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Author Topic: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer) (Read 182849 times)

Offline geco

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #240 on: 2013.April.07. 21:04:49 »
Sorry, C64 had also on floppy disk, but i could forget it :D , as I see, the spectrum, and TVC demo cassette also written in BASIC, or looks like a basic program.
Is it possible these demo's were written for the users? They can see, what they can do in basic.

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #241 on: 2013.April.07. 21:08:48 »
Quote from: geco
Is it possible these demo's were written for the users? They can see, what they can do in basic.
Probably yes, but the Enterprise also have a In Store Demonstration for running in shops.

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #242 on: 2013.April.08. 13:17:52 »
Some interesting thing about TVC: bug fixed in WinTVC emulator.
Now can run VTDOS cartridge. And it is the "IS-DOS" for the TVC! Previously I never seen this!
This package contains ROM files and system disk image.
For try it: select 64K+ machine (Gép/Típus/TVC 64+ )
Insert disk controller ROM: File/IO kártya illesztése/ select one of DOSHBF ROM files.
Insert VT-DOS cartridge: File/Cartridge betöltése / select one of VTDOS ROM files.
And finaly insert the system disk: Lemez/diszk behelyezés/A: meghajtó

The structure of system disk are very similar to IS-DOS disk! And most interesting the file dates!
It is looks the last version compiled at 1987 May 19.!
At this day launched the Enterprise in Hungary!

Offline BruceTanner

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #243 on: 2013.April.08. 13:49:52 »
WinTVC works - I had forgotten about the big V and the Enterprise-ish flashing Videoton logo! 

It all seemed to work until the last step - then I get

Error 190 -- drive !:
Abort or Retry (A/R)?

I wonder if this is the same AF corruption bug as you found in EXDOS?!


Quote
It is looks the last version compiled at 1987 May 19.!
At this day launched the Enterprise in Hungary!
Ha ha, happy coincidence surely?!

Offline BruceTanner

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #244 on: 2013.April.08. 13:53:50 »
Now I've rebooted, it's working! Amazing to see it again!

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #245 on: 2013.April.12. 11:19:05 »

Offline BruceTanner

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #246 on: 2013.April.12. 16:31:56 »
Quote from: Zozosoft
TV advert of TVC :-)
Thank you - very interesting!

1988...if Spectrum, C64, Enterprise etc were available I wonder how they managed to sell any?! How important to people was it that it was Hungarian made? And had a Hungarian keyboard?

Offline geco

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #247 on: 2013.April.12. 20:39:14 »
Quote from: BruceTanner
Thank you - very interesting!

1988...if Spectrum, C64, Enterprise etc were available I wonder how they managed to sell any?! How important to people was it that it was Hungarian made? And had a Hungarian keyboard?
TVC's were sold mainly to schools, and they were bought by some individual. I also met with this computer at school. Yes, it had a hun keyboard

Offline BruceTanner

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #248 on: 2013.April.12. 22:02:21 »
Quote from: geco
Yes, it had a hun keyboard
I was wondering how important the Hungarian keyboard was to the TVC's popularity, as I'm guessing Spectrum, C64 etc. didn't have a Hungarian keyboard available. And perhaps an important factor in it being chosen for schools?

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #249 on: 2013.April.12. 22:16:38 »
Quote from: BruceTanner
And perhaps an important factor in it being chosen for schools?
I think the price is the most important factor :-) and bought from Hungary or other socialist country. Bought anything from West not too easy...

Previously exist another school computer: HT1080Z it is also Made in Hungary, but the licence from Video Genie

Anyway many solution exist for Hungarian charset and keyboard for the most computers: C64, Spectrum, and naturally for the Enterprise :-)

Offline geco

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #250 on: 2013.April.12. 22:37:12 »
In those days the hungarian keyboard layout was not so important, if I know well only hungarian computer which had hungarian keyboard was TVC that time :)

Offline lgb

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #251 on: 2013.April.12. 22:38:13 »
Quote from: Zozosoft
Anyway many solution exist for Hungarian charset and keyboard for the most computers: C64, Spectrum, and naturally for the Enterprise :-)

Maybe you should include commodore plus4 too. As far as I can see, the story is somewhat similar to EP: it was not a market hit in the world, but tons of machines sold in Hungary then, which made it quite wide-spread and known in Hungary at least, compared to the other parts of the world. This is also true about the Hungarian charset and similar issues.

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #252 on: 2013.April.12. 22:43:12 »
Quote from: geco
if I know well only hungarian computer which had hungarian keyboard was TVC that time :)
Primo also have, but not full, only for the most important characters.

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #253 on: 2013.April.14. 17:07:08 »
Question from the Hungarian forum:
The Enterprise has a lot of extra keys: Function keys, ALT, CTRL, ERASE, DEL, INS, HOLD, STOP, etc.
Where is the idea from? For example existing CP/M standards?
« Last Edit: 2013.April.15. 21:56:19 by szipucsu »

Offline BruceTanner

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Re: Q&A with Bruce Tanner (IS-BASIC writer)
« Reply #254 on: 2013.April.14. 17:35:04 »
Quote from: Zozosoft
Question from the Hungarian forum:
The Enterprise have lot of extra keys: Function keys, ALT, CTRL, ERASE, DEL, INS, HOLD, STOP, etc.
Where did the idea? For example existing CP/M standards?
The case and keyboard design were done when I started, but most of those keys were already fairly standard on "big" computers of the time (don't forget the original IBM PC was released in 1981). Built-in support for HOLD and STOP was a bit more unusual - I think they came from Robert Madge's drive to make things as simple as possible (in CP/M it is CTRL-S to pause and CTRL-C to stop, but they are implemented in the character I/O functions, so if the program is not performing any character I/O you cannot stop it). The "soft" and "hard" reset also came from Robert Madge - I remember all the programmers (including me) were very dubious about resetting the Z80 in the middle of eg. a crashed BASIC program and then expecting to be able to get back the BASIC prompt with the program in tact, but I have to admit it works surprisingly well!