Re: A85: Saving the 85

To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org
Subject: Re: A85: Saving the 85
From: TGaArdvark@aol.com
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 15:58:26 EDT
Delivered-To: assembly-85-outgoing@towerguard.unix.edu.sollentuna.se
Reply-To: assembly-85@lists.ticalc.org

The 85 is dead. Live with it.

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 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?