Author Topic: SymbOS (Read 609166 times)

SlashNet · « **Reply #885 on:** 2017.December.29. 07:38:28 »

Interviewing Jörn Proda aka “Prodatron”, SymbOS creator and retro enthusiast

gflorez · « **Reply #886 on:** 2017.December.29. 10:22:11 »

I think there is a confusion with the real name of Prodatron in that interview, because in the emails he signs Jörn Mika.

gflorez · « **Reply #887 on:** 2018.February.03. 15:32:42 »

Do you know how to do clicks with the keyboard?

On older versions INS activates the keyboard, but on 3.0 it behaves different. Now you must press ALT while moving the internal joystick to slide the mouse pointer, but I don't know how to click on the icons.

I want to show to other Enterprise owners how good SymbOS or EGI works on their machines. Almost all of them own EXDOS controllers and 512KB Ram expansions, but only one of them has an EnterMice.

I know, we have a fantastic emulator, but it is easier for me to give my friends a disk or an image than try to teach them how to install and configure the emulator to try the program. A lot of them ignore that they don't need more equipment to make SymbOS work.

Tutus · « **Reply #888 on:** 2018.February.03. 20:56:36 »

This is a bug. We have already reported to Prodatron.
He will fix it

gflorez · « **Reply #889 on:** 2018.February.03. 22:09:43 »

Ok, thanks Tutus. I have not realised the error until now. And the SimbOS pdf manual didn't aid me.

Also, the keyboard doesn't allow diagonal movements of the pointer.

gflorez · « **Reply #890 on:** 2018.February.07. 13:04:57 »

I have found a download link to a beta version of Unify IDE here, formerly named Symstudio and soon to be released as Quigs IDE.

It is a development suit for SymbOS, being developed since a lot of years by Trebmint(Rob Buckley). As Edoz put the link on ww.msx.org last year(September 2017) and it still works, probably he doesn't care if we download a few copies of it...

It includes the code of a lot of Edoz's own apps, like Columns, Battleship or Tetris. There isn't documentation, but Trebmit released three youtube videos on 2014 explaining its use.

Both Trebmint and Edoz are EnterpriseForever users, so I don't think they will mean if we are interested on developing something simple for Prodatron's wonderful operative system.

Tutus · « **Reply #891 on:** 2018.February.07. 14:17:08 »

I will be happy if SymCommander will handle the extended partitions of the SD card.

And, of course, there will be chat as well.

(This also requires a Bruce NET card)

gflorez · « **Reply #892 on:** 2018.February.08. 09:32:45 »

Another way to develop for SymbOS 3.0, more skilled, is a SDK for a free C compiler known as SDCC. Although it is intended for Symbos 2.0, the descriptions can be completed with the up-to-date Developer documentation and the System library on the download section of the operative system's web page.

Tutus · « **Reply #893 on:** 2018.February.08. 15:01:41 »

Yes, but here are not the bugs and requests that we have already mentioned several times...

Known bugs and Known problems

http://www.symbos.de/download.htm#marke3

IstvanV · « **Reply #894 on:** 2018.February.09. 16:37:04 »

Quote from: szipucsu on 2017.December.28. 21:13:44

I hope we can listen to these songs on the Enterprise soon. They sound cool, in mp3 format!

How about a SymbOS compatible Enterprise MIDI (.epm) player, if someone is interested in writing one? Or maybe even a port of SIDBASIC, but that would be harder.

gflorez · « **Reply #895 on:** 2018.February.09. 17:52:06 »

Good idea, but it would be better to expand Symamp to reproduce it. Then every SymbOS user(CPC, MSX and Enterprise) will benefit. And about a SID player, you already have made half the work with your Spectrum SID to AY libraries.

Geco has the up-to-date Symamp source.

gflorez · « **Reply #896 on:** 2018.February.09. 18:08:34 »

I realise now, AY chips only have three channels.

gflorez · « **Reply #897 on:** 2018.February.21. 11:32:19 »

Something not related with software, but related with SymbOS:

TMTLogic, creators of the AMSDAP(MSX cartridge adapter for the CPC line of computers) have published on their web page a picture of version 2 of the card:

[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

AMSDAP2

They have made some changes, now it is a bus replicator with three CPC slots and two MSX cartridge slots. They have also rotated the card, to better take advantage of the desktop space at the back of the computer.

Observe: there is no logic between the CPC slots and the MSX slots. Could it just be a matter of re-adjusting the signals to the MSX cartridge pinout?

Prodatron wrote long ago on this thread:

The V9990 is accessed only by these few ports (on the MSX):

; Port defines
G9K_VRAM EQU #60 ; R/W
G9K_PALETTE EQU #61 ; R/W
G9K_CMD_DATA EQU #62 ; R/W
G9K_REG_DATA EQU #63 ; R/W
G9K_REG_SELECT EQU #64 ; W
G9K_STATUS EQU #65 ; R
G9K_INT_FLAG EQU #66 ; R/W
G9K_SYS_CTRL EQU #67 ; W
G9K_OUTPUT_CTRL EQU #6F ; R/W

So you only need a range of 16 port addresses and can fully use the V9990, which has its own video ram. So maybe it is pretty easy to build an interface for it. SymbOS supports a resolution of up to 1024x212 at 16 colours.
But I agree that a Graphics9000 output wouldn't look like an Enterprise anymore, but it would be a nice project anyway

On the MSX it was a little bit different, as it is still looking similiar to the VDP9938 etc. Though even here there was not that much software released for the Graphics9000, a huge part of the apps which run with the G9K are now coming from SymbOS.

It seems that the MSX computers use only the 00-FFh range of Z80 ports, like the Enterprise, and according with LGB's ports list, no hardware extension uses the 60-6Fh ports range.

On the CPC all the 16 bit range of Z80 ports is used, but they have fixed the high byte to FFxxh for the MSX I/O. Prodatron explains it here.

gflorez · « **Reply #898 on:** 2018.March.07. 17:12:01 »

I insist on the creation of compatible MSX I/O slots for the Enterprise...

Similarly to the Graphics9000 for the video, Sunrise made the MoonSound OPL4 and the MP3 cartridges to enhance the MSX sound.

Moonsound uses ports C0h-C3h or C4h-C7h, not colliding with Enterprise projects.

According with the existing documentation of the MP3 cartridge project, It uses Z80 ports from 21h t0 27h, not colliding with any Enterprise expansion. But a new clon, the MP3+FM cartridge from TMTlogic, uses port 20h to set the FM frequency, so it collides with the Z180 project from Zozo, that uses it(MSX and Enterprise Z80 ports).

-------

On the CPC adapter for MSX cartridges they opted to segregate completely the 256 MSX ports from the 16 bit CPC ones, and for that they fixed them on FFXXh.

My question is, would it be possible to use some of the high bits of the Enterprise Z80 ports to isolate the MSX ports from the Enterprise ones?

Edit: Port 20h is not for the Z180 project, but for a rare switch-able turbo EXDOS card. I think it will be obsolete very soon with the next release of the internal Turbo card from Pear.

gflorez · « **Reply #899 on:** 2018.April.12. 21:06:44 »

To Prodatron:

My Enterprise with a MSX SE-ONE attached playing a MP3 from the SD-cartridge:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wxbo6z3j9qwjf18/MP3%20on%20SymbOS.mp4?dl=0

Author Topic: SymbOS (Read 609166 times)

SlashNet

Re: SymbOS

gflorez

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gflorez

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Tutus

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gflorez

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gflorez

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Tutus

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gflorez

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Tutus

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IstvanV

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gflorez

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gflorez

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gflorez

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gflorez

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gflorez

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