ivop Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hi, I was wondering if there's any code floating around that implements a 64 column text mode in graphics 8? If not I'm considering to implement a 64x30 vt100 console. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathy Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hello Ivo I seem to remember that something similar already exists. But since it was ages ago that I saw it, I have no clue where to look for it. Sincerely Mathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox-1 / mnx Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I used a 64 columns driver with TurboBASIC once. Too long ago to remember what it was but it was readable on an ordinary color-TV. Konrad (KMK) is also using 64 chars/line in his "System Info" tool which looks great. Changes are he also made a stand-alone version of the 64-columns part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Sparta DOS X has it - look for CON64.sys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks! I'll have a look at it. Any source available? And what about its speed, i.e. characters per second and memory usage? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Willy Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Waaaaaaaaaaay back in '85, I wrote an 80 column driver I sold to ANTIC or Analog (I forget which now... it was my very first commercial program). I also used it in a VT100 console I used with a JCAT modem to do my programming on the university mainframe from home at a BLAZING 300 BAUD!! The 80 column driver was very compact assembly that fit in page 6. It ran in GR.8 and used special routines to compress the font pointed to by the system variable, drawing it to the screen. It was actually very readable on a regular TV over RF (it was written on an A400 hooked to a 10" Sony CRT over RF). I called the code from BASIC, which I used to do the VT100 emulation. The JCAT was hooked to an 850, and I used R: for communications. Pretty straight forward. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bob1200xl Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Is the code available somewhere? Program name? Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drac030 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks! I'll have a look at it. Any source available? And what about its speed, i.e. characters per second and memory usage? The source is not available. About the speed: I didn't measure it, but you can download SysInfo here http://drac030.krap.pl/pl-si-pliki.php and see. IMHO it is fast enough. The SDX driver is a little bit slower due to RAM banking (one switch per character), it occupies about 12 KB of ext RAM (out of this, 8 KB is font). The text output is 100% the same speed as the default GR.0 display, except the scrolls, which are slower (this can be fixed, though). The built-in SysInfo code is much smaller (maybe 3-4 KB code+font, I don't really remember ATM) and also feels faster, no RAM banking required though. Both are 64x24, so if you want to code a terminal 64x30, then simply go ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Someone kindly sent me their source code for a 64 column console driver on IRC earlier this year, and I appear to have lost it when the old PC died. If the author is reading, please PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Hmm, there were some 64 columns drivers afaik in german magazines and/or applications, alas I do not remember where exactly and err, I did not collect them. However I did collect lots of 80 columns drivers, maybe they are helpful somehow. Attached are 6 disk-images with various 80 columns drivers... -Andreas Koch. 80_columns.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks! Looks like Bill Kendrick's flash80.com is the fastest w/ 1200-1400 characters per second. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john-m Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Waaaaaaaaaaay back in '85, I wrote an 80 column driver I sold to ANTIC or Analog (I forget which now... it was my very first commercial program). I also used it in a VT100 console I used with a JCAT modem to do my programming on the university mainframe from home at a BLAZING 300 BAUD!! If I am remembering rightly, that program was called Easy80.It was an example of text and graphics in Graphics mode 8.I played with it and was able to modify it to save the text typed on the screen to a file.But I found the text was more readable using a monitor and even better with svideo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox-1 / mnx Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thanks! Looks like Bill Kendrick's flash80.com is the fastest w/ 1200-1400 characters per second. That's the one I use if I want to test my code for 80 columns compatibility but it lacks support of cursor control like "positioning" and "clear screen". That is, the version I have does. Don't know if there are different versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfused Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I have source code with a couple of my 80 column handlers here: http://atari.kensclassics.org/a8utilities.html Was going to double check for sure source code is included as I have listed but don't have an unarc utility handy at the moment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox-1 / mnx Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 All above utils, unarced, in a single ZIP DiskFormer KEdit V1.51 Flash40 E: Handler Flash80 E: Handler Flick 80 E: Handler Ultra Speed Boot Menu AtariWriter+ Super Menus Ken's Atari 8-bit Zone.zip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 I have source code with a couple of my 80 column handlers here: http://atari.kenscla...8utilities.html Was going to double check for sure source code is included as I have listed but don't have an unarc utility handy at the moment. Thanks! Now I am confused. The flash80 documentation in CharlieChaplin's zip-file says it's Bill Kendricks. It seems to be the same code as yours, and yours include source code. I assume it was you who wrote it then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Willy Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'll have to try to find the source for mine. Haven't thought about it since the late 80's when I got my Amiga 500. I've got a lot of nifty stuff on floppy in a box somewhere that I did for the Atari... like a disassembly of The Eidolon. The cell animation routines in that game are really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClausB Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Here's the old thread about ACE-80:http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/99666-ace80-xl/page__view__findpost__p__1479296 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+CharlieChaplin Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Thanks! Now I am confused. The flash80 documentation in CharlieChaplin's zip-file says it's Bill Kendricks. It seems to be the same code as yours, and yours include source code. I assume it was you who wrote it then? Ah, my fault I guess. If you read the original docs by Ken Siders for Flash 80 and compare them with the doc. on my disk - they are the same, except that another and wrong author (Bill Kendrick) is mentioned in my doc. I am gonna change that error in the doc. asap... Besides, how about an ARC2ZIP utility for the command line ? Or how about IZARC which can arc/unarc, zip/unzip, rar/unrar, etc.: http://www.izarc.org/ for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and also for iOS. Attached you will find the ARC2ZIP utility... -Andreas Koch. arc2zip.zip Edited November 7, 2012 by CharlieChaplin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivop Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Thanks Claus! Was an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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