Our TI -- What the future brings, our plans and hopes.

[Omega-TI]

The Christmas season is always a good 'excuse' to 'justify' new additions to our TI setups, so with the holiday only being 36 days away...

 

#1) What are your acquisition plans concerning the TI for the holiday?

 

#2) What do you have planned in the TI department for 2015?

(this applies to programming, development and construction, not just acquisition)

 

#3) What would you 'LIKE' to see in 2015.

 

[Omega-TI]

I guess I'll start it off...

 

#1) I'm hoping to obtain one of Greg's new speech in the P-Box cards.

 

#2) For 2015 I'm setting my sights on the keyboard mod and hopefully a PGRAM.

For projects, I'd like to get a few more rest-o manuals done, give away one TI

and find a few old TI'ers and direct them to this forum here on Atari Age.

As for the rest, I'll see what develops.

 

#3) I'd like to see some Internet APPS developed for the TI. No, I'm serious!

For starters, I'd like to see a "Weather APP" for the TI. Now I have no clue how

complicated that little "AccuWeather" application on my Windows Computer is,

but it would sure be neat if my TI had a program that could grab that information

off the Internet and display on the screen. It would make a great thing to leave

on the screen when the TI is not doing anything else. I imagine there could be

all kinds of small Internet related applications made for the TI. It might be an

interesting new area to explore.

 

I'm also looking forward to Stuarts browser.

[+OLD CS1]

In regard to #3, Weather Underground (the service, not the domestic terrorist outfit) has a telnet-based weather system. A UDS-10 or a-like device could easily be used to communicate to this service. It is used by a couple of programs on the Amiga (Weather Experience being one of them, which was originally programmed in ARexx.)

[Iwantgames:)]

1.) I also hope to get the speech in the box card , the rest of gazoos multicarts, and maybe a second TI so I can have a non modded system

 

2.) I hope to take some time next year and maybe start learning to do a little TI programming

 

3.) as for what I'd like to see in 2015, more F18A specific stuff. Rasmus Power Strike looks to be awesome

[Wildstar]

1. Possibly a HyperAMS board. 16 MBytes would be ideal.

 

2. Some video games. In part of a general support for multiple classic computer platforms in terms of software development. This will be among the most interesting software development planned.

 

3. Great development work in hardware and software for TI.

[am1933]

1. more copies of Zero Zap.

2. more copies of Report Generator, Statistics, Alpiner, Parsec, TI Invaders and the Attack.

3. And lastly, some of those great cartridge games on disk from Buddy Bear.

4. P.S, and a partridge in a pear tree!!!!!!!

[Iwantgames:)]

1. more copies of Zero Zap.

2. more copies of Report Generator, Statistics, Alpiner, Parsec, TI Invaders and the Attack.

3. And lastly, some of those great cartridge games on disk from Buddy Bear.

4. P.S, and a partridge in a pear tree!!!!!!!

LMAO

[Iwantgames:)]

1. Possibly a HyperAMS board. 16 MBytes would be ideal.

Oh yea I forgot I want a HyperAMS board too

[Omega-TI]

A UDS-10 or a-like device could easily be used to communicate to this service.

 

I can imagine quite a few of the simpler APPS could be ported over to the TI. Hell, in time we could have things like a TI-WX app, a TI-Chat app, and who knows what else? Before long Gazoo might have to make a TI Internet Suite cartridge.

 

 

3. And lastly, some of those great cartridge games on disk from Buddy Bear.

 

That's pure evil!

[+OLD CS1]

 

I can imagine quite a few of the simpler APPS could be ported over to the TI. Hell, in time we could have things like a TI-WX app, a TI-Chat app, and who knows what else? Before long Gazoo might have to make a TI Internet Suite cartridge.

 

So long as the UDS can speak to the other end there is a good bit which can be done, whether practical or otherwise.. It can easily speak to an smtp, imap, pop3, telnet, http, or other text-based server. I do not believe, however, it will be able to speak SSL or TLS, which will preclude a TI from speaking to secure services -- which almost all useful services are anymore.

[Gazoo]

 

So long as the UDS can speak to the other end there is a good bit which can be done, whether practical or otherwise.. It can easily speak to an smtp, imap, pop3, telnet, http, or other text-based server. I do not believe, however, it will be able to speak SSL or TLS, which will preclude a TI from speaking to secure services -- which almost all useful services are anymore.

 

Holy snuff out that candle, Batman!

 

 

[UKRetrogamer]

I do not believe, however, it will be able to speak SSL or TLS, which will preclude a TI from speaking to secure services -- which almost all useful services are anymore.

I've Tweeted from a Sinclair Spectrum before now, from the Blackpool Re-Play/PlayExpo meet. AFAIK, it's still possible from a few old micros; ZX Spectrum, C64, PET to name a few. I dunno how frequently the APIs for these services are changed though.

[+OLD CS1]

 

Holy snuff out that candle, Batman!

 

 

 

heheheh Not trying to pee on anyone's parade, just compelled to point out some reality. Remember, that pie in the sky will fall right in your face!

 

I've Tweeted from a Sinclair Spectrum before now, from the Blackpool Re-Play/PlayExpo meet. AFAIK, it's still possible from a few old micros; ZX Spectrum, C64, PET to name a few. I dunno how frequently the APIs for these services are changed though.

 

So long as those APIs remain non-secure. I imagine, though, with the rise of the surveillance State that will (or at least should) come to an end. The other issue is that APIs which remain non-secure are most likely derelict and open to abuse. ISTR that it was an old API which allowed a breach in a popular service recently... I will have to look that up.

 

All that said, there is hope. For instance, running STunnel on a PC (Linux, Windows, Mac, etc) to proxy the connections from a TI-UDS combo would strip the SSL/TLS layer and present the TI with unencrypted data. I have said before, my goal is to not point out futility but rather to help build the challenge framework.

 

Seriously. Set the bar "low," so to speak, and challenge ANYONE with any level of programming skill -- BASIC, Extended BASIC, TurboForth, assembler, C, or whatever -- and a UDS-whatever to write a program which will parse the telnet output of the Weather Underground system. That should be the easiest thing to work with, especially since the service presents itself as a menu-driven system -- it would be like calling a BBS and using a script.

 

Another good challenge would to be to contact a time service and set the clock of your favorite RTC. NTP, daytime, and others operate via UDP (connectionless protocol, so telnet-a-like would not work,) but there may be one or two out there which will answer via TCP. (Oh, man, I remember dialing up to the US Naval Observatory once a week on my Amiga to set its clock.)

[Wildstar]

It is mostly the encryption stuff that takes huge overhead. The F18A VDP might be enough to get through some of the SSL encryption/decryption. However, my GreenArray will grind through the encryption/decryption quite quickly. In theory, I could use it as the RS232 to ethernet bridge. I just have to set up the Forth programming on that beast.

 

Then use the Blowfish encryption to secure the unsecure RS232 channel coming into it and then use the SSL on the other end from GreenArray out to the WWW.

 

Just maybe.....

[Omega-TI]

I'm not too concerned about security when it comes to a hacker against the TI. Since the TI only runs one program at a time, if someone managed to get in, then what? The TI does not have the communications infrastructure like a PC. The TI would be so alien and limited in nature I doubt anyone would bother.

 

For the other formats, a proxy server with a translator might work, assuming we even needed those additional secure protocols. Now I doubt any of us plan to do our banking or private email on the TI, even if we could. If some hacker wants to read me chatting about the TI with another TI user, they can knock themselves out. Everything I type here is public anyway.

 

Now that idea of an app to set the clock on the TI is a cool idea too... but... I just have one small problem.... about that RTC....

 

So that's three useful APP ideas already.

[+OLD CS1]

You are looking at the wrong place for security. Sure, no one will hack your TI, just the same as no one who has tried Linux hacks on my Solaris machine have been successful. The security is about the data. Your user account credentials, for instance. Your conversations, for another. Whether or not you are concerned about your conversations being intercepted, others are concerned about their conversations being intercepted (and others are interested in intercepting your conversations.) And you would be surprised what can be done with some simple account credentials, especially considering some of the studies done on the recent data breaches. In particular, of the known intercepted credential data, 75% and up of people use the same credentials for multiple sensitive services, easily leading to identity theft, financial theft and fraud, etc. (I think the actual number is higher.)

 

Not the same scenario, but a perfect case example. A customer a while back was not concerned about security on their FTP server. While at LAX on a lay-over, one of the guys got bored and decided to connect in and make some changes to a web page. Within two days their websites were defaced by someone who intercepted his credentials. Immediately got my SSL FTP server I wanted. A relevant scenario would be someone intercepting your Twitter credentials and blast-spamming out pro-whatever tweets to as many twerps as possible; or your email credentials for spam (this happens a LOT,) and so on.

 

Another good example about the casual conversation bit. One day while on the phone with my cellular provider, I was speaking casually to the rep and decided to try something. Within eight minutes I knew enough about her and her family to stalk her, her parents, and a pretty good chance of being successful at picking her kid up from school.

[firepod]

I just paid for my PEB, and other addonds so I am looking for that to be my near future. I think getting the must have Mod's will be my focus after that and learning to code with TI Extended, and then on to making some fun games to share with everyone!!!!

[Asmusr]

3.) as for what I'd like to see in 2015, more F18A specific stuff. Rasmus Power Strike looks to be awesome

 

I don't think it's very likely that I will do more work on that code. One thing I have learned from the Sabre Wulf project is that if I make another game it should be own creation and not a conversion from another platform.

[Omega-TI]

Rasmus Power Strike looks to be awesome

 

 

I don't think it's very likely that I will do more work on that code.

 

It looked awesome. But I'm sure you'll come

out with something better!

[+OLD CS1]

 

I don't think it's very likely that I will do more work on that code. One thing I have learned from the Sabre Wulf project is that if I make another game it should be own creation and not a conversion from another platform.

 

I think I get it.

[Asmusr]

 

I think I get it.

 

 

If you make a conversion you should at least be 100% familiar with the game on the source platform. I understand you have spent quite some time studying Arkanoid, so you should have that part covered.

[Wildstar]

Exactly, Old CS1.

 

By the way, a TI is fully capable of multitasking. That's not the issue. It is security between the TI and the SSL connection. This is minimal if your only unsecure connection is between your TI and say a PC which will then connect your data stream to the internet via an SSL connection.

 

Once the connection is unsecure beyond your local area network, then only god and hackers will only know what would be happening to your data. It is the stuff you want secure like your credit card number and it's CVV code nd other stuff. Hackers are paid and has full time jobs just to do these kinds of criminal activities because that is how criminal organizations gets financed.

 

They wouldn't need to hack the TI to listen to RS232 communication. After all, TI ASCII is just that.... ASCII. The same as that on PCs. In fact, they can directly with minimal work collect that information into a text file with a script. Telnet is that unsecure. Take the TCP/IP encapsulation data and separate it from the packet payload. The payload is plain ASCII text. SSL uses an encryption/encoding so the data is basically scrambled to hell so its gibberish until they decrypt it.

 

The encryption/decryption process is processing intensive.

 

That is why SSL and https and similar secured/encrypted connections seems to move slower.

[Wildstar]

 

 

If you make a conversion you should at least be 100% familiar with the game on the source platform. I understand you have spent quite some time studying Arkanoid, so you should have that part covered.

 

Absolutely. You need to understand the game design and mechanics not just the source but reverse it from "program code" to abstract (machine independent format). The game is designed through a process from abstract to program code. You need to go in reverse and translate cod into the abstract level and then back to code for the other platform. Trying to directly translate from one language to another is a nightmare while if you can understand the structure and mechanics of the logic, AI, etc. and the overall structure of the game then you can isolate platform specifics stuff and then bring it to code for your re-targetted platform. Like redoing a PC game on to a TI-99/4A. Modern ones would be very daunting while a not so modern one (ie. a 2d game) would be easier. The reason is, modern games uses highly integrated 3d Game engines and you have to sift through such a monster of Direct X or OpenGL calls and such that it would be difficult if not impossible for a single human being to keep track of all that. If possible, it can take a long long time to get through it. Remember, it involved massive teams to make these modern PC games along with all the assets.

 

In our case, converting a Sinclair game should be relatively easy. However, you would be reverse engineering machine language code, without the comments unless you are lucky to have the original code or you were the original programmer. In the latter case, you may have the game design documents and notes (if you kept them for all those years). What is important in reverseing from ML is to understand the computer platform very well to know what is the video routines and get a print out of the original source code and then document the code. Redline your comments so you can then abstract it. Certain routines such as the AI logic and game mechanics, you might place a comment note to reference a more detailed written explaination of how the routine works, the logic mechanics in human readable format. Then you would rewrite the game so you can have those essential features in the program code. You'll also need to isolate bitmap, sprite, audio and other data from the code as it isn't unusual that this stuff was all packed together.

 

Of course, these would be steps that need to be taken but certainly easier said than done but doable. Since it makes no direct sense to try to translate a Z80 processor's code to TMS9900. You also would have to structurally re-map video routines to the VDP as it is mapped on the TI-99/4A not on the ZX Sinclair or other platforms and their video chips and sound chips, etc.

 

Having done some games in the past, it was easier to work from abstract to code than code to code (from platform to platform) when working on multiple platforms.

 

It is my guess the makers of Saberwulf had their game mechanics, logic, etc. outlined on paper in words and pseudo-code or other similar strategies and used that as the basis for programming it for each platform. Sprites and such were done for each platform seldomly was reused directly from platform to platform. They often will have graph sheets with boxes filled in with colors. A common reference and then for each platform, the graphic artist will make a version for that platform while usually trying to keep as much resemblance to the original reference.

[+OLD CS1]

Yeah, I am definitely not converting code-to-code. I have spent the past few days studying how the arcade does its collision detection and it is surprisingly rudimentary. The biggest problem I will have is working up formulas in 9900, but that will come with time and patience.

 

The only thing I would really like to have is a dump of the sound tables from the MSX ROM (I believe the data fed to the sound chip is near enough to the 9919 to be usable, or at least convertible.) Converting the music by ear is easy enough, but the sound effects are killing me.

[Iwantgames:)]

 

 

 

It looked awesome. But I'm sure you'll come

out with something better!

Agreed, can't wait to see what's next