Re: [ql-users] Birthday QL 2004
Hi all, Yep, it's the 20 th birthday. Congrats all around. I really can't remember what I did on the fatal day. I do remember, though, typing on a cardboard keyboard that was an advertisment for the QL in a magazine (PCW?) in 1:1 size Anyway, there have ben several attempts to get a discussion going about what should be done to celebrate this. The response hasn't really been overwhelming, has it? So, what is this - a general disaffection for all things QL related? Is the writing on the wall? Are we going to give up after 20 years? Or is this some kind of general apathy? Anyway, I for one will very much welcome some kind of QL 2004 event. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to attend all if there are several events (e.g. one in Eindhoven and one in the UK - I'm not even sure I'd be able to attend the UK one (this neralt always means an overnight travel OKn, so one vote explicitkly in favour of Eindhoven here) What would be actually DONE during such an event? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Birthday QL 2004
On 17 Jan 2004 at 13:41, gwicks wrote: Indeed the response has been disappointing. As is usually the case. Just 4 replies to a possible Eindhoven event, and 3 of those were business replies on specific matters. The present Eindhoven situation is that we are now waiting for Sin-QL-Air to have a committee meeting to determine their program for this year. When we know the date of their first meeting Jochen and I will go to discuss QL2004 with them. Only then can we decide finally if it goes ahead. OK, so the matter seems out of our hand there. At the moment Jochen and I are thinking of a nostalgia show. The idea is to make this a reunion of current and ex-QLers so that we can meet old friends and show them how the QL has advanced in the last few years - QPC, Q60, colour drivers - we have enough to boast about and maybe we could persuade some to return. The advantage of this format is that a similarly themed show in the UK would not clash provided we can co-operate on dates. I remain sceptic about the return to the fold idea - but it certainly is worth a try. As I have said twice before all suggestions are welcome. A simple suggstion if we go the nostalgia route is to ask people to bring as much of their old stuff as possible, just to show the evolution. In the meantime as soon as I have definite information and, most importantly, a date I will keep people informed via this list, Super, thanks for all the work you put into this! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Birthday QL 2004
On 17 Jan 2004 at 20:24, Timothy Swenson wrote: Well, I'm flying 2,400 miles to attend the US QL Show. I think that shows that I'm still committed to the QL. It certainly is more than I'm doing! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Birthday QL 2004
On 18 Jan 2004 at 10:20, P Witte wrote: (...) How about a panel of Wise (Wo)Men to answer specific questions from the audience? That way we could have a number of short talks (eg 2 to 15 minutes each) on a varitey of special interest questions. Who could propose a topic to be talked about? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] small LCD screen
On 25 Jan 2004 at 17:36, Joachim Van der Auwera wrote: In the ideal case, we just need a simple remote screen (black and white will do, we need to be able to display one line of buttons, two lines of small text and one line of big text (or buttons and five lines of small text). If we can display more, that is better, but this is a minimum. We also need to have a remove keyboard. How about a Z88? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Serial cable
On 29 Jan 2004 at 11:28, Davide Santachiara wrote: After a small investigation I have found out that the cable that I would like to interface to QPC2 via PC i/o port is a serial one so things should be much easier than using a parallel port. The cable is meant to be connected to a serial port of a printer so I suspect that there are some wires that should be exchanged in order to connect it to a serial PC port. Any hint on that? Try replacing the cable with a null moden cable... Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Mydoom
Hi all, just as a warning, I got a message purporting to come from this list, with some form of binary attachment (a zip file). It most probably was some form of mydoom virus. Don't open it! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] BMP2SPRT
Hi all BMP2SPRT v. 1.12 can be got at the usual place... Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] GW
On 4 Feb 2004 at 23:28, Dilwyn Jones wrote: (...) [Geoff Wicks for Quanta chairman or editor if he retires from trading, now that Robin Barker is stepping down!!!] Seconded. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] QLiberator
On 10 Feb 2004 at 20:31, Timothy Swenson wrote: With all honesty, I find Qlib to be an easier compiler to use. Now, both have their problem compared to a real compiler like C68. Both require you to LOAD the program into SBASIC. This is, actually, not quite true. QLIB requires the program to exist in Qsaved i.e. tokenised form on a disk. It then loads compiles that. There are ways to get a program tokenised without the need for Basic: A program such as the Basic Linker (plug, plug) uses this and sometimes doesn't even load the program into Basic as it can use an external (supplied) parser which takes a Basic program as input file and outputs the tokenised program. (actually, if the Basic Linker runs on an smsq/e machine, it does load the program into an sbasic and then forces that to QSAVE the program, it only uses the external parser if there is no Sbasic). This allows me to write the code in modules and without line number - the modules are linked together by the basic linker. Sorry if this sounds like a blatant advertisement. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 0:03, Phoebus R. Dokos (Φοίβος Ρ. Ντό wrote: True. In any case I was talking about QDOS (Classic) and Minerva. Unbelievable as it may seem, there are users that still require full compatibility with QDOS and SMSQ/e is not an option for them. Why should that be inbelievable? I have talked to a few (one used Flashback that will not work properly under SMSQ/e AFAIK) Flashback was quite a progmming feat, (very fast), but severely limited in other ways IIRC. I think it interfered with the ALT/Hotkey system. I wonder, if it is only that, whether it wouldn't be possible to set up a simple hotkey to call it up? and a couple of others running custom QDOS-based software, that unfortunately cannot work with SMSQ/e either. custom often meant pretty dirty; didn't it? Anyway I, for one, would be interested to know why his wouldn't work under SMSQ/E (if you have any info on that). (...) As far as Peter's choice for compatibility and openess, without getting back in the same argument, for heaven's sake! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 4:13, Marcel Kilgus wrote: But then again, I could also win the lottery on Saturday. Well I hope you don't - you'd probably off to laze in the sun in Barbados, and the QL world still needs you... grin (what you mean you actualyl play the lottery?) Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 10:57, Dave P wrote: Similarly, for our US QL users, think about this: a. The number of physicians in the US is 700,000. (...) Then think about this: a. The number of gun owners in the US is 80,000,000. (..) Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners. Lies, damn lies etc. How many HEALTHY persons die of physician's error gun accidents? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 9:15, Phoebus R. Dokos ( . wrote: Most likely, but where the user is concerned they really don't care as long as it works correct? :-D Yes - just as long as I do not think that it doesn't work. On the contrary. Sorry, wans't that what you were saying - the progs only run under QDOS (hence don't work under SMSQE?) for heaven's sake! Heaven has nothing to do with it :-P I just don't see myself asking for hell's sake. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 9:17, Phoebus R. Dokos ( . ) wrote: Why not? I do :-) (Especially with Powerball loterry jackpots running usually at US$ 50.000.000 (or more!) I'd rather spend my money on something else. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 13 Feb 2004 at 11:26, Timothy Swenson wrote: Yea, yea, Yea. American have guns, Europeans don't. No need to start a long thread about the merits of either. I can always start the thread that our royality are not on the taxpayers' dollar. :-) There hasn't been royalty in this country for a long time Wolfgang I read the bit about Quanta and shows with some disinterest. Given that I have to fly 2,000 miles for my nearest QL show, I find it ammusing about all the discussion about where, what QL shows are and such. Heck I even have to travel 500 miles to get to the nearest other country. So, be happy that you all are close to other QLers and pity the rest of us that are not.j Tim Swenson ___ Internet Access, Shared Dedicated Web Hosting. Colocation and Domain Name Registration at http://www.SharedPoint.com
Re: [ql-users] Quanta
On 14 Feb 2004 at 14:45, Phoebus R. Dokos (Φοίβος Ρ. Ντό wrote: Well live in Indiana, PA and then you'll realise that there's not many options on where to spend your money anyway (the little that I have that is :-D) there is always some QL stuff to buy... (Uff, back on topic). Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Off topic
On 14 Feb 2004 at 14:44, Phoebus R. Dokos (Φοίβος Ρ. Ντό wrote: Pah! How about for The-Place-That-Bill-Gates-Will-Go-After-He-Departs-This-Futile-World' s sake then? Well I wouldn't want to stoop that low, either! Woflagng
Re: [ql-users] New wman borders
On 29 Feb 2004 at 7:59, Christopher Cave wrote: At the last London show, I picked up a disk from Roy Wood which enabled me to have nice 3-d borders to buttons etc. Over the last few days, I have been getting to grip with using the new wman colours in my latest program(in C68). All is well except that the nice new borders to loose items are replaced with plain black when the cursor has moved over one of the application windows (and so activated the appropriate hit routine - which includes a call wm_swapp). The borders can be reinstated by calling wm_ldraw(wwk,-1) - redraw all loose items in window. This produces a nasty flicker and is clearly overkill. Please how do I avoid/correct this problem? Could you please be more specific as to what machine/version of smsq/e you're running this on? Using wm.swapp shoud not really affect any of the border calls! Could you isaolte the problem let me have a copy of the program? What is the colour of the main window paper? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] SMSQE 3.05
Hi all, SMSQ/E 3.05 should be available soon from your dealers... The sources are out now at: www.scp-paulet-lenerz.com/smsqe Have fun! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] New wman borders
On 1 Mar 2004 at 14:21, Christopher Cave wrote: Thanks for the response. I have boiled the program down to just the main window, one loose item and one application window. It still displays the offending behaviour. Do you want just the source? Should I send it to you off this list? I'd rather like both. Unless anybody else is interested, off list might be best. I won't promise I'll be able to do anything, though! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] New wman C68
Has anyone given serious thought as to the best way to set up a program that will run in QL-mode 4 as well as hi-colour, and that will run on the old as well as the new window manager? For the moment, I have used a mixture of separate declarations of, e.g., WM_wwork_t's and of runtime changes such as: info[0].attr.t.ink=RED. The simplest solution is to abandon historical compatibility for a program with near zero circulation but for others? I have a solution that probably most of you won't like. I have gone to great pains to make stand alone versions of WMAN PTR_GEN that also incorporate, as much as possible, the corresponding changes in the new versions of SMSQ/E. These can be obtained from the usual sources (e.g. Jochen). If these are used, you can use the new system palette colours even on machines not running SMSQ/E and there is no need to change anything in your code. Hence you could just test whether the version of WMAN is sufficiently recent and, if not gracefully give up with a message that the user should get a newer version of WMAN/PTR_GEN (this is the part that many won't like)... (as a reminder; you get the pointer interface (ptr_gen) version returned in D1 from trap iop.pinf (d0=$70) and you can then check the WMAN version at (a1). Both versions are in the form x.xx, and should be at least 2.00 each, current versions are 2.01 - ptr int, 2.03 -- wman). If you do not want to do that (i.e. give up when the versions are too old), then I don't see any alternative to setting one colour (e.g. the syspal) in the window definition and changing the working (not wdw) definition at run time. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Menu_rext
On 13 Mar 2004 at 1:37, P Witte wrote:
Hi all,
I have a wee problem with Menu_rext,
('...)
This is a problem that's been in menu_rext for ages.
In my experience, though, it only happens on virtual drives, i.e. the dos
device in QPC and the dev device.
Menu_rext cleverly takes the dev device away (i.e. it doesn't show it, even
if you call it with a dir such as dev1_), replacing the true device instead.
The first thing I do is replace every instance of DEV in menu_rext with
ZZZ, thus avoiding this automatic replacement, which I just absolutely don't
want.
I thought that the problems with total memory corruption somehow were
connected to that. I have never seen this on win devices, nor ram devices,
but haven't ever tested this extensively.
Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Menu_rext
On 13 Mar 2004 at 1:37, P Witte wrote: (...) On 13 Mar 2004 at 3:17, Marcel Kilgus wrote: (...) Don't you guys ever sleep?
Re: [ql-users] Menu_rext
On 13 Mar 2004 at 1:37, P Witte wrote: (...) I've now also tested this on ram, and the problem does, indeed, exist there But this is still with a patched version of menu_rext Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Menu_rext
On 13 Mar 2004 at 10:40, P Witte wrote: Don't you guys ever sleep? Of course. Only we get up a wee bit earlier than you ;) Per I didn't realize we had vampires on this list. Back into the coffin at the crack of dawn, huh? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] dragdrop
On 13 Mar 2004 at 11:59, Wolfgang Uhlig wrote: Isn't there a possibility to make a sprite out of the string on the fly? Possibly with a background-system-colour? I know that there is something like blobs and patterns but I have never understood how this works. I'd like that very much and think it would make dragdrop routines much more attractive and clear. Do yo want to make a string into a sprite on the fly? This would be a rather non trivial task! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Menu_rext
On 13 Mar 2004 at 19:29, SMSQ - Jochen Merz wrote: Per was referring to WIN and RAM ... and I tried it the way described and it worked fine - no directories listed, no crash. It does crash here, though, as said in my second message... I just never used win, because I use dev It happended on switching from dev to ram. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] £ 1000 to spend! (2nd attempt!)
I haven't answered on this thread until now mainly because (in the first attempt...) I wasn't sure whether that kind of money would conceivably around in this matter. Now that Geoff has given more details, here's my 2 cents' worth. I don't know whether offering something like 1000 pounds for software would be a good idea. The reason is that it is, in my mind, too much and too little. Let me explain. It is too little. If you want to finance a software author, 1000 pounds will get you - what? A month' worth of work? Look at what Peter has told us on this list - if he were offered 2000 pounds for his ongoing work, he wouldn't accept it, because it would be far from what the software would be worth... This is a point of view I can share. So, thibking that a professoinal would do some real work for this amount of money is, IMHO, just too optimistic. So, if it were to finance some software author, it would be -either for a professional who actually is doing this on his spare time, as a hobby and then gets some benefit from it (but then, whhy 1000, and not 500, or 2000 etc...) - or for some kind of hobby programmer (such as myself). And then, it would be too much. Why should you pay 1000 pounds for some kind of amateur programmer? That wold probably leave some kind of hardware project. But, remember - all hardware projects also require some kind of software (driver etc) to go with it. So, instead of asking what kind of projetcs **might** be financed by that amound, I'd like to modify the question and ask: What would YOU be prepared to do for 1000 pounds? Answers, anyone? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: £ 0.00 to spend! (1st attempt)
On 17 Mar 2004 at 9:37, Dave P wrote: A person who does not want money must want something more valuable. ;) Value, like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder... Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-users] Re: £ 0.00 to spend! (1st attempt)
On 17 Mar 2004 at 18:28, Dilwyn Jones wrote: How much of SMSQ/E for Qx0 is modular and how much inbuilt (i.e. has to be rewritten every time a new SMSQ/E is released)? Nothing has to be rewrittenfor the Q60 (or any other machine) every time a new SMSQ/E is released, unless some changes are required by the files that were changed (e.g. different screen handling for colour drivers). Just wondering if making a new Q60 SMSQ/E would be a matter of bolting on Q60 specific modules to standard SMSQ/E releases? There already are Q60 specific modules. (...) i.e. whoever is building and releasing the new SMSQ/E gets paid to produce a Q60 version. That way, SMSQ/E for Qx0 remains up to date and someone gets paid to produce the new releases alongside the other versions. I'm building and releasing the new SMSQ/E (for QPC, Q60 and others) I certainly don't want to get paid. I put the building into quotation marks, because this is mainly just a matter of incorporating the source files graciously donated by those wishing to contribute to SMSQ/E. Building the executables then is just a matter of pressing some buttons. Q60 SMSQ/E is up to date. I sometimes wonder how often one has to repeat oneself onthis list to be - if not understood- at least heard. The whole purpose of the registrar is to make sure that versions for all machines remain as up to date as is possible. Two examples: a - the colour drivers. (need I say more?) B - Specific Q60 development: Fabrizio Diversi made specific versions of some of the source files for the Q60. These used a machine code instruction the Q60 had difficulty in handling - Fabrizio changed them by removing these instructions and replacing them with analoguous code and the new files are now part of the official Q60 SMSQ/E code tree. All this is, of course, transparent to the user, as it should be. (...) The software Peter is producing seems too important (...) Not if it isn't made available. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-users] Re: Re: Re: [q l-users] £ 0.00 to spend! (1s t attempt)
On 17 Mar 2004 at 23:37, Tony Firshman wrote: (...) You had to dial manually, listen for the tones, and fit the coupler. ... and the 'monitor' was a wide carriage IBM golfball printer. Those were the days (8-)# May they never come back! Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] £ 0.00 to spend! (1s t attempt)
On 18 Mar 2004 at 9:24, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You might try driving without tyres. But would that be driving? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-users] Re: [ql-u sers] Re: £ 0.00 to sp end! (1st attem. ..
On 18 Mar 2004 at 14:00, Dilwyn Jones wrote: Space permitting, I might put a little summary of recent changes and version numbers into QL Toady soon. Want me to wend you a text file with the changes? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] (1st attempt)
On 18 Mar 2004 at 13:48, Dilwyn Jones wrote: (...) That's what I meant. Not having a Q60 here I didn't know if SMSQ/E for Q60 was same SMSQ/E version as QXL, QPC, Gold Card etc etc Yes. Of course. That's the whole purpose, innit? Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] £ 0.00 to spend! (1s t attempt)
On 19 Mar 2004 at 9:23, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bumpily - as without SMSQ/E. On the other hand SMSQ/E does seem to give the, er, bumps to some... Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: Changing the subject
On 19 Mar 2004 at 16:54, Tony Firshman wrote: Maybe we ought to resort to old fashioned sheep. No thanks, I already look sheepish enough most of the time. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Re: Changing the subject
On 19 Mar 2004 at 21:41, Tony Firshman wrote: No thanks, I already look sheepish enough most of the time. I thought you were more wolf like (8-)# but in sheeps' clothes, of course... Wolfgang QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:252/67) +44(0)1442-828255 tony@surname.co.uk http://www.firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG
