[Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674 Cheers, Norman. -- Norman Dunbar Dunbar IT Consultants Ltd Registered address: Thorpe House 61 Richardshaw Lane Pudsey West Yorkshire United Kingdom LS28 7EL Company Number: 05132767 ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
- Original Message - From: Norman Dunbar nor...@dunbar-it.co.uk To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 9:29 AM Subject: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674 Cheers, Norman. Ah, memories! My first ever computer. I bought it partly to pass the time while I was ill back in 1981, and partly to learn a bit about computers. Little did I know what it'd lead to! I'd actually ordered a ZX80, but as the ZX81 was in the process of launching, Sinclair kindly offered to change to order to a ZX81. Dilwyn Jones ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
--- On Fri, 11/3/11, Dilwyn Jones dil...@evans1511.fsnet.co.uk wrote: From: Dilwyn Jones dil...@evans1511.fsnet.co.uk Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ... To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Date: Friday, 11 March, 2011, 10:09 - Original Message - From: Norman Dunbar nor...@dunbar-it.co.uk To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 9:29 AM Subject: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674 Cheers, Norman. Ah, memories! My first ever computer. I bought it partly to pass the time while I was ill back in 1981, and partly to learn a bit about computers. Little did I know what it'd lead to! I'd actually ordered a ZX80, but as the ZX81 was in the process of launching, Sinclair kindly offered to change to order to a ZX81. Dilwyn Jones ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm Just give me a ZX81 and I'll control the world I always remember that house tip from Trashman :D Peter. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
On 11/03/2011 11:06, peet vanpeebles wrote: --- On Fri, 11/3/11, Dilwyn Jonesdil...@evans1511.fsnet.co.uk wrote: From: Dilwyn Jonesdil...@evans1511.fsnet.co.uk Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ... To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Date: Friday, 11 March, 2011, 10:09 - Original Message - From: Norman Dunbarnor...@dunbar-it.co.uk To:ql-us...@q-v-d.com Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 9:29 AM Subject: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674 Cheers, Norman. Ah, memories! My first ever computer. I bought it partly to pass the time while I was ill back in 1981, and partly to learn a bit about computers. Little did I know what it'd lead to! I'd actually ordered a ZX80, but as the ZX81 was in the process of launching, Sinclair kindly offered to change to order to a ZX81. Dilwyn Jones ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm Just give me a ZX81 and I'll control the world I always remember that house tip from Trashman :D Peter. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm Just spotted a blast from the past making a comment on that news article - no less than Leon Heller !! -- Rich Mellor RWAP Services http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk http://www.rwapservices.co.uk -- Try out our new site: http://sellmyretro.com ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
Op Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:29:23 +0100 schreef Norman Dunbar nor...@dunbar-it.co.uk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12703674 Memories. In the early '80 my employer wanted to sack me on the grounds that they didn't have work for me. I then used a program Formcalc typed in on my ZX81 from Practical Computing, to put all my daily time sheets in a spreadsheet to prove them wrong. The company didn't have a computer and probably never heard of spreadsheets. I wasn't fired. But I cannot claim that the ZX81 saved my job. By the time the court ruled in my favour, the company had new owners and new management. Bob -- The BSJR QL software site at: http://members.chello.nl/b.spelten/ql/ ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Memories are made of this ...
The 30th anniversary of the launch of the ZX81, along with the BBC 4 programme Electric Dreams has had me pondering... which prompted me to write a blog item. http://www.lingula.org.uk/wordpress/2011/03/06/fun-basic_required/ Comments and discussion either to the list or to the blog are welcome. So, what are your thoughts? Steve ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] QL replacements - state of play...
Hi all, So here's the state of play in designing new QL replacements... Peter Graf is bogged down with some issues on his board. It has a decent spec but it doesn't currently work in a meaningful sense. He has various obstacles (working alone) that mean his design will be delayed or not released. So, for that reason, I'm looking at the resources we have available, the skills people on the list have, and seeing if we can have a serious, focused, yet public discussion about an alternate project. I have no desire to compete with Peter Graf. However, it is always prudent to have a back-up plan that doesn't rely on someone who has been working on his project for several years with no new product to show... I shall outline basic choices which will go far to define the machine's spec, capabilities and expandability: CPU: The choice here is between three things: A genuine 680X0: + compatibility, already designed - availability and price An emulated 680X0 in FPGA form: + highly configurable, offers single chip solution, 68k VHDL sources in public domain, very low cost - heavier design load, harder to debug. Software emulation: + Already here/done, highly reconfigurable, no hardware skills needed - Intel hardware too big for just a QL - needs to do other things too - expensive. Specification: What clock speed is needed to be useful? 25 MHz? 40 MHz? What screen resolution? It's generally agreed that basic mode 4/8 is insufficient so GD2 support seems to be a basic requirement. VGA seems to be a minimum and DVI seems desirable. What storage? We only need a gig or two - it seems SDHC is a future-proof, low cost, low power, low design-cost standard many could get behind. I had a fork in the road moment when discussing emulation on ARM embedded boards vs. emulating the 68k in an FPGA. Right now, honestly, the FPGA wins and will continue to do so for a few more years (unless the perfect ARM board can be bought off the shelf)... I'd like to support Peter in his efforts, but make sure that there's an alternative in place should he trip... Besides people I am already aware of, this seems to be something constrained by our skills... There's a complete functioning 68000 FPGA core open-licensed here: http://opencores.org/project,ao68000 which is used for Amigas and Ataris so seems eminently suitable... Knowing someone who can do further FPGA design to add the video/etc we need is a crunch point. (This is basically what Peter's doing, except I understand he designed his 68000 from scratch and that's where he's stuck) There seem to be a lot of people willing to work to get SMSQ/E running on anything if it's compatible enough - this is great and it would be smart to include SMSQ/E on any platform because it's the de facto standard. Minerva is in second place, and original QDOS isn't really in the running... If someone can make an FPGA happen, I can make PCBs happen, then someone can make the OS happen, then we have a computer. Of course, you could always decide that QPCII or Q-emuLator would replace that - they will always be faster :) However, this small project may have wider applications too, and it would be nice to see something happen. Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
Well it wasn't as bad as I had feared, but not as simple as I had hoped. And I'm certainly not going to mention the still unsolved mystery of the mm.alchp vectored call that reported success but actually zeroed out an entirely different area of the common heap, thus trashing the in-memory copy of the map! :( The driver is now running on a bog standard QL, albeit somewhat painfully. The crappy QL serial port is unfit for use above 4800 baud because it insists upon two stop bits @ 9600 and the USBWiz only sends one. Even if it did send two I doubt if it would work reliably. Really, superHermes is going to be a must . unless you like accessing a USB hard drive at the speed of a 1980s dial-up connection, that is! Public beta 1, code name Logopolis, is on course to be released on Monday. You will need a USBWiz, RS232 to TTL converter and some kind of regulated 5V supply for the electronics if you want to try it. I will send download links to those who have already volunteered. This has been a long and painful project, fighting every step of the way against cross-platform inconsistencies and serial hardware that was barely fit for purpose in 1984, let alone 2011. I really don't exaggerate when I say that I wish I'd never started it in the first place! For example: Under Minerva with the standard serial hardware you are forced to run the installable Queue Manager add-in, because it can't handle zero timeout serial I/O calls in supervisor mode. This probably happens with JS JM, too . although I have only tested JM with an Aurora/SGC superHermes. otoh SMSQ doesn't need the Queue Manager at all, but it can use it as a performance enhancement! SMSQ lets code called from the scheduler do mt.cjob traps, JM crashes if you try and do that. And so on . The higher up the hardware/software tree you go, the better things get. Best configuration is SMSQ on modern hardware with decent high speed serial ports. Ser-USB runs happily under the current versions of QPC2 and Q-emuLator . although, perversely, you will need a USB to serial adapter if your PC doesn't have a built-in serial port! Status: The current version supports SD cards and USB storage devices formatted as native QDOS. Multiple partitions are supported (but as yet there is no partition editor written). There are also hooks for supporting multiple LUNs on USB storage devices but at present no mechanism to mount them. Ser-USB *should* be able to mount any QLW1 format hard drive connected to a USB to IDE adapter, but I haven't had the opportunity to test this. Because all I/O is routed across a single serial connection, the driver is single tasking, non re-entrant, but this hardly affects performance as the biggest hit comes from the serial connection speed. The code is ROM-able, but it's currently too big to fit in a 16K EPROM. Also, it shouldn't be too hard to whip out the USBWiz Operations Layer from the driver and slap in an alternative hardware layer for something other than a Ser-USB at some future date. But that's another story. btw If anyone out there (like, for example, Dave Park) would like to build an SPI interface for the QL that would significantly increase performance! Adrian ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 6:42 PM, Adrian Ives adr...@acanthis.co.uk wrote: btw If anyone out there (like, for example, Dave Park) would like to build an SPI interface for the QL that would significantly increase performance! I can do the hardware if someone else can do the driver. :) Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
Yes please. I'll do the driver. :) How about a board that plugs into the ROM port and has the necessary logic to implement the four wire SPI interface for a single slave device (namely the USBWiz). The board would also have a header socket to mount the USBWiz module on. Job done. -Original Message- From: ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] On Behalf Of Dave Park Sent: 12 March 2011 01:26 To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 6:42 PM, Adrian Ives adr...@acanthis.co.uk wrote: btw If anyone out there (like, for example, Dave Park) would like to build an SPI interface for the QL that would significantly increase performance! I can do the hardware if someone else can do the driver. :) Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
With a USB/multi-card reader, it should be possible to create a QDOS file system on a Compact Flash card. I've scrounged about 13 512MB CF cards that are no longer needed at work. I can send them to someone in the UK if someone can use them. I also have two unopened boxes of TDK ED disks (10 per box) that I bought in 1995 when a local store in Dayton was selling them cheap. I no longer have a need for them. They too are free to who ever can use them. Tim Swenson ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 7:32 PM, Adrian Ives adr...@acanthis.co.uk wrote: Yes please. I'll do the driver. :) How about a board that plugs into the ROM port and has the necessary logic to implement the four wire SPI interface for a single slave device (namely the USBWiz). The board would also have a header socket to mount the USBWiz module on. Job done. When you say ROM port I brace myself. Knowing the trickery involved in getting the RomDisq to work and the addressing gymnastics required... The hardware and driver need to be developed hand-in-hand. I'd rather work on a standard expansion card that could take submitted multiple interfaces from many people and implement them in a single board. I was thinking of it having some flash for ROM images, two daisy-chained SPI ports, two proper serial ports from a MAX232, 16 buffered/registered GPIO lines, an SDHC port/socket - things like that. Also, it could have a large flash bank on it, access through a mild hackery of the RomDisq driver, etc... People could buy the basic PCB, then simply add those interfaces they need... This is a project I plan to begin when I have a suitable venue for a hardware forum. (If one isn't available soon, I may install phpBB and start one myself)... I look at things like this and suddenly feel very naive... Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva
Dave, That's all very nice and would be an absolutely fantastic piece of hardware but it's very complex and likely to be expensive. I would have thought that a better use of the development cost and time would be an FPGA-based QL clone running at 80MHZ with 1GB RAM and onboard USB3, SATA and HDMI. SPI otoh is a very simple protocol and the only hardware needed are four I/O lines for Clock, In, Out and Slave Select. When I finally get some time I will look at the spare I/O provided on the superHermes to see if that could be used for this purpose. Adrian -Original Message- From: ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com [mailto:ql-users-boun...@lists.q-v-d.com] On Behalf Of Dave Park Sent: 12 March 2011 01:57 To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] Ser-USB on Minerva On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 7:32 PM, Adrian Ives adr...@acanthis.co.uk wrote: Yes please. I'll do the driver. :) How about a board that plugs into the ROM port and has the necessary logic to implement the four wire SPI interface for a single slave device (namely the USBWiz). The board would also have a header socket to mount the USBWiz module on. Job done. When you say ROM port I brace myself. Knowing the trickery involved in getting the RomDisq to work and the addressing gymnastics required... The hardware and driver need to be developed hand-in-hand. I'd rather work on a standard expansion card that could take submitted multiple interfaces from many people and implement them in a single board. I was thinking of it having some flash for ROM images, two daisy-chained SPI ports, two proper serial ports from a MAX232, 16 buffered/registered GPIO lines, an SDHC port/socket - things like that. Also, it could have a large flash bank on it, access through a mild hackery of the RomDisq driver, etc... People could buy the basic PCB, then simply add those interfaces they need... This is a project I plan to begin when I have a suitable venue for a hardware forum. (If one isn't available soon, I may install phpBB and start one myself)... I look at things like this and suddenly feel very naive... Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL replacements - state of play...
I am just wondering how big or small this project would be, not in terms of time and mountains to climb, but physically. I would like to see it fit inside something like a QL, Amiga, Atari or even laptop style case just for the hell of it. There is a difference between a system you can shove under your arm and take with you and or something that required a PC box to lug around in a forty foot trailer (slight exag). Either way it sounds exiting, are you now looking for some sort of consensus Dave? Lee - Back to the QL- - Original Message - From: Dave Park To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 10:38 PM Subject: [Ql-Users] QL replacements - state of play... If someone can make an FPGA happen, I can make PCBs happen, then someone can make the OS happen, then we have a computer. Of course, you could always decide that QPCII or Q-emuLator would replace that - they will always be faster :) However, this small project may have wider applications too, and it would be nice to see something happen. Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL replacements - state of play...
I was thinking standard Eurocard sized - 160x100mm - the same size as a normal expansion card. It could me as small as 75 x 75mm depending. Dave On Mar 12, 2011, at 1:28 AM, Lee Privett lee.priv...@gmail.com wrote: I am just wondering how big or small this project would be, not in terms of time and mountains to climb, but physically. I would like to see it fit inside something like a QL, Amiga, Atari or even laptop style case just for the hell of it. There is a difference between a system you can shove under your arm and take with you and or something that required a PC box to lug around in a forty foot trailer (slight exag). Either way it sounds exiting, are you now looking for some sort of consensus Dave? Lee - Back to the QL- - Original Message - From: Dave Park To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 10:38 PM Subject: [Ql-Users] QL replacements - state of play... If someone can make an FPGA happen, I can make PCBs happen, then someone can make the OS happen, then we have a computer. Of course, you could always decide that QPCII or Q-emuLator would replace that - they will always be faster :) However, this small project may have wider applications too, and it would be nice to see something happen. Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
