Re: A85: Saving the 85

To: <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Subject: Re: A85: Saving the 85
From: "Kaus" <kaus@cybrzn.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 11:12:37 -0500
Delivered-To: assembly-85-outgoing@towerguard.unix.edu.sollentuna.se
Reply-To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org


-----Original Message-----
From: TGaArdvark@aol.com <TGaArdvark@aol.com>
To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 05, 1998 1:17 AM
Subject: Re: A85: Saving the 85


>
>> We need to in a way reverse ASE or Rascall (is that
>> what it's called?) and get 86 emulation for the 85.
>
>As great as this sounds in theory, it's nearly impossible.
>The TI-85 was not made to run assembly and the ROM
>calls that asm programs can use are quite limited.
>The TI-86 has a much larger number of ROM calls, in
>fact almost everything is a ROM call.  TI-85 emulation
>just required an 86 version of the ROM call table found
>in ZShell.  It can't be reversed because the great
>majority of the calls on the 86 are not available on the
>85.  You'd have to put half the ROM in the shell.  And
>even then, TI-85 programs call the ROM through
>the shell.  TI-86 programs call the ROM through the
>ROM.  You can't change ROM.


Excellent Point.  Also, other memory locations for screen locations, etc,
are all wrong. some do not even exist on the 85.  The 86 has Paged RAM,
which most programs for the 86 are forced to use, and therefore, it is
impossible for the 85 to even attempt an emulation.

Furthermore, this is NOT a solution to our problem.  It only encourages the
86 programmers, because they will have a larger market.

What we need to do is create something entirely new that cannot be emulated
right away on the 86, but that allows definitely good things only on the 85,
until someone builds an 86 version, which WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN.  But,
since IT will have originated on the 85, most of the programs for IT will be
for the 85, although, when the 86 gets a port of IT, the 85 games WILL
spread there too, because they are the only games for IT.  This would mean
much more recognition for us who program the initial programs, if only we
can keep IT semi under wraps for a while, at least until IT is finished, and
a few programs are.

This IT i am talking about is an entirely new operating system.  Completley
new an almost unbased on any others.  WE will have ZShell support, and
probly Usgard too, and it will have relocation, most liklely Usgard Style or
slightly enhanced for backwords compatiblity.  It will also have many
extended features that allow programs to not care about the system they are
programing on.  We will have routines built in that allow easy link port
communications, and definelty routines that automatically use the Expander.
That will be a major point.  We can have huge programs, becuase only parts
of the program that is currently being run needs to be in RAM at any given
time.  The Expander can be used to do Overlays and DLLs and such, and also
for holding levels of big games that are not currently being accessed.  With
512K  (or more after he may put in the 1MEG!)  we could do whatever we
wnated, at the price of only some speed.  Turbo may be a recomended feature
for this OS, but I'll have to get me a turbo thing and see what wil happen.
True, this will limit the operating system to ppl who can buy Expanders, but
it is a way through our situation.  Any of you read the "Future of Assembly
Language Programming" or whatever on TI-CALC?  Well, this eliminates all of
his problems pretty much.  WE can program huge programs that can do
spreadsheets and word processing and more.  Anything is possible.

We really need this thing, and it will be a bit of work, but I think we
could pull it off if we all helped each other.

Come on guys,  what do you say?  One last grand effort to save the TI-85 as
a viable programming platform?

I say, Lets do it!!!

Jonathan Kaus
kaus@cybrzn.com