Convenience & Storage Format

[Omega-TI]

This poll is trying to determine which storage format for games is the most used and or convenient among those who own the various devices.

[RXB]

How come HARD DRIVE like my SCSI Card is not in this list?

[Opry99er]

I took "HD" to mean hard drive

[+save2600]

FR99 format going to be the easiest for me and I suspect most everyone. No HxC, PEB box, disk drives, hard drives - anything like that. Perfectly happy with the FlashROM99 cartridge. Or a future one that'll handle GROM's.

Though I do have and use a program recorder (cassettes), not on your list. That's still a form of storage last time I checked.

[Opry99er]

^^truth^^

[+Ksarul]

As to games, I personally prefer a standard cartridge release.

[Asmusr]

Are the questions in this poll completely neutral or are they slightly biased towards a preference for the FR99 format? I'm not sure.

[Asmusr]

Anyway, I believe any game that will fit into a 32K ROM cartridge will (eventually) be released in FR99 format, but while you're developing games that require 32K RAM it's easier to produce a DSK because we don't have an automatic (command line) tool to convert E/A#5 files into cartridge format.

[Omega-TI]

...we don't have an automatic (command line) tool to convert E/A#5 files into cartridge format.

 

How about a WinDOZE program that would 'automagically' convert any E/A 5 program to FR99 format?

If something like that was to arrive on the scene, I imagine more people would hop on the compiler bandwagon because almost anyone can program in BASIC. Maybe even a quick PDF titled, "TI Extended BASIC compiler for Dummies" with easy to follow steps, 1, 2, 3, etc.

[Omega-TI]

I took "HD" to mean hard drive

 

Yup!

[+Lee Stewart]

... because we don't have an automatic (command line) tool to convert E/A#5 files into cartridge format.

 

 

How about a WinDOZE program that would 'automagically' convert any E/A 5 program to FR99 format?

If something like that was to arrive on the scene, I imagine more people would hop on the compiler bandwagon because almost anyone can program in BASIC. Maybe even a quick PDF titled, "TI Extended BASIC compiler for Dummies" with easy to follow steps, 1, 2, 3, etc.

 

Fred’s Module Creator 2.0 pretty much does that. It is not a command-line tool, but it is very simple to use—and its conversion of E/A5 programs to ROM binaries is straightforward and automatic.

 

...lee

[budz2355]

I use disks (3.5 and 5.25) flashrom99, and a ramdisk. I really need to get a tape player! ....also didn't Richard post something on his BBS about doing a run of HD controller cards?

[Shift838]

I use disks (3.5 and 5.25) flashrom99, and a ramdisk. I really need to get a tape player! ....also didn't Richard post something on his BBS about doing a run of HD controller cards?

 

Jim is working on a Myarc FDC clone. It's not done yet and will support 80 track DS/DD and 4 drives just like the original Myarc.

[RXB]

 

Jim is working on a Myarc FDC clone. It's not done yet and will support 80 track DS/DD and 4 drives just like the original Myarc.

Why not EIDE as where the hell would you find a cheap MFM drive today?

MFM drives would have to be more rare then anything else I can think of, hell SCSI are still around only because they are still being used.

 

As for hardware SD RAM seems to be a trend and setting up a Hard Drive sector access is much better way to grant access to files.

Which is more easy to do?

OLD SCS.VOLUME.SUBVOLUME.FILENAME ! Mind you there could be thousands of Volumes each with 128 subvolumes and each with 128 files.

OR

CALL DEVICE or RUN DEVICE to set up what disk image to run or file folder like disk to run:

Then you can go to XB or EA and run program.

 

Really which one takes more steps?

[Shift838]

Why not EIDE as where the hell would you find a cheap MFM drive today?

MFM drives would have to be more rare then anything else I can think of, hell SCSI are still around only because they are still being used.

 

As for hardware SD RAM seems to be a trend and setting up a Hard Drive sector access is much better way to grant access to files.

Which is more easy to do?

OLD SCS.VOLUME.SUBVOLUME.FILENAME ! Mind you there could be thousands of Volumes each with 128 subvolumes and each with 128 files.

OR

CALL DEVICE or RUN DEVICE to set up what disk image to run or file folder like disk to run:

Then you can go to XB or EA and run program.

 

Really which one takes more steps?

 

I would love to see a run of SCSI cards or even a new EIDE myself..

[+InsaneMultitasker]

Make an updated "HDX"-like device that works over Ethernet or wifi, maintains individual file support and also provides DSR support for standard floppy images (.dsk) and raw (or mame) hard disk images - and I would get rid of all of my controller cards, floppies, platters, and CF devices in a heartbeat.

[RXB]

Make an updated "HDX"-like device that works over Ethernet or wifi, maintains individual file support and also provides DSR support for standard floppy images (.dsk) and raw (or mame) hard disk images - and I would get rid of all of my controller cards, floppies, platters, and CF devices in a heartbeat.

I would imagine a modified version of a Ethernet switch with with a TI DSR would work but of course a buffer would be needed as the TI is really slow compared to 100 mps compared to normal today 1 gps we use now.

[PeBo]

Although it does use an sd card to store cart images, I don't consider a flashrom99 to be a storage device since it cannot save/load miscellaneous data.

 

In my mind, it's a cartridge emulator, nothing more.

 

Thanks to the the E/A II bin, flashrom99 really shines when used in conjunction with what I would consider to be a storage device, like a CF, HxC, HDX, or a good old fashion disk drive.

 

I will admit that an FR99 combined with 32k memory expansion opens up a world of possibilities to a stand alone 4A, any program that saves to an external device (word processors, spreadsheets - or heck, Tunnels of Doom or Space Station Pheta) is still not usable without a tape or disk drive.

[PeBo]

Oh, and since it was one of the poll questions...

 

More educational carts!!

 

Educational software is nearly half of everything TI released (and supplemented by the likes of Scott Foresman), yet we only have 20 or so BIN's. Of course nothing is stopping ME from converting a few, so really this isn't bitching, but just an observation.

 

When the kids come over with friends and siblings, I usually unplug the FR99 and go back to using individual carts. (although I will admit, the fact that I have still not put the flashROM in a case has a lot to do with not wanting it used by little people.)

Edited March 5, 2017 by PeBo

[RXB]

Oh, and since it was one of the poll questions...

 

More educational carts!!

 

Educational software is nearly half of everything TI released (and supplemented by the likes of Scott Foresman), yet we only have 20 or so BIN's. Of course nothing is stopping ME from converting a few, so really this isn't bitching, but just an observation.

 

When the kids come over with friends and siblings, I usually unplug the FR99 and go back to using individual carts. (although I will admit, the fact that I have still not put the flashROM in a case has a lot to do with not wanting it used by little people.)

This is why I loves the Hard Drive SCSI card, they can just run RXB (using PGRAM) and it does a WDS1.LOAD (press 0 in RXB) and that XB program has every GAME in the list.

I really should recreate that XB program using the SAMS card that had over 5000 games on it showing page after page of Basic, XB, EA3, and EA5 games all loaded from RXB using SAMS.

This was from 2001 for the kids to use my TI, but they are all grown up now.

Edited March 6, 2017 by RXB

[Omega-TI]

Although it does use an sd card to store cart images, I don't consider a flashrom99 to be a storage device since it cannot save/load miscellaneous data.

In my mind, it's a cartridge emulator, nothing more.

 

I follow your train of thought on this, and while technically I agree with you, to me it 'feels' like a storage device simply because I can download new stuff from the Internet and have it on Real Iron within seconds.

 

 

Thanks to the the E/A II bin, flashrom99 really shines when used in conjunction with what I would consider to be a storage device, like a CF, HxC, HDX, or a good old fashion disk drive.

 

100% agreement here buddy! Also with DM2K, 4A DOS, or anything thing else you want loaded up at your fingertips FAST. I might also add that those without HD's or a HD "like" device like the HDX, it takes a lot of stuff off disk leaving more room for other data.

 

 

I will admit that an FR99 combined with 32k memory expansion opens up a world of possibilities to a stand alone 4A, any program that saves to an external device (word processors, spreadsheets - or heck, Tunnels of Doom or Space Station Pheta) is still not usable without a tape or disk drive.

 

This might make a good poll some day... I wonder how many people still REGULARLY use a spreadsheet or word processor on the TI or other programs that require disk I/O?

[PeBo]

 

I follow your train of thought on this, and while technically I agree with you, to me it 'feels' like a storage device simply because I can download new stuff from the Internet and have it on Real Iron within seconds.

Not going to argue, since this is a question of perception and not a right or wrong thing, but I have to say for ME to consider something a storage medium for the TI, you should be able to load and save ON THE TI.

 

While all the other methods I mentioned can do that, the FlashROM99 has to be loaded on a PC.

 

But I do want to revisit one of my lines...

"In my mind, it's a cartridge emulator, nothing more."

 

That doesn't give justice to just what an amazing piece of modern hardware the FR99 is. The very fact that we HAVE a cartridge emulator makes it far more important than a "nothing more".

 

Until the FinalGrom gets released of course.

[+jedimatt42]

Make an updated "HDX"-like device that works over Ethernet or wifi, maintains individual file support and also provides DSR support for standard floppy images (.dsk) and raw (or mame) hard disk images - and I would get rid of all of my controller cards, floppies, platters, and CF devices in a heartbeat.

I have the sense this has been argued over here before, but can someone summarize why the desire for floppy images? or disk images? and not a desire for FIAD?

 

I'm working on a TIFILES based FIAD DSR. I'd like to know what the barrier is to transitioning to FIAD? Is it just conversion time? Would FIAD be adopted if conversion was automated?

 

-M@

[Omega-TI]

Would FIAD be adopted if conversion was automated?

 

"If you build it, they will come." Seriously, after using the FIAD format with the HDX, I much prefer that over the limitations of the DSK format.

 

Uh... by any chance planning on sticking this DSR into a new piece of hardware that plugs into the side of your 32K device?

[Airshack]

 

How about a WinDOZE program that would 'automagically' convert any E/A 5 program to FR99 format?

If something like that was to arrive on the scene, I imagine more people would hop on the compiler bandwagon because almost anyone can program in BASIC. Maybe even a quick PDF titled, "TI Extended BASIC compiler for Dummies" with easy to follow steps, 1, 2, 3, etc.

 

 

Agree! Navigating the seemingly endless maze of tools out there necessary to go from BASIC to FR99 compiled really makes me drop my MoJo.