CVBasic Target

[nuxi]

It could also potentially be a way to quickly bootstrap more software for the Tutor and the Cortex. The Tutor would need a readily-accessible memory expansion for this to work, but in theory could be possible to bring up on the Cortex as is. I think all that should be required would be updating the memory map (>8300 to >F000, frex), but I've never developed for it. Actually, that would be a handy reference to have: tips, tricks & traps for cross-9900/9995 platform development/porting.

[Tursi]

3 hours ago, carlsson said:

I thought XB also existed as a cross compiling solution, or is that entirely native development?

 

But yes, for programs you only need to run on the TI-99/4(A), you probably don't need CvBASIC. For programs you enjoy running on multiple systems, you'll get the porting element nearly for free.

That's pretty much it. XB is still a bit more full featured (sprite automotion, formatted output are two things that come to mind), but if you wanted cross platform this is the only BASIC game in town.

 

I did the work more for the other way - to selfishly get more software written for other platforms on the TI.

 

[Tursi]

2 hours ago, nuxi said:

It could also potentially be a way to quickly bootstrap more software for the Tutor and the Cortex. The Tutor would need a readily-accessible memory expansion for this to work, but in theory could be possible to bring up on the Cortex as is. I think all that should be required would be updating the memory map (>8300 to >F000, frex), but I've never developed for it. Actually, that would be a handy reference to have: tips, tricks & traps for cross-9900/9995 platform development/porting.

Unfortunately I know almost nothing about the Tutor or the Cortex. With a memory map and a comprehensive doc about how they boot, I could look at the changes needed.

 

But to be fair, to keep the TI port simple, it already expects a 32KB cartridge -- though not all is necessarily used. (That is, a small enough program could get away with 16kb or 8kb). The first 24kb is copied to RAM where it's executed as the fixed page, and then the remaining can be paged 8k at a time. But that's why it requires memory expansion AND banking.

 

This is actually a bit of an incompatibility with the other platforms, which support 16kb pages. But with a little effort most data should be possible to split up into 8k pages, and the extra 8k of fixed memory should more than make up for any extra code needed. It is what it is - we only have an 8k ROM space.

 

[+Vorticon]

15 hours ago, nanochess said:

There are several advantages on using CVBasic.

 

CVBasic is a cross-compiler, this means it runs on a PC/Mac/Linux computer, vastly expanding your opportunities to use your favorite text editor, and way faster than compiling directly in the target system.

 

The syntax used is inspired by QBasic, avoids line numbers, using labels for marking jump points for your program, and allowing use of higher-level constructs like WHILE/WEND and DO/LOOP.

 

It also includes the TMSColor tool to convert BMP images to data usable by the Video Display Processor, including sprites (so you don't need to calculate manually the hex codes for tiles/sprites)

 

Plus a music player that can run in the background while your game plays.

 

And when your game is completed, you can compile it directly for further eleven platforms (except of course if you used bank-switching)

 

Thanks. Makes a lot of sense now. I can see how this could substantially speed up development of new programs as long as one is wanting to work on modern platforms instead of the native environment.