Are we in danger of restricting SMSQE to be assembled with Qmac restricting
ourselves to 68000 code, casting aside all those QLers who have invested in
a Super Gold Card, QXL, Q40 or Q60?
You are not going to be able to do some serious number crunching if you are
not going to use the floating point extensions.
You are not going to stop the QL crashing without using the memory
management unit of the 68030+ chips and instruction set.
Gwass is the only assembler which can cope with 68020+ and floating point
instructions.
Furthermore Gwass is maintained and can be extended and corrected as
required, whereas Qmac is not and you are going to have to put up with its
errors and restrictions.
George has offered to convert the macros. What better offer could you have?
If you are not going to use these features there does not seem much point in
upgrading SMSQE. Just treat the QL like a crystal radio. Something to
nostalgically recall the pioneering days of computing, or leave to the local
museum to be looked at by our grandchildren.
I agree that it is important to allow SMSQ/E to use the later enhancements offered by the 68020, 68040 and 68060 computers, for which, I admit, GWASS is essential. Thankyou George for offering to change the macros.
The problem is based upon the fact that QPC does not support anything after 68000 instruction set, therefore GWASS does not work on it. I do not know the percentages of developers working on the different QL implementations, but understand that a fair few of those who will work on SMSQ/E use QPC.
BTW Which chip set does QXL use?? I think even that is 68020 - am I correct Roy??
This remains a problem as both QPC and the Gold Card cannot support the 68020 instruction set and yet both allow SMSQ/E. Perhaps the safest is to rely on Qmac to assemble the core of SMSQ/E and use GWASS to compile specific modules which rely on the 68020+ instruction set.
I am not convinced.... How difficult would it be George, to allow GWASS to work on the 68000 chipset??
Rich Mellor
RWAP Software
7 Common Road, Kinsley, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 5JR
TEL: 01977 614299
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/rwapsoftware
