Re: A85: Saving the 85

To: <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Subject: Re: A85: Saving the 85
From: "Steve Ranck" <psufreak@mindless.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 12:46:01 -0400
Delivered-To: assembly-85-outgoing@towerguard.unix.edu.sollentuna.se
Reply-To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org

Hey, I'm with you. My main goal is exactly what the subject says. Anybody
else want in?
Steve Ranck
psufreak@mindless.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Kaus <kaus@cybrzn.com>
To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org <assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org>
Date: Wednesday, August 05, 1998 12:12 PM
Subject: Re: A85: Saving the 85


>
>
>-----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
>
>