SpartaDOS X 4.49 (release version)

[drac030]

18 hours ago, Mark2008 said:

I didn't find anything called flasher

The flasher is provided in binary form on the flashing ATRs as you already know. Regarding the "flasher" note in the whatsnew file, the flasher is one as long as the source code is concerned, but every flashing ATR has a different build for "own" type of the flash cartridge. In this sense the end-user does not see one, unified and universal "flasher" for SDX.

[drac030]

Here is a test version of Sparta Commander 1.0.6:

 

sc106.arc

 

This version uses the functions of the video drivers (included) to scroll the panels up and down. These functions in old drivers were either buggy or not implemented at all, so before trying out the new SC you first have to replace the respective drivers with the versions included in the archive. S_VBXE and RC_VBXE are for VBXE (you use just one of these two), RC_GR8 is for non-VBXE computers.

 

Having the drivers replaced, replace SCMAIN.OVL then.

 

There should be easily noticeable difference in the speed of scrolling the panel contents (maybe except Rapiduses, where it was smooth before too ).

 

An additional new feature is that the program can now display directories in sorted order. You can control this using the dialog box being invoked with Ctrl/S. It looks less or more like this:

 

 

The number of "entries per panel" may vary depending on how much memory the program was able to allocate for the respective buffers: it may be 178, 356 or 712 entries. Longer directories will be displayed in unsorted form (note that all entries count here, not only the visible ones).

 

Rapidus or Antonia users will - in the future, when the new SpartaDOS version is released - get this:

 

 

Long directories take few seconds to get sorted (e.g. 658 entries - 3.5 s). To avoid waiting for such a directory, having been opened in one of the panels, to get sorted each time SC is reloaded, you can:

 

1) switch this function off (Ctrl/S, U, Return, for one panel)

 

2) sort the longest directories using SORTDIR - Sparta Commander will skip sorting, if it detects, that a directory has already been sorted in the selected order.

 

Beta versions, if something does not work, please report.

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by drac030
typos

[+Stephen]

Awesome!  Testing this out now.  Can I ask how the fast scrolling is done via VBXE?  Don't mean to derail this topic, but I'm interested because I am wanting to do some text mode "windowing" but I've not done anything with the VBXE blitter yet.  I assume it is being used with some other trickery to handle the side by side displays?

[drac030]

7 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Can I ask how the fast scrolling is done via VBXE?

You mean, in general? The same way as scrolling the entire screen, you just need to define a square area not covering the entire (say) 80x24 display, but a part of it, by two pairs of coordinates: x,y of the upper left corner and x,y of the lower right corner. Then you calculate the parameters for BCB, especially the width, the height and the source/destination address of the blit and you are done. The blitter automatically handles overlapping areas, so this is of no concern.

[+Stephen]

1 minute ago, drac030 said:

You mean, in general? The same way as scrolling the entire screen, you just need to define a square area not covering the entire (say) 80x24 display, but a part of it, by two pairs of coordinates: x,y of the upper left corner and x,y of the lower right corner. Then you calculate the parameters for BCB, especially the width, the height and the source/destination address of the blit and you are done. The blitter automatically handles overlapping areas, so this is of no concern.

Wow - OK.  I really have to stop being afraid to start and just get to work on it.

[+Stephen]

40 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Awesome!  Testing this out now.  Can I ask how the fast scrolling is done via VBXE?  Don't mean to derail this topic, but I'm interested because I am wanting to do some text mode "windowing" but I've not done anything with the VBXE blitter yet.  I assume it is being used with some other trickery to handle the side by side displays?

Amazing difference - the speed increase is very noticeable and much appreciated!  I haven't seen any issues yet with scrolling or sorting.

 

One issue I have noticed (running 4.49e).  I am trying the SORTDIR command for the first time, on a directory containing 161 MAN files.  No matter what I do, I keep getting the help, showing me the usage.  I am on DJ:>SDX_449 and just typing SORTDIR /N still gives me the help.  Am I doing something wrong?  The SORTDIR on the CAR is dated 14-August-2017.

[drac030]

4 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I am on DJ:>SDX_449 and just typing SORTDIR /N still gives me the help

Assuming that you want to sort the current directory:

 

SORTDIR : /N

 

should do. Note that the help info you are getting says "d:[path]" (and not "[d:][path]") - this means that d: is obligatory. ":" alone is current drive and directory.

[+Stephen]

1 minute ago, drac030 said:

Assuming that you want to sort the current directory:

 

SORTDIR : /N

 

should do. Note that the help info you are getting says "d:[path]" (and not "[d:][path]") - this means that d: is obligatory. ":" alone is current drive and directory.

Thanks again - that did the trick!  Now when I issue MAN, I get all my files in order.  Loving this.

[Atari8guy]

This is very cool, even with just RC8 it's noticeably quicker!

[Tigerduck]

On 2/25/2021 at 10:17 PM, drac030 said:

Here is a test version of Sparta Commander 1.0.6:

 

sc106.arc 35.48 kB · 18 downloads

 

This version uses the functions of the video drivers (included) to scroll the panels up and down. These functions in old drivers were either buggy or not implemented at all, so before trying out the new SC you first have to replace the respective drivers with the versions included in the archive. S_VBXE and RC_VBXE are for VBXE (you use just one of these two), RC_GR8 is for non-VBXE computers.

 

Having the drivers replaced, replace SCMAIN.OVL then.

 

Beta versions, if something does not work, please report.

 

Hi drac030,

I tried on Altirra and it work, but on my real machine (800XL, VBXE, U1MB, PokeyMAX, SIDE2) it did not... ?

Spend serveral hours to try every configuration without success.

Here are some pictures, maybe that helps to find out what's wrong...

After "copying modules:" the Computer hangs, cold Reset is required.

If I choose "No" for the RAM-Disk, the busy-light on the SIDE2 cartridge starts flashing endlessly...

 

 

 

 

Thanks for help!

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Tigerduck

[drac030]

@Tigerduck The direct cause why it does not work seems to be that SCMAIN.OVL, which is the main binary module of Sparta Commander, is a 0-length file on your disk. I have recreated this condition here and indeed it does just that. When the 0-length file is replaced with a valid one, the procedure you were attempting works.

 

And it hangs probably because the SDX is just trying to load the invalid shell binary in an infinite loop...

[Tigerduck]

@drac030

 

OK, after reseting my 0-length brain ?, it works finally...

 

Main reason was, I extracted the ARC files on my PC with WinHKI, but it doesn't work with "SCMAIN.OVL". Only a empty file was created, for whatever reason...

All the other files seem to be OK.

 

I extracted the files on the "real machine" and now it works!

 

Thanks for your prompt reply

 

Tigerduck

[drpeter]

@drac030 A couple of odd behaviours, running SpartaDos 4.49 on Altirra:

 

1) Error 161 when copying files from CAR: (other copies work fine)

 

 

 

 

 

2) Corruption of Display List after using XIO 38 or XIO 39 in BASIC: to replicate

 

 

then type DOS (or pretty much any command)

 

 

Any ideas?  Many thanks in advance...

[flashjazzcat]

First one: the CAR: device driver has only IO one channel, so you must use TYPE CAR:CONFIG.SYS >>DEST instead (described in manual).

 

 

[drac030]

Yup, User's Manual:

 

 

But the second issue is real and I will have to take a look at it. There is definitely something depraved there (and it is related to TD _again_, I am seriously about to dislike this program).

[drpeter]

RTFM ? Sorry!

[flashjazzcat]

One IO channel*

 

[drac030]

@drpeter about the TD bug, try this:

 

tdfix.com

 

and see if it is any better.

[drpeter]

52 minutes ago, drac030 said:

@drpeter about the TD bug, try this:

 

tdfix.com 1.3 kB · 1 download

 

and see if it is any better.

That seems to have fixed it. It doesn't survive a soft reset though. Should it?

[drac030]

8 minutes ago, drpeter said:

It doesn't survive a soft reset though. Should it?

I cannot see any problem with soft reset, everything seems to survive. Could you provide steps to reproduce? Your post #163 was excellent

[drpeter]

 

Then soft reset (F5 in Altirra)

 

Then...

 

Time line does not appear at any stage of this.

[drac030]

It seems that the limit of TSR programs initialized at reset has been exceeded. It is pretty short I admit (5 or so), SDX drivers do not need it, but OS drivers (E: and such) do, you install four of them... Try installing TSR.SYS (it is to be found on the Toolkit disk) as one of the first programs after SPARTA.SYS/SIO.SYS/[clock].SYS, then see if it helps.

[drpeter]

43 minutes ago, drac030 said:

It seems that the limit of TSR programs initialized at reset has been exceeded. It is pretty short I admit (5 or so), SDX drivers do not need it, but OS drivers (E: and such) do, you install four of them... Try installing TSR.SYS (it is to be found on the Toolkit disk) as one of the first programs after SPARTA.SYS/SIO.SYS/[clock].SYS, then see if it helps.

That seems to have sorted it.

Fabulous!

Thank you so much ?

[ninex]

I found small uncompatibility sparta vs fujinet.
As FujiNet is passtrough, and assumes that other df1: device can exist, it waits for 5 status commands (status_wait_count) before replying to allow real devices to reply first,
while spartados X just starts reading from the device, without sending status queries, causing Fujinet eject config disk.
Can we alter SpartaDos X disk detection initialisation process to match other DOS'es?
This behaviour is typical for spartados only...

other choice is to alter fujinet code to make SDX_compat flag, but that will break transparent handover if user plug other DF1: ...

[_The Doctor__]

what do you mean eject config disk, a disk in slot 1 of fn for sdx config? or the fujinet configuration util in a slot or?

 

The preferred methods being,

SDX

pull from cart for SDX support stuff

pull from D1: SDX support stuff

pull from assigned Dx: support stuff

 

the Fujinet still can be configged by web interface or other program etc. last I knew...

 

could be interesting... maybe it really is time I buy another Fujinet of the latest revision, perhaps it's ready now.