want to give to a good home?? >Thank you very much >Alex And to you. I hope you stay with us and contribute now and again. And any questions, just ask. You'll find us all a friendly bunch willing to help were we can. Darren. _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
