Re: [Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain
On 28/01/13 21:33:39, paul wrote: But (Murphy's Law) after a bit of reflecting on what I saw inside this old QL has me questioning that memory. I Do recall reading that most PM version QL's had the 'dongle' to get the ROM code past the 32K memory range. A while ago Rich was selling one. http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/Extremely-RARE-Early-Dongle- Sinclair-QL-Home-Computer---BOXED-1367 The PM dongle was listed in the What else is included section EXTREMELY RARE QL PM EPROM Chip (8000h) - this is out of a very early KLUDGE - unfortunately, the other two EPROMs and/or the code stored on them have not been found. This is the PM version of QDOS - the earliest release version of QDOS we know of which escaped the doors of Sinclair Research was the later FB EPROM, which contained at least one oddity - the AT command was AT column,line (instead of AT line,column) which forced Psion to write a boot file for their programs which would swap between the two variants depending on your ROM version! It shows how rare the FB ROM was that no-one else had to bother! Regards John ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] SMSQmulator
On 20 January 2013 06:41, Wolfgang Lenerz w...@scp-paulet-lenerz.comwrote: Hi all, SMSQmulator, the SMSQ/E machine emulator under Java is now out. You can find it at : www.wlenerz.com/SMSQmulator. (Please note that, the site running under linux, this address is case dependent - g!). Have fun with it. Wolfgang I'm a bit late to join the party but I downloaded SMSQmulator (what a name?!, see below) on day one of its public release and gave it an immediate try on our family notebook (vintage 2006 DELL Inspiron 1300 with single core Intel Celeron M 1500Mhz CPU running under Windows 7 32-bit and Java 6). It ran first hand and the only troublesome points I've found are 1) that sometimes not all key presses come through (dir win1_ can become dr wi1_) and 2) that it eats 100% CPU on a single core even if there's only SBASIC running and waiting for a key press (I call this idle, see below). None the less I must say: CONGRATULATION FOR YOUR GREAT WORK, WOLFGANG! This will bring the QL forward! The other day I gave it a try on my son's notebook (2011 Samsung with Intel multi core i7-2670QM CPU running under Windows 7 64-bit and Java 6). Windows Taskmanager shows that it generates about 13% CPU load with somehow balancing the load between the 4 cores. I must say that I've banned Java from my own PCs for ages but thanks to SMSQmulator I've installed Java 6 on my workhorse (a 2007 Lenovo X61s with dual core Intel Core2Duo L7500 1600Mhz CPU running under Windows Vista Business 32-bit). What followed was evening after evening playing with SMSQmulator and various QXL.WIN files on those 3 PC's. In a nutshell: All worked as it should work. And, the execution speed is good enough for QL related work. But I would not really use it on vintage PCs (single cores) like our family notebook. But if you have anything mainstream bought in the last 4 to 5 years, go for it. What really should be improved by Wolfgang is that the CPU load of the host system (PC) should be throttled if SMSQE is idle (scheduler running and jobs waiting for input). Otherwise SMSQmulator is not healthy for many PCs (stressing the CPU and its cooling installations) and making it almost impossible to use it on the notebook's battery. Final words: To let SMSQmulator have an impact outside the core QL community (ql-users, QUANTA, QL Today, qlforum) I would change its name to something not sounding like an emulator of something unknown to most people. In fact SMSQmulator is not emulating SMSQ or the QL, it's emulating a MC68000 CPU based computer/machine with a QL compatible graphics card and running SMSQ/E on that virtual machine (in a virtual machine called Java). I had a brainstorm and this came up: Qoffee (Java is also a coffee bean, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(disambiguation)), Qup (a cup of QL coffee), Qmachine (for quick machine, a ready to go environment for quick developments/tinkering), Qanywhere, Qware or the same four with SMSQ (SMSQup, SMSQmachine, SMSQanywhere, SMSQware). Or what about just Q (related to Q of the James Bond movies), Que or Q4U? Anyone? Cheers, Urs - http://www.youtube.com/QLvsJaguar Sinclair, QL, ATARI, JAGUAR, NUON, APPLE more... ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain
John wrote, on 29/Jan/13 10:05 | Jan29: On 28/01/13 21:33:39, paul wrote: But (Murphy's Law) after a bit of reflecting on what I saw inside this old QL has me questioning that memory. I Do recall reading that most PM version QL's had the 'dongle' to get the ROM code past the 32K memory range. A while ago Rich was selling one. http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/Extremely-RARE-Early-Dongle- Sinclair-QL-Home-Computer---BOXED-1367 The PM dongle was listed in the What else is included section EXTREMELY RARE QL PM EPROM Chip (8000h) - this is out of a very early KLUDGE - unfortunately, the other two EPROMs and/or the code stored on them have not been found. This is the PM version of QDOS - the earliest release version of QDOS we know of which escaped the doors of Sinclair Research was the later FB EPROM, which contained at least one oddity - the AT command was AT column,line (instead of AT line,column) which forced Psion to write a boot file for their programs which would swap between the two variants depending on your ROM version! It shows how rare the FB ROM was that no-one else had to bother! Ah yes. I remember that boot program! My FB with dongle arrived in June 84. Ironically it was lost in the (insured) post when I sent it back to them for dongle removal. Rich - clearly now you could get the '' code. I wonder whether the PM dongle code exists now. There cannot have been many. Tony -- t...@firshman.co.uk http://firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] 64 Raspberry Pi Super computer cluster
Hi All, Knowing how we all love the Raspberry Pi around here, I thought you'd be interested this this article (and instructions) on how to Cluster up to 64 Raspberry Pi's together. In keeping with the retro theme, check out the pictures at the bottom, I love the 'racks' they've used :) Neil *** The contents of this email are confidential to the intended recipient. It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please contact the company on 01234-265380, then delete it from your system. Please note neither the company nor the sender accepts any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any) for viruses. No contract may be concluded on behalf of the company by means of email communications. BC Services (UK) Limited (trading as Boxclever), Technology House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9QQ. Registered No. 5290544 England www.boxclever.co.uk *** ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] 64 Raspberry Pi Super computer cluster
Oops, here's the Link http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~sjc/raspberrypi/pi_supercomputer_southampton.htm -Original Message- From: ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] On Behalf Of Neil Riley Sent: 29 January 2013 11:41 To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Subject: [Ql-Users] 64 Raspberry Pi Super computer cluster Hi All, Knowing how we all love the Raspberry Pi around here, I thought you'd be interested this this article (and instructions) on how to Cluster up to 64 Raspberry Pi's together. In keeping with the retro theme, check out the pictures at the bottom, I love the 'racks' they've used :) Neil *** The contents of this email are confidential to the intended recipient. It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please contact the company on 01234-265380, then delete it from your system. Please note neither the company nor the sender accepts any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any) for viruses. No contract may be concluded on behalf of the company by means of email communications. BC Services (UK) Limited (trading as Boxclever), Technology House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9QQ. Registered No. 5290544 England www.boxclever.co.uk *** ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm *** The contents of this email are confidential to the intended recipient. It may not be disclosed to or used by anyone other than the addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please contact the company on 01234-265380, then delete it from your system. Please note neither the company nor the sender accepts any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any) for viruses. No contract may be concluded on behalf of the company by means of email communications. BC Services (UK) Limited (trading as Boxclever), Technology House, Ampthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9QQ. Registered No. 5290544 England www.boxclever.co.uk *** ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain
On 29/01/2013 10:49, Tony Firshman wrote: John wrote, on 29/Jan/13 10:05 | Jan29: On 28/01/13 21:33:39, paul wrote: But (Murphy's Law) after a bit of reflecting on what I saw inside this old QL has me questioning that memory. I Do recall reading that most PM version QL's had the 'dongle' to get the ROM code past the 32K memory range. A while ago Rich was selling one. http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/Extremely-RARE-Early-Dongle- Sinclair-QL-Home-Computer---BOXED-1367 The PM dongle was listed in the What else is included section EXTREMELY RARE QL PM EPROM Chip (8000h) - this is out of a very early KLUDGE - unfortunately, the other two EPROMs and/or the code stored on them have not been found. This is the PM version of QDOS - the earliest release version of QDOS we know of which escaped the doors of Sinclair Research was the later FB EPROM, which contained at least one oddity - the AT command was AT column,line (instead of AT line,column) which forced Psion to write a boot file for their programs which would swap between the two variants depending on your ROM version! It shows how rare the FB ROM was that no-one else had to bother! Ah yes. I remember that boot program! My FB with dongle arrived in June 84. Ironically it was lost in the (insured) post when I sent it back to them for dongle removal. Rich - clearly now you could get the '' code. I wonder whether the PM dongle code exists now. There cannot have been many. Tony Wasn't the point that Paul Holmgren was putting back together his PM ROM QL - Paul - maybe you could read the code from your EPROMs and store it online (or forward it to me please). Rich -- Rich Mellor RWAP Services Specialist Enuuk Auction Programming Services www.rwapservices.co.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain
John wrote: EXTREMELY RARE QL PM EPROM Chip (8000h) - this is out of a very early KLUDGE - unfortunately, the other two EPROMs and/or the code stored on them have not been found. This is the PM version of QDOS - the earliest release version of QDOS we know of which escaped the doors of Sinclair Research was the later FB EPROM, which contained at least one oddity - the AT command was AT column,line (instead of AT line,column) which forced Psion to write a boot file for their programs which would swap between the two variants depending on your ROM version! It shows how rare the FB ROM was that no-one else had to bother! From my records PM (QDOS v1.00) came after FB (QDOS v1.01). snip v1.00 'FB' : Came out in April 1984. This version of the firmware had lots of errors. v1.01 'PM' : Faster than FB, more tolerant of the Microdrives, but it still had lots of errors. Both FB and PM firmware were packed with bugs and needed a 'kludge board' to carry extra chips outside the computer. snip Urs ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain
On 1/29/2013 6:41 AM, ql-users-requ...@lists.q-v-d.com wrote: Message: 4 Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:12:03 -0600 From: Dave Park plasticu...@gmail.com To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] help shake cobwebby loose in Yee Old Brain Message-ID: CAD15Wt3n_VmjqgwG3Y9hnRfP=eu-dwyghywg+sxahfss311...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 No answers, but that does sound very prototypey... Does it boot at all? Is it an Iss. 5 PCB? -- No Version 5, it is a version 4 board ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] SMSQmulator
Hi, coffee), Qmachine (for quick machine, a ready to go environment for quick developments/tinkering), Qanywhere, Qware or the same four with SMSQ (SMSQup, SMSQmachine, SMSQanywhere, SMSQware). Or what about just Q (related to Q of the James Bond movies), Que or Q4U? Anyone? Cheers, Urs Is that supposed to be a ... quip ? (groan) Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] SMSQmulator
Hi, I must say that I've banned Java from my own PCs for ages but thanks to SMSQmulator I've installed Java 6 on my workhorse (a 2007 Lenovo X61s with dual core Intel Core2Duo L7500 1600Mhz CPU running under Windows Vista Business 32-bit). Any reason you didn't install java 7? Just curious What really should be improved by Wolfgang is that the CPU load of the host system (PC) should be throttled if SMSQE is idle (scheduler running and jobs waiting for input). Try increasing the cursor blink parameter in the options menu. However, if you increase it too much you'll get dropped chars from the keyboard (as you may have noted). Final words: To let SMSQmulator have an impact outside the core QL community (ql-users, QUANTA, QL Today, qlforum) I would change its name to something not sounding like an emulator of something unknown to most people. In fact SMSQmulator is not emulating SMSQ or the QL, no, it's an emulator running SMSQE - hence SMSQmulator. You could always say that SMSQmulator is an accumulator for all that's good in the computing world. I had a brainstorm and this came up: Qoffee (Java is also a coffee bean, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(disambiguation)), Qup (a cup of QL coffee), Qmachine (for quick machine, a ready to go environment for quick developments/tinkering), Qanywhere, Qware or the same four with SMSQ (SMSQup, SMSQmachine, SMSQanywhere, SMSQware). Or what about just Q (related to Q of the James Bond movies), Que or Q4U? Anyone? I don't know what to make of this. Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
