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Author Topic: SymbOS (Read 623542 times)

Offline lgb

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #810 on: 2016.November.29. 11:29:50 »
Some power users want it! :-)
For this need to be system segment don't overwrited. Prodatron say previously it is only possible in the "for extended Enterprise" version, which can be use a different memory map.

Well, with mass-storage solutions now like SD-card, isn't it possible to save the system segment, to the card and restore on exit? At least, as far as I can see, memory is more valuable than SD card space. This is for "exit" feature more, than launching an EXOS app, though with SD-card speed, I guess, it won't be noticed too much either to "swap memory" "out" then "back" if some wants to run an EXOS app from SymbOS, for example ...

Offline gflorez

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #811 on: 2016.November.29. 11:32:48 »
Ok. I wanted to say the same as LGB.



Offline Zozosoft

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #812 on: 2016.November.29. 12:44:00 »
As Prodatron has put it in Youtube, you all can enjoy this video preview.
Great! :smt038

This SymAmp are available?

Offline gflorez

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #813 on: 2016.November.29. 13:19:38 »
It is a preview, but surely soon Prodatron releases the app.

This time is not a hack like Geco did (I only joined the pieces) with the Speech app. I think that this  weekend Geco has been directly instructing Prodatron on how to modify his player to work on EP emulating the AY chip.
« Last Edit: 2016.November.29. 13:38:55 by gflorez »

Offline geco

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #814 on: 2016.November.29. 13:52:31 »
The text in the video:

"Geco managed to modify SymAmp for playing sound modules on the Enterprise as well! This is only a little video showing the first two test songs on my real EP 128 machine.
The special thing about Gecos work is, that the "Dave" chip (which is responsible for the sound as well) of the Enterprise is not compatible to the AY-3-8912 (PSG) used in the Amstrad CPC, MSX, ZX Spectrum and others. Geco had to write conversion routines, so that the modules still sound fine on the Enterprise as well. IMHO it's a great result!"

I showed Geco on 25 November the place where Prodatron has the source of the SymAmp app, and Prodatron has released this video on 28 November.

Geco is fast....
Small correction, I used István's AY emulation routine :) , and it is not fully finished yet, it should be modified at least on 4 places , because SYMBOS using relocation and it seems only Winape's assembler supports it, but not everything, on this 4 places the relocation is hard coded, and I have to test it with other songs also. :)
Geco is not so fast :) , I thought I finish in 3-4 hours, but I spent about 14 hours with it, and I will spend more :)

Offline Prodatron

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #815 on: 2016.November.29. 16:20:36 »
There is also a "not partitioned" option, probably to format to FAT16/32 within SymbOS. I've not tested if an already created FAT32 partition is detected and used.
Zozo is correct. Today sometimes an MBR is added with one partition, and sometimes there is no MBR, the boot sector of the first partition is directly placed at physical sector 0. In this case you have to select "not partitioned".
I am using the "big" SD card at my EP for all the FAT12 partitions and the micro SD card as a FAT32 device with 32GB for SymbOS only. So I have at least one partition which is shared between EXDOS and SymbOS and one big for all the additional data which can be used in SymbOS (videos etc :) ).
Due to its ability to access larger FAT16 and gigantic FAT32 partitions (up to 2TB in theory) I didn't see the need for supporting extended partitions before (it would made the routine for "activating" a partition a litte bit bigger).

The question are: how many drives (letters) are possible under SymbOS? If also possible up to Z, then only the partition collection routine needed to be extended.
You can use any drive letter between A-Z, but the total number is limited to 8 (again with a nice FAT32 partition this is more than enough :P )

Prodatron say previously it is only possible in the "for extended Enterprise" version, which can be use a different memory map.
That's correct!

Well, with mass-storage solutions now like SD-card, isn't it possible to save the system segment, to the card and restore on exit?
Hm, good idea, maybe the boot loader can do this before starting SymbOS. Then no changes in SymbOS itself are required at all, just a "restore app", which is executed when you quit SymbOS...

This SymAmp are available?
It's currently in Gecos hands :) I just tested his first version from yesterday evening, which he was sending to me.

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #816 on: 2016.November.29. 16:38:39 »
The reason why the extended partitions pop up: users want to use Sym Commander as file manager for Enterprise partitions.
Then will be good if all partitions can be accessed.

Offline gflorez

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #817 on: 2016.November.29. 18:52:37 »
It's currently in Gecos hands :) I just tested his first version from yesterday evening, which he was sending to me.

That is still more impressive to me...

Offline Prodatron

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #818 on: 2016.November.29. 22:33:32 »
The reason why the extended partitions pop up: users want to use Sym Commander as file manager for Enterprise partitions.
Then will be good if all partitions can be accessed.
Ok, I agree... Shouldn't be a problem to extend it for the next version!

Offline Tutus

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #819 on: 2016.November.30. 09:20:31 »
Ok, I agree... Shouldn't be a problem to extend it for the next version!
If you solve this I give half of my kingdom. :ds_icon_cheesygrin:

Offline Zozosoft

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #820 on: 2016.November.30. 09:56:50 »

Offline gflorez

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #821 on: 2016.November.30. 10:59:51 »
Not related with your question, but Yesterday I found that a Brazilian company or group(Tecnobytes) had been releasing batches of enhanced clones of Sunrise MoonSound and GFX9000, they even plan to launch a FPU coprocessor on a cartridge. They also have IDE and Ethernet cartridges on their catalogue, but actually no plans to relaunching them.

I was dreaming on connecting my EP to a GFX9000 when I found it.... see the specifications...

Offline edoz

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #822 on: 2016.November.30. 11:02:28 »
Not related with your question, but Yesterday I found that a Brazilian company or group(Tecnobytes) had been releasing batches of enhanced clones of Sunrise MoonSound and GFX9000, they even plan to launch a FPU coprocessor on a cartridge. They also have IDE and Ethernet cartridges on their catalogue, but actually no plans to relaunching them.

I was dreaming on connecting my EP to a GFX9000 when I found it.... see the specifications...

Maybe it is not so difficult to make some kind of connector for the GFX9000 so you can hookup it to the Enterprise?
Have fun with the Z80!

Offline edoz

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #823 on: 2016.November.30. 11:06:15 »
BDW: Network in SymbOS is really cool. Some weeks ago i release the IRC client for SymbOS.. is there a IRC channel which is used for Enterprise as well ?

Have fun with the Z80!

Offline lgb

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Re: SymbOS
« Reply #824 on: 2016.November.30. 11:15:53 »
Maybe it is not so difficult to make some kind of connector for the GFX9000 so you can hookup it to the Enterprise?

I guess no ... For my MSX-virgin brain :) what I know about MSX hardware that it uses a dedicated video RAM, and the video IC (like V9000 but other, older ones too, like 9958, 9938 ...) needs only some (?) I/O ports towards the CPU. So maybe it would be quite easy to connect anything like that to the expansion bus of the EP? However then, you will get a dual monitor :) setup, since not so much a sane way to mix it with the Nick output (though Nick has "external colour" inputs, but first, AFAIK these ICs has analogue output (???) and the most important: you can't make sync between them either too much, I guess at least).