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Altirra 2.90 released


phaeron

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Update:

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.99-test3.zip

http://www.virtualdub.org/beta/Altirra-2.99-test3-src.zip

 

Fixes crash by tightening MyDOS validation and detection.

 

Also adds an option to write out decoded tapes as audio. One use for this is that if you have a tape that decodes with Altirra but not another utility that you're using for .cas conversion; you can attempt to resynthesize it and see if the other utility can decode that. Altirra doesn't do silence detection, so this can help if the volume drops very low at some point on the tape. This will also amplify noise, though, so sometimes it won't work or may require manual cleanup. Also, it always produces FSK encoding, so don't try it with a turbo tape. The emulator doesn't know which encoding is used at any point in the tape, and while it can handle that internally by keeping both formats, it has to choose one when exporting audio.

 

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Altirra 2.99-test3.

 

A program written for 65C816 is running in the high RAM past the first 64k. I hit F8 to abort it. The "disassembly window" displays the disassembled code at, say, $010100. I click the down arrow gadget in this window to scroll the disassembled listing down: the view immediately switches to $000100.

Edited by drac030
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@phaeron One thing I've been wondering....

 

First of all when you created Altirra, the main push was to make it compatible with the Atari 8-bits. And as of now, this is pretty much done from what I can tell.

 

Then you moved on, and you started to get it working with lots of different configurations, with different add-on hardware and so forth. I would presume that most of the main add-ons / hardware differences have now been catered for.

 

What is the next strategic target? Is there an idea yet, or are you waiting till you've finished all of stage 2?

 

By the way, this is me being inquisitive, not wanting to dictate where I think (or anyone else thinks) that the product should go next.

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I don't really have much of a plan -- the stuff that I work on is the intersection of what is reasonably feasible to implement, seems interesting, and that I have time for. That changes frequently.

 

Emulating more hardware or existing hardware better is always a path, though there's less to go on these days, and what's left is more annoying to deal with. There's a lot more than can be done for usability, though that's also pretty hard work. Input binding could always be better, booting software could be more turnkey, etc. I have been gradually trying to reduce menuitis over time. It's been somewhat tempting to just drop in a ribbon and see how people react (or freak out). Input latency in full screen still kind of sucks... need to get around to that at some point.

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Well, a ribbon might not be that bad. I think options are used less in this emu than they would be in word or excel. I'd like to see a customizable menu. Something where the user can add options from all over the current menu and aggregate favs in one spot. Don't know how that'd be implemented. But nothing as extravagant as firefox..

 

I'd also like to see the altirra basic manual linked from the home page.

 

Since Altirra is looking rather complete to me have you thought about working on any other platforms like the c64 or Apple II emus?

 

Maybe there could be internal optimizations for speed and efficiency? Though I get full speed on 15 year old legacy hardware.

 

I know I touched on this in the past, but what about more CRT & vintage video effects. Something like Blargg TV effects?

 

These are all friendly suggestions. I'm quite pleased as things stand today.

Edited by Keatah
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One of the problems with a customizable menu is that new items don't show up and thus new features get missed. That's one of the reasons that I've been moving items out of the menu and into more naturally expandable UIs like the Devices tree.

 

That having been said, the menu is actually defined in a hidden text file that gets embedded into the executable. It's in src\Altirra\res\menu_default.txt in the source archive, and looks like this:

&File
	&Boot Image...			{File.BootImage}
	&Recently Booted		{$mru}
	---
	&Open Image...			{File.OpenImage}
	Dis&k Drives...			{Disk.DrivesDialog}
	Attach Disk
		Rotate Down			{Disk.RotateNext}

The main reason I switched to this form is because I was annoyed at the poor usability of the Visual Studio menu editor. The name ends in _default, though, because I've thought about possibly allowing this to be overridden externally (though currently it isn't).

 

Ribbons have better usability than menus or toolbars when designed properly, but they're still typically a horizontal control taking vertical space, and with widescreen displays vertical space is at a premium while horizontal space isn't. Sidebar UI is more attractive in that regard. The built-in ribbon control also requires at least Windows 7, and I'm not bored enough to write my own.

 

UI is hard work....

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but they're still typically a horizontal control taking vertical space, and with widescreen displays vertical space is at a premium while horizontal space isn't. Sidebar UI is more attractive in that regard.

 

Agreed... my start menu sits on the left side for this reason.

 

[Edit] ...and my Mac dock.

Edited by MrFish
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It's also the reason why I was somewhat loath to put the subsection table under the banner on my webpages. I wanted it on the right or left, but it just didn't look too great there. That's why I made a little retraction button to hide it and regain the space for scrolling/browsing. I still can't say I'm satisfied; I may yet find an arrangement/design for putting it on the right-hand side.

Edited by MrFish
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Thanks for the update there. It is interesting to hear your internal thoughts.

 

I have always wondered of there were any features you could steal from Virtualdub and throw into Altirra? I may have askes this before though...

 

Another direction I have thought of, though wouldn't use myself is the ability to upload game footage to YouTube or Facebook. There are probably a few features which could be implemented on the social side, if you were interested.

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I'm not fond of incorporating social media and other "online" features. SM platforms change too often and many times for no solid reason other than for change's sake. It'd be a feature that requires constant updating and work for no performance improvement or gain in usability.

 

Invariably with time, things would break or stop working, thus requiring another update. And when working with online stuff, performance usually goes down.

 

So I vehemently say avoid sm integration. Leave that to the tools that are designed for that purpose.

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Fixed:

Thank you. Also, in the same situation, when I scroll the contents of the disassembly window down beyond a certain limit (like from the said $010100 to around $010400), problems start to appear with further scrolling down, and even with scrolling it back. It looks like untopping Altirra (all its windows) and topping it back can cure the problem to an extent. Windows 7, if this matters.

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I would love the following items

  • Dialog windows working in full screen (if technically possible, of course)
  • More options in well-designed dialog windows and fewer in menus (the menus are becoming longer and longer). It is not easy. Some of the most used options would require menu items for quick access and who decides what options are important or not. And I also know the more items in the menus, the fewer switches from full screen to display dialog windows.
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As Atari800MacX doesn´t have sound anymore, I´ve switched to Altirra, using Wine. Works nice, but I miss the interface. Especially the Media window, that is always visible. Would love to have something like this in Altirra, too.

 

post-21666-0-46715900-1501096160_thumb.png

 

Edit: The drive icons are dropzones, I am used to simply drag a file onto them.

Edited by skr
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As Atari800MacX doesn´t have sound anymore, I´ve switched to Altirra, using Wine. Works nice, but I miss the interface. Especially the Media window, that is always visible. Would love to have something like this in Altirra, too.

 

attachicon.gifBildschirmfoto 2017-07-26 um 21.06.59.png

 

Edit: The drive icons are dropzones, I am used to simply drag a file onto them.

 

It is a nice display and functionality, but I have no love for all the floating palettes/windows. I'd prefer them integrated with the main display, for looks and ease of manipulation within the desktop.

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As Atari800MacX doesn´t have sound anymore, I´ve switched to Altirra, using Wine. Works nice, but I miss the interface. Especially the Media window, that is always visible. Would love to have something like this in Altirra, too.

 

attachicon.gifBildschirmfoto 2017-07-26 um 21.06.59.png

 

Edit: The drive icons are dropzones, I am used to simply drag a file onto them.

 

 

 

It is a nice display and functionality, but I have no love for all the floating palettes/windows. I'd prefer them integrated with the main display, for looks and ease of manipulation within the desktop.

 

Personally I love the live media bar in Atari800MacX, but I see MrFish's point, especially on machines with limited screen real estate or lower resolution. Perhaps a context-sensitive sidebar or pane that can incorporate similar functionality? Perhaps as menus are selected at the top, the contents of the sidebar can change - machine type and memory, acceleration options, media ...

 

I dunnno, just spitballing.

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