Here it is! HAL-IC!

[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Here it is! HAL-IC!

This is that letter you should read. :)

Scenario 1:

You are sitting in math class. The kid near the front of the
room still doesn't understand, so the teacher goes over the
concept a fourth time. Needless to say, you are nearly
asleep. Suddenly you get the urge to write a game. So you
pull out your calculator.

You have written several cool assembly programs and are
known throughout the school for your calculator-program-
ming skills. As you go to the program editor, you realize
something that has hit you before. YOU CANT WRITE AN
ASSEMBLY PROGRAM WITHOUT A COMPUTER. So
you think to yourself, "Do I write a basic program or do I just
forget it." You slide the calculator back into your backpack.

THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR YOU!


Scenario 2:

You just got a new calculator for Christmas on this, your
freshman year. On the first day back to school, 5 people
come up to you and send things to your calc. You think
this is so cool. A GAMEBOY!

Although you can't edit most of the programs, you learn
that you have a few you can look at the coding for. You
know Q-Basic pretty well and learn a lot of the commands
and syntax in the first few days. But no matter how hard
you work, you can't seem to get your programs nearly as
fast as the ones you can't edit. And no matter how hard
you look, you can't find the command for gray dots.

THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR YOU!


Scenario 3:

You have had a TI-85 since the invention of the slide rule.
You have mastered TI-Basic. Everyone around your school
used to come to you for programs. Then ZShell appeared.
Your basic programs suddenly SUCKED! So you went
online. Your first stop: Jimmy Mårdell's ZShell School.
You came back no less confused.

Just like all of the good TI-85 owners, you bought an 86
3 days after it came out. Sure enough, the asm games
were even better than on the 85!  You spent weeks and
weeks trying to learn assembly to no avail. It is compli-
cated and, unlike TI-Basic, you can't practice wherever
you go.

THERE IS ONE SOLUTION FOR BOTH OF YOUR PROBLEMS!

THAT SOLUTION: HAL-IC!


HAL-IC and it's predecessor:

Most of you remember HAL (Higher Assembly Language),
the computer program that took basic and converted it
to assembly (or gave you an error, whichever it felt like).
First of all, I'd like you to remove all associations between
HAL and HAL-IC (HAL-In Calc). There are only a few simil-
arities between the two.

HAL-IC for the 86:

This would be a good time to mention that HAL-IC is only
for the TI-86. If you don't own one and aren't planning on
getting one, then you have my permission to resume your
normal routine of skimming this letter without actually
reading it. The HAL-IC FAQ (scroll downward) will give
you more info on why we chose the 86.

HAL-IC and your source:

Like HAL, HAL-IC can take basic, asm, or a very jumbled
mixture and turn it into an independent assembly program
capable of execution on any TI-86. You don't have to worry
about libraries. The basic used in HAL-IC is identical to TI-
Basic in almost all respects. HAL-IC obviously offers more
control, faster execution, and a larger command base
through basic.

The editor:

The editor, called SuperHAL, is very much like the TI-
Basic editor we're all used to. It uses the smaller "menu
text" which will allow more code on the screen and is a
little better looking. It will also have menu options in-
cluding all of the available commands and a compile
button. It can also import text files from your computer
so you won't have to retype anything. In order to save
memory, SuperHAL will tokenize the source when not
open. The compiler will be called by the editor, not run
by you.

The debugger:

HAL-IC will also have an interpretive debugger which
will check for errors missed by the editor and com-
piler, run code with an interrupt-break or line-by-line,
and check things like correct use of RAM and ROM
pages. Obviously, assembly can do things that are not
illegal and cannot be detected as dangerous by a
program, but will crash kill your calculator. There is no
such thing as a perfect debugger. If you don't do stupid
things in assembly and you use basic for complex or
unfamiliar routines, you should never have a problem.

HAL-IC's current status:

HAL-IC is progressing rapidly and, although it's nowhere
near ready for beta testing, it has made it past "the point
of no return". Last week, it successfully compiled it's
first program. The program simply displays, "It worked,
Dave" on the screen (subtle humor from 2001). HAL-IC
currently supports about 20 commands and is estimated
to support about 70 basic commands and assembly.

Beta testing:

We are in need of beta testers for HAL-IC. To sign up,
write to EggplFarms@aol.com. You must have a TI-86,
access to some type of calculator <--> computer link,
know TI-Basic, have an interest in programming, and
you MUST give a weekly report (beta testers will receive
more information later). It is estimated that HAL-IC
will be ready for beta testing between Christmas and
Valentine's day (this is a big project).

Contact us:

You can get information and updates on HAL-IC at:
http://members.aol.com/EggplFarms/HAL (case
sensitive). You may also write to TGaArdvark@aol.com
or Retupmoc7@hotmail.com. Also visit us on EFnet
in #HAL-IC.


HAL-IC FAQ:

Q. How much memory will HAL-IC take up?
A. We predict HAL-IC and all components to use 25k.

Q. Will HAL-IC be ported to any other calculators?
A. We doubt it. The 86 is the only calculator with the
 memory to handle HAL-IC and a Z80 processor.

Q. Does HAL-IC need a computer for anything?
A. Only for installation. And then, only if it's not on
 your friend's 86 already. HAL-IC is self-supporting.

Q. Do I need to know any asm to use HAL-IC?
A. No, just TI-Basic.

Q. Can't the 86 already compile programs?
A. Yes, but it can't assemble them. In other words, you
 have to memorize hundreds of commands and their hex
 equivalents, write your program with just numbers making
 no errors, and be able to read your own numbers...
 Humanly impossible for anything larger than 100 bytes
 or so. HAL-IC obviously makes this a little easier...

Q. What about the big problem with on-calc compilers,
 crashes?
A. HAL-IC has a debugger and checks all syntax. If
 you use all asm or do not debug your programs
 before running them, then it's your own fault. Otherwise,
 you should have no trouble. An optimum situation for
 speed, memory, and reliability would be a mix of basic
 and asm, favoring asm.

Q. How less efficient is HALbasic than asm?
A. Programs written in the original HAL were about 1.5
 to 2 times larger if written in all HALbasic.

Q. Are you planning on doing as thorough a job doc-
 umenting HAL-IC as you did on HAL?
A. No, HAL-IC will have online help including syntax
 and a description for EVERY command, as well as
 thorough general documentation.

Q. Two words. Release party.
A. I don't know. If there is one, it will be announced.
 If you're looking for another bomb, you'll be disap-
 pointed. We have connections on four servers instead
 of just AOL (you'd think we would have seen it
 coming), as well as our own ops and botnet.

Q. Who wrote HAL-IC?
A. The HAL concept was created by Retupmoc7.
 He also has done a lot more coding and testing
 for both HAL and HAL-IC than anyone else involved
 in the project.

Q. When will HAL-IC be coming out?
A. The beta release will hopefully be around Christmas.
 Don't panic if it's still under construction in February
 though. Keep an eye on the HAL Homepage (URL
 above) for updates. The public release will be a month
 or so following beta testing.

Q. Where can I contact you.
A. As mentioned above:
 Official e-mail addresses:
   EggplFarms@aol.com
   TGaArdvark@aol.com
   Retupmoc7@hotmail.com
 Web URL:
   The HAL Homepage,
   http://members.aol.com/EggplFarms/HAL (watch case)
 IRC: EFnet, #HAL-IC
   EggplFarms, aArdvarc, Retupmoc7


PLEASE REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!
We would like your suggestions/comments/questions.