Enterprise Forever
:UK => Other topics => Topic started by: NickMilner on 2014.September.15. 10:45:48
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Hi all, just discovered this site and it brought back a lot of fantastic memories. I loved my Enterprise and considered it the pinnacle of 8-bit computing, and in many ways 16-bit as well! I've spent the last couple of hours trying to dig out my old gear and I came up with this (see attachment)..
* Enterprise 64, which I sent off to be expanded to 128
* The EXDOS disk expansion (which was fantastic)
* The mouse interface and GUI - I mean, could a Spectrum ever do something like that?!
* Boxsoft's ZZZIP basic compiler plus a load of other software
* The assembler - I wrote a simple device driver that let you do flashing text like the Eugene Jarvis/Jeff Minter psychedelic colour pulse
* The Private Enterprise magazines and Enterprise Computing International mag
* The EXOS 2.0 technical manual (awesome read!)
I would never part with this as it has a special place in my memory. Thanks for reading!
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Welcome Nick,
I'm glad you found us and I think it is safe to say that we all feel the same way towards the Enterprise :-)
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Hello,
Is that little strange joystick converter like thing the mouse interface ?
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Zozo has one of these mouse interfaces. It appears to convert mouse movements to joystick button presses. It works....
Hello Nick, beautiful gear.
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Welcome and congrats for keeping such a great collection!. You have really cool items ;-)
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Wellcome here! Nice collection! Did you buy it when the Enterprise was new?
Can you write me the Serial Numbers? I collect these for my statistics.
For who answers it: yes this is Boxsoft intelligent Joystic/Mouse interface. It uses more than one buttons in mouse mode.
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Thanks for the welcome. :) Yes, I bought all this new when it was first released. I'll dig out the serial number later on when I get back home.
The mouse interface did more than convert mouse signals to up/down/left/right joystick motions. It came with a complete hi-res GUI much like what was available on the Atari ST or Amiga at the time (or maybe it did and hid it very well!) I also had the paint package - can't remember the name but I can find out.
/edit - interesting/completely useless fact: over the 30 years since I bought the Enterprise I've written a metric shitload of software in my day job, and all my error messages start with three asterisks. :)
/edit2 - you can see a screenshot of the WIMP GUI in the picture, above. It's just under the mouse interface itself on the front cover of the Enterprise Computing International mag.
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I have never seen that gui. Has anybody else seen it ?
Can you upload some screenshots or video from that gui sometime ?
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My serial number is: 33205
The model number is 128 (both numbers hand written on the label!) but it was originally a 64.
As for the GUI (called EGI, for Enterprise Graphical Interface), I probably still have a copy on one of the 3.5" floppies I still have but:
[ol]- The power cable is worn through and unusable so I couldn't plug it in to try it
- I have no idea if the disks survived. I guess they're FAT formatted so they should be readable in a PC but... who has 3.5" drives in their PC anymore? :(
[/ol]
The article on EGI in the magazine is very short. It just says:
As you will have seen from the front cover of this Publication the most exciting new product soon to be released is EGI (short for Enterprise Graphical Interface).
We cannot compressively [sic] describe the program here because it is under-going a major rewrite, but to give you a flavour of things to come this is a run down on how it will work.
EGI is as the title implies, a graphical front end. In use programs using EGI just make a series of system calls specifying what it wants done. This will range from adding new icons to its icon table to displaying them and monitoring the mouse movements to providing pull down menus. From this basic interface, programs can be built up with a very professional look and feel to them; it also means you won't have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to provide a fancy display. There has already been several programs written to run under EGI, they include a File Manager, an Icon Editor and a full A4 page size screen designer, with multiple fonts and the ability to import pictures. The quality of this program has to be seen to be believed. As mentioned above it is not yet on sale but should be soon. We will keep you informed of it's [sic] progress and will of cause [sic] be giving it a full review in the a [sic] forthcoming magazine.
I'm pretty sure I had copies of all three of the programs described above. I've attached a closer look at the EGI screengrab from the cover...
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Wow!!! Very amazing! This software on of the most wanted missing programs! We never see it, only read about it in the magaznie, and also in one Hungarian article: EXOS 3.0 will come with EGI...
I think the disk will work, I used many 30 years old disks and no problem.
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Is there any application using that GUI ?
Or it comes only with some GUI feature demo ? Or only the library, nothing visible at all ?
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It's archeology....Good archeology!
And probably works without the Mouse interface...
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It is a GUI for the whole operative system.
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It is a GUI for the whole operative system.
Which "operative system" ? I do not understand ...
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If the software will be for real,
then I see mouse interface hardwares coming ... :)
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It seems to be like the EDC Windows (http://www.ep128.hu/Ep_Util/Edcw.htm) but better....
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Ok, so the bad news is that one of my disks was completely hosed and one had damaged files. The good news is that the hosed disk was just my master IS-DOS disk and I had a backup (and you probably have this stuff anyway). The better news is that both of the EGI disks were ok. :)
I've zipped up the 5 disks I had and attached it. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that no one is going to want to pursue me through the courts for piracy at this point!
I'm afraid I don't have any documentation or a working Enterprise (my power cable is FUBAR but the machine itself might be ok) so I can't help you out. I'm sure you'll figure it out though.
It's funny, I was looking at some old posts about the EGI and it has something of a mythical reputation. I'm glad I can finally make it real - I hope it works!
Let me know how you get on. :)
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historical moments! there are new EP programs! wow :)
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And it works too!!
(http://i.imgur.com/ZEwDTDfl.png)
Sadly, ep128emu doesn't support the mouse and it seems that it's the only input device...
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my found, this switch the text mode to graphics-text mode, and it works on the basic editor!
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Ok, so the bad news is that one of my disks was completely hosed and one had damaged files. The good news is that the hosed disk was just my master IS-DOS disk and I had a backup (and you probably have this stuff anyway). The better news is that both of the EGI disks were ok. :)
I've zipped up the 5 disks I had and attached it. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that no one is going to want to pursue me through the courts for piracy at this point!
I'm afraid I don't have any documentation or a working Enterprise (my power cable is FUBAR but the machine itself might be ok) so I can't help you out. I'm sure you'll figure it out though.
It's funny, I was looking at some old posts about the EGI and it has something of a mythical reputation. I'm glad I can finally make it real - I hope it works!
Let me know how you get on. :)
Great :smt041 :smt041 :smt041 :smt041 :smt041
Thank you very much :)
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I seem to remember the EGI crashed a lot. ;) It was pre-release software though and very cutting edge, so understandable. There's probably a lot of assembly language crap of mine on their too - hope it's not too embarassing!
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Thank you very much!!!
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This has definitely turned into the best "hi to a forum" thread that I have seen for a very long time.
Hi, Welcome & thank you.
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You're welcome, and thanks!
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These discs deserve a new thread, I think...
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The disks in images:
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you can see a screenshot of the WIMP GUI in the picture, above.
What does it mean "WIMP" ? I do not understand ... What is it ? I understood EGI is the name of the GUI ... What is WIMP ?
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How we read in the hungarian interview, EGI is a GUI of EXOS 3.0.
So it is the GUI of the new and never seen OS of a new and never seen EP.
But in this case, EGI is a standalone application, packaged to a mouse hardware for the "current" EP what we know... So ... what is EGI for real ? Are we sure, this EGI is that EGI mentioned in the hungarian interview?
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NickMilner, have you any issues to add:
http://enterprise.iko.hu/magazines.htm
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Ahhh ... you probably think of this (I never heard it before):
WIMP1
wɪmp/
nounCOMPUTING
noun: WIMP; plural noun: WIMPs
a set of software features and hardware devices (such as windows, icons, mice, and pull-down menus) designed to simplify or demystify computing operations for the user.
"WIMP user interfaces"
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WIMP stands for "Windows, Icons, Menu and Pointer".
The GUI system appears to be complete, not our equipment...
It works if you are in an old EXDOS Rom, but it needs mouse.xr, that then needs the real mouse interface.
":var 6 1
:var 10 8
:var 11 20
:echo EGI-I-101-wmstrt-Warm starting
:load \egi.sys\fman.egi
:cls
:echo Creating Ramdisk E:
:ramdisk 2 /d
:vol e: EGI Ramdisk
:echo EGI-I-102-cdstrt-Cold starting
:load \egi.sys\mouse.xr
:load \egi.sys\egi.rel
:load \egi.sys\fman.egi"
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I guess: the EGI are originaly independent developement, and later planned by Mr. Kopacsy to make "official Enterprise" release. (Mr. Kopacsy are the director of Hungarian Enterprise company).
See the story of Andrew Richards IS-Basic extensions: original released by BOXSOFT, later build from these the Enterprise Plus Cartridge...
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Yes, call me old fashioned, but WIMP was the term used back in the day and it stuck. :) I really can't see there being more than one GUI developed for the EP so I suspect this is the same EGI that EXOS 3 was going to use.
I'll have a look to see if I have any more Private Enterprise mags but I think you have all the ones I have.
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Nick! You bought the mouse with the EGI in one pack?
I have two pack of Boxsoft mouse (both bought in the last few years), both come with Paintbox drawing software (on a tape).
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I don't know but there is another mouse driver called OLDMS.XR, may be there are different versions of the mouse interface...
None of them working on the emulator...
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Nick do you have any other treasure in your bag ? :)
We have found 2 original EP programs which we have never see before.
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There are three mouse.xr versions(observed by an hex editor)
Mouse.bak seems to be the oldest, it is shorter and has version 1.0.
Oldms.xr is as long as mouse.xr but has version 1.0.
Mouse.xr is the version selected and has version 1.1
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More hex edition.
There are three EGI programs included in the PROG directory of disk1, Prime, to calculate prime numbers, Wordcount, to count the number of words of a text file, and Icon Designer, to design.... icons!
All written by Rhodri Cusack on 1987.
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I received a copy of EGI from a contact (whose name is long lost in the mists of time) in London when I was living there as a student. It didn't come with the mouse, only Paintbox did. I also received a pre-release cartridge but can't for the life of me remember what's on it - it's unlabelled (you can see it next to my IS-BASIC cartridge). I really need to get a replacement power supply and check it out.
BTW, you said you found two new programs, what was the second?
P.S. Here's a photo of the Paintbox release notes that came with the software. You probably have this somewhere but better safe than sorry...
/edit - oh wait, there's also an IEUG compilation tape (you can see it on the right). Can't remember what's on it.
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The 2nd was Insane, and as I saw the author was the same as Out of this world (Andrew Richards) which game we knew as Magic Ball in Hungary, there are only some small differences between the 2 versions, Magic Ball was released here as BOXSOFT & A-Studio cooproduction.
And I found a small demo: ROT
It plays with LPT, and I think it was one of the 1st demo which used more colour in a 2 colour mode screen.
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Is my little device driver on there that hooks into the raster tick and swaps one colour in the palette? It gives a pulsing colour effect on text much like the classic Eugene Jarvis/Jeff Minter look (remember the colour effect on the "Defender" arcade game?) Should be there somewhere in with all the other junk. ;)
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I meant this:
[attach=1]
We can play with keys 1-6 with the screen.
It seems I missed your device driver :oops: Could you please tell me it's name, I would check it ( I hope you remember ) :)
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Can't remember. It doesn't matter though. ;)
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The PaintBox version on second disk is v2.0R(current was v1.0R). I've put the HSOFT Mouse.xr driver on it and works. I don't know what are the differences.
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I posted an image of the Paintbox release notes a few posts up. They should be for v2.
/edit - should say "may be"
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Nick, do you have the actualized EP128 emulator? Take the installer from this page (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ep128emu/files/latest/download) , install and then change the executable with this. (http://enterpriseforever.com/ep128emu/ep128emu/?action=dlattach;attach=9081)
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And here (http://www.ep128.hu/Ep_Emulator_eng.htm) you have a description of the program and a lot of files to experiment. At the beginning there is the description of another emulator, EP32, not as accurate as EP128emu.